Intelligent Machines

A Touch of Vegas

Oct 20, 2009

The world’s largest public multitouch display, at the Hard Rock Café in Las Vegas, allows up to six customers to browse through a database of music-related photos and videos using touch controls. The 5,760-by-1,080-pixel display, which is 5.5 meters long and 1.2 meters tall, relies on three HD projectors powered by custom-programmed graphics processors. More than 100 images can be viewed simultaneously, and the system makes extensive use of data caching to prevent one user’s commands from stalling another user’s activity. Users’ “workspaces” can expand, contract, and position themselves automatically as multiple patrons make contact with or walk away from the display.