The experience invites the big kid in all of us to enter the purpose-built sandpit and create a customised track. The sand is then carefully scanned by a depth-sensing camera, from which a virtual world is rendered. Having built the track, drivers then buckle up in the new Audi Q5, which becomes a portal to the virtual world they just created. The size of the jumps and the challenge of the course are all dictated by the sandy self-made chicanes.
The installation was developed by MediaMonks in line with Pol’s creative concept. To be able to capture every bump and curve, the sand is bombarded with short bursts of infrared light with over 200,000 measure points captured by the infrared camera. This data is then used to create a 3D model that informs the virtual environment. Once in the car, the driver experiences all the tangibility of a real-life drive, from feedback in the steering wheel, to the actual sounds of an Audi Q5.
