Optoma
| Industry Bowling |
| Region Sweden |
|
Type of Solution Interactive projection using three Optoma short throw projectors blended along the length of two bowling lanes. |
|
Installation Company Nordic Amusement Group AB |
| www.nordicamusementgroup.com |
| Based in Sweden, Nordic Amusement Group is the distributing company that sells Swift Tech’s Interactive Bowling across the Nordic countries. Its products also include golf simulators, laser tag, shooting and racing simulators. |
“I have a background as a bowler and our main target customers are bowling alleys. We wanted to develop something that was good for the sport that I love while at the same time grow our company. Bowling has been the same for many years so there was room for improvement to say the least.”
Eddy Fransson from Nordic Amusement Group
“The Optoma short throw projectors were one of few that fitted this project both pricewise and spec-wise. The hardest part was to make the solution work for different ceiling heights. The W460ST projector is perfect.”
Eddy Fransson
“We have very skilled technicians so it was not that hard for them, but it is time consuming to blend and calibrate all the equipment to achieve the great interactive image.”
Eddy Fransson
“Interactive Bowling is a new and interesting concept. It has increased our bookings for children’s parties and made us the talk of the town.”
Kent Kyrk from O’Learys
“Making the lanes interactive has reinvigorated bowling. Bowling centres that have installed the interactive bowling are attracting more families and children’s parties by making the game more fun.
“And bowling lanes tend to be a standard size all over the world – so this can be installed in any bowling centre - anywhere.”
Eddy Fransson
Interactive bowling set to change the face of bowling globally
The Challenge
Challenge
Nordic Amusement Group and its sister company Swift Tech Interactive, wanted to create a product that has a ‘revival effect’ on bowling and takes a game, that has remain unchanged in decades, to a whole new level.
Eddy Fransson from Nordic Amusement Group said: “I have a background as a bowler and our main target customers are bowling alleys. We wanted to develop something that was good for the sport that I love while at the same time grow our company. Bowling has been the same for many years so there was room for improvement to say the least.”
The company developed the idea of creating interactive bowling lanes with bright colourful graphics. This needed powerful projectors to beam large colourful imagery down from a relatively short distance above the actual lane.
Solution
The Optoma W460ST projectors were chosen to meet the brief with three projectors installed to completely cover two lanes with bright vibrant graphics. The projectors were blended along the length of the two lanes using Nordic Amusement Group’s bespoke software so the imagery was seamless.
Eddy said: “The Optoma short throw projectors were one of few that fitted this project both pricewise and spec-wise. The hardest part was to make the solution work for different ceiling heights. The W460ST projector is perfect.”
High speed infrared cameras detect the movement of the bowling ball and work in conjunction with infrared lights, software and projectors to then show the imagery in each individual lane as the ball is bowled.
Interactive Bowling has now been installed across several bowling centres in Scandinavia. O’Learys in Skövde Sweden recently installed the technology across all its 18 bowling lanes. This used a total of 27 W460ST projectors to cover the lanes. The equipment was recessed into the ceiling space to be less visually obtrusive in the bowling centre.
Installation was fairly straightforward with the W460ST projectors. Eddy said: “We have very skilled technicians so it was not that hard for them, but it is time consuming to blend and calibrate all the equipment to achieve the great interactive image.”
Results
Through interactive tracking of the ball and colourful backgrounds, the game is simply more exciting and fun.
Kent Kyrk from O’Learys, said: “Interactive Bowling is a new and interesting concept. It has increased our bookings for children’s parties and made us the talk of the town.”
Eddy said: “Making the lanes interactive has reinvigorated bowling. Bowling centres that have installed the interactive bowling are attracting more families and children’s parties by making the game more fun.
“And bowling lanes tend to be a standard size all over the world – so this can be installed in any bowling centre - anywhere.”
Swift Tech Interactive
Part of the Nordic Amusement Group, Swift Tech manufactures innovative leisure products including Interactive Bowling, Interactive Pool and SimVision VR to family entertainment centres, amusement parks, bowling alleys, restaurants and other leisure venues.
Nordic Amusement Group AB
Based in Sweden, Nordic Amusement Group is the distributing company that sells Swift Tech’s Interactive Bowling across the Nordic countries. Its products also include golf simulators, laser tag, shooting and racing simulators.
www.nordicamusementgroup.com
[email protected]
Tel: +46 (0) 10 160 50 10
O'Learys Skövde
Egnells väg 1, Skövde
www.olearys.se/en-us/skovde-bowling
[email protected]
Tel: 0500 - 48 16 00
Photographs copyright: © Nordic Amusement Group