space150: forever 21 interactive billboard

forever 21 billboard by space150 in times square, new york all images courtesy of jason decrow, ap images

american communications agency space150 has recently unveiled an interactive billboard designed for youth fashion brand forever 21. taking over virgin’s iconic and historic location in times square, the new digital billboard features virtual models interacting with the crowd in a number of ways: a polaroid is taken of the street and instantly shown by the model to the crowd, an individual is picked up and turned into a frog by a kiss, while some are snuck under a hat or dropped into a shopping bag to get toted off the screen. for this to work, space150 required the use of high-tech surveillance equipment and computer vision technology. the software identifies and maps the people below which allows the computer to build a composite image of them in near real-time. this data is then used for the simulation with the virtual model as shown on the 61-foot screen. the computer also has the ability to pick out the yellow forever 21 shopping bags in a crowd. those who are standing below with the shopping bag are more likely to get picked up by the model.

other features of the project include ‘love tweets’, a live on-screen feed of twitter messages from fans that include the words ‘forever 21’ and ‘love’. below the billboard, the entrance of the store uses thermal imaging cameras to trigger paparazzi-like flashes when a customer walks through the door.

forever 21’s new flagship store in times square