Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

FUTURISTIC PHENOMENA

MGM's Tabú Ultra Lounge features innovative, interactive screens on tabletops

An interactive image of a man's abdomen ripples in reaction to the wave of a hand, making it appear as though it is immersed in water. These reactive images can be found at Tabu Ultra Lounge in the MGM Grand. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. Technology is incorporated throughout Tabu Ultra Lounge in the MGM Grand. Here, images are seen floating across the surface of the bar. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett. Jeffrey Beers, designer of Tabu Ultra Lounge in the MGM Grand and rumjungle at Mandalay Bay, talks about his use of technology in local nightclubs. Photo by Amy Beth Bennett.

It's the stuff usually seen in science-fiction movies: projected images that interact with humans.

But this is no movie; it's Tabú Ultra Lounge at the MGM Grand, where some of the most cutting-edge technology can be found.

Inside the trendy club, where models serve drinks and table service starts at an eye-popping $225, two granite-top tables display projected images that react to the wave of a hand, the touch of a finger or the presence of a glass or even a purse.

Swipe a hand across a black field and a woman's face is revealed. A picture of bare feet immersed in water appears next, and when touched, the water ripples. A woman's skirt can be ruffled, another's lips made red.

The projectors, created and owned by Reactrix Systems, have been amazing customers since February when the lounge opened, says Mike Milner, executive director of nightclubs and entertainment for MGM.

Images change every few seconds, providing guests with a reason to hover over the table awaiting the next -- an eyeball that can be bounced around; hairpins that move across the table with a nudge; and a ring of fire that surrounds whatever is placed onto the table.

Using such technology in a local lounge has never been done before, says Jeffrey Beers, designer of Tabú.

The idea is to make not only a clever "operational trick" that keeps customers coming back but also to invite people to take part in creating their surroundings, Beers says.

"People enjoy themselves when they have some ownership of a venue. The message (with Tabú) is one where you're encouraged to participate," he explains.

The technology is ideal for Las Vegas, because it is the perfect combination of entertainment and advertisement.

"We obviously had our eye on Las Vegas during the development of this product," says Reactrix Systems co-founder Jon Friedberg.

Founder Matt Bell invented the technology, which in laymen's terms, is a motion-sensing system combined with a projector. Friedberg established the direction of the California company.

While it's not the level of interactive technology portrayed in the movie "Minority Report," in which an American Express billboard talks to Tom Cruise's character about using the charge card, the projectors at Tabú could be the prototype for it.

"What we have today is a very early stage of what is to come. This is the tip of the iceberg," Friedberg says.

The projectors' Las Vegas debut stirred interest among other properties and Reactrix Systems has discussed future projects, Friedberg says, although he declines to identify what and with whom.

But the use of such technology is potentially limitless.

Beers sees using it in a dance club, with dancers stepping on images of stones that react to their movement.

Milner says Tabú will add another projector in the next few weeks.

"There are all kinds of applications for this," Milner says.

Because it allows full-body interaction, "we can create an experience that has never before been possible," Friedberg says.

He envisions displays throughout casinos, informing and entertaining customers. Because people become engaged in the displays, they remember what they saw, Friedberg explains, which is the ultimate goal of advertising.

"Right now you walk around MGM you see plasma screens and static signs. But imagine Reactrix systems around the casinos," Friedberg says. "There's any sort of possibility."