The Smart Way

“Work Hard Play Hard” is a famous motto that many people live by but is it possible to do both? The technology world is about being innovative, finding a solution to make things better and why not have some fun while you’re at it?

Anyone that is in the AV world can tell you that performing geometry calibration of a projection mapping system can sometimes be a challenge. It involves a lot of back and forth eye movements from the laptop to the video wall. Not only does this put a strain on the eyes but it also leaves a lot of room for human error.

Two of our Project Engineers found themselves in a similar situation while working on a project. They found calibrating the dots on a video screen with the use of just a laptop was distracting, hard on the eyes and difficult to solely rely on memory. Worst of all, it was very time consuming which is crucial when deadlines are near and expectations are high. Faced with those challenges and with the continuous desire to remain innovative they did what any engineer should do…they found a solution.

After a bit a research, brain storming and YouTube videos they learned how to incorporate a PlayStation 2 Controller to aid them in the calibrating process. How in the world can a PlayStation 2 controller be used for accurate video mapping? Well… that is exactly what a client thought and scolded our engineers for “playing video games” on the job. It was not until the client looked deeper and after a thorough explanation the client realized that the engineers actually hacked the PS2 Controller and used it as a mouse or keyboard.

With the incorporation of the controller, they were able to save time, reduce human error and eliminate the distractions by reducing the tricks your eyes can play on you while calibrating a video wall. Who would have thought a PlayStation controller could be paired up with a 7th Sense Delta Server and achieve such results?

Technology is always changing and we feel our approach to technology should be innovative, efficient and fun. Thinking outside the box is a familiar territory for us and it all started with the name chosen for the company. Smart Monkeys, Inc. is a company that continuously strives to be innovative by our approach, efficient by driving results and most of all keeping everything fun. The key is to work smarter not harder and that is what the smart in our name stands for.