BMWi: A Window Into The Near Future

I took this idea from concept to reality throughout the development process by vetting the project's feasibility, evangelizing the fledgling project with senior creative and management staff at kbs, leading the pitch to the client, researching and developing the technical approach, and finally by partnering with creative and technical staff to design, document, and help engineer the software and hardware that drove our 80,000-lumen interactive digital shadow box. Bringing the vision to life required overcoming a unique set of challenges. Since the projection was meant to be daylight-visible on one of the busiest streets in New York City, we needed a custom optical system that could deliver clarity, brightness, and seamless integration with live street activity. We collaborated with Future Colossal to develop a real-time computer vision pipeline that could detect passing vehicles, track their motion, and seamlessly replace them with the all-electric BMW i8 fleet, aligning each digital car’s motion with real-world traffic patterns. In addition to the visual transformation, we wanted to layer in meaningful data storytelling. The experience displayed live environmental metrics, including the number of internal combustion vehicles that had passed, the estimated CO₂ reduction if they were all electric, and other contextual insights about urban sustainability. This gave passersby more than just a compelling illusion and it framed the BMW i8 as a tangible step toward a more energy-conscious future. The installation was engineered to be invisible yet precise, a seamless fusion of digital projection, physical space, and real-world interactivity. We carefully calibrated perspective correction so that the projection mapped correctly from multiple viewing angles, ensuring that pedestrians and vehicles alike saw a convincing, reality-bending display. Every element was designed to function autonomously, continuously adapting to live city dynamics without requiring manual intervention.