OUR LAB

AUDI 'E-TRON ROOM: THE FUTURE PARADOX'

Xavi's Lab presented Audi's futuristic technology to the public through the world's most advanced hyper-reality experience, the 'e-tron room: the Future Paradox’. In this experience participants traveled through time, going through different challenges until they reach their final destination: the future.

To overcome the challenges, the participants were equipped with the latest technology, such as motion sensors and the VivePro virtual reality headset, which allowed the players' activity and the positions of different objects in the room to be transposed into the virtual world. The system has 36 cameras and 28 sensors in total. The algorithm created let recreates user physical pose to virtual avatar poses to allow a perfect confusion between reality and the virtual world of Audi’s Ambitious Mixed-Reality Game which pushed the limits of Branded VR.

LA PEDRERA 'MAGICAL VISION'

From concept design and script to software, coding and visual development – we delivered an entire Mixed Reality experience for La Pedrera, the iconic building by Antoni Gaudí. 

Wearing the Microsoft HoloLens 2 glasses, the visitor can explore a previously closed-off floor of the magnificent 1910s building. The nonintrusive technology seamlessly integrates holograms with the actual physical space, ensuring that the monumental architecture remains the centre of attention. Additional features, such as the 3D audio developed in close collaboration with OIDO, tie the experience to the space even more, increasing interaction and turning the visitors into more than simple spectators.

Finding the right balance between the expressive storytelling and the Mixed Reality technology was essential for creating a unique connection between visitors and building. Some of the elements featured in this permanent exhibition include a holographic window showing the historical context, sound seemingly coming out from an old radio, and the animals that inspired Gaudi fluttering around the space.

TELEFÓNICA 'ZENIT'

In collaboration with Igor Studio, we created the impactful visuals that reacted in real-time to the emotions of pianist Lang Lang during his performance at the prestigious Liceu de Barcelona.

Displayed on a grand 7x7m screen, the five mesmerizing audiovisual pieces – developed using Unreal Engine – were designed to react dynamically to the piano's musical notes, with three of them also responding to movement. This included the use of a motion capture suit to translate Lang Lang's emotions into the visuals that beautifully accompanied his music.

Using an animated mass of particles as an orchestra conductor, we invited the audience to participate in real-time, prompting them to illuminate their phone torches and creating a stunning display of light. Our exclusive software, developed specifically for this event by our Lab, transformed this light interaction into musical chords, allowing the audience to engage and play along with Lang Lang, creating a synchronised spectacle of light and music.

This harmonious fusion of music, technology, visual art, and audience participation delivered an unforgettable experience for all those present at the exclusive event hosted by telecommunications giant Telefonica in celebration of their centenary.

GREENPEACE 'THEIR FUTURE IS OUR FUTURE'

In 2017, Greenpeace set itself a challenge: to gather signatures for a comprehensive action plan to protect bees and promote organic farming. Their goal was to collect 250,000 human signatures, paired with 250,000 bee signatures.

We developed an innovative software to track bees in real time and programmed a robotic arm to paint their movements. These movements were understood as the signatures of the bees.

During the shoot, the robot and the real time tracking system were placed in between the hives. Our in-house tracking software converted the bees’ route points into vectorized paths, forming the beautiful digital bee signatures. An algorithm selected the best-looking signatures, which were then drawn by the UR10 robot arm using Japanese blending.

THE GLENROTHES

Together with On&On and NotOnSaturday we worked on the task to revive The Glenrothes whisky brand in all its entirety. This resulted in a complete rebrand and a campaign in which The Glenrothes philosophy, honesty, was interpreted in a new way.

WE created an algorithm of truth that used the spirit's technical data which turned out in a captivating visual expression of whisky making. It was a good opportunity to integrate the new paradigm of real-time VFX. On this project, we decided to integrate Unreal Engine as a primary toolkit for our lab and also openFrameworks for the backend data.

MERCAT DE LES FLORS 'RASTRES'

For this project, we wanted to capture the fluidity and expression of movement in real time, and we made it happen using AI and advanced motion-capture technology. This innovation was a game-changer – it allowed us to free dancers from those clunky sensor suits that used to restrict their movements, and now they can move freely, expressing themselves without limits.

Our challenge, given by Mercat de les Flors and the agency Make It Gas, was to bring the movement of Wonderground's dance team to life, creating a visual composition that would represent the 2024-2025 season. The result? “Rastres”, a stunning piece that captures the traces of each gesture and movement — the marks of a body painting the space through dance.

The first step was choosing the right AI technology to track motion and generate real-time visuals. We combined this with Unreal Engine, which allowed us to process massive amounts of data and turn it into mesmerizing visuals composed of endless flowing lines.

To help Make It Gas’ graphic team select the perfect moment to capture, we used AI to create ultra-high-resolution 6K videos at 2,400 fps. Additionally, we took inspiration from the spirograph, a toy that creates geometric patterns (such as hypotrochoids and epitrochoids), to add a unique aesthetic to the visuals. The result? Beautiful designs that capture the grace and complexity of movement.

SÓNAR & AJUNTAMENT DE BARCELONA 'ANALEMA'

‘Analema’, an interactive audiovisual installation developed by our Lab and curated by Sónar, illuminated Barcelona’s sky throughout the holiday season.

Positioned in Plaça Universitat as part of the Barcelona Christmas Festival, the 6m-diameter cylindrical LED screen captures citizens' movements during the day, transforming them into a unique choreography of vertical light at night. Enriched by a generative sound system reacting to users' positions, the installation echoes the sonic space crafted by musical duo Tarta Relena.

'Analema' invited all citizens to explore diverse visual and sound spectrums based on their position and the time of day, celebrating the winter solstice through an experiment controlled by generative algorithms.

GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA 'LA FONERIA XR'

We had the incredible privilege of creating an immersive experience to present Catalunya’s upcoming Centre for Digital Culture, La Foneria, in Barcelona.

This Mixed Reality adventure offers a sneak peek into the building’s future, allowing users to visualise its spaces, enjoy a sample of digital art, and experiment with visual algorithms. As they step into the heart of the former canon foundry wearing the Meta Quest Pro glasses, users can touch, learn, and play with art and technology through interactive experiences.

To promote the project, we also crafted a short presentation video using NeRF algorithms to scan the building's interior and bringing it to life with Unreal's real-time video game technology. The film captures the very essence of La Foneria—a promotional piece that is disruptive in its own right, mirroring the innovation of the upcoming project.

EXPERIMENTS & more