2019/11/13
ID: 2057

Cinema 4.0

Great movies with the Festo Motion Terminal

Experiencing films with all the senses – this is what cinema audiences can do in one of the world’s 18,000 MediaMation cinema seats. With this concept, the whole body participates in the movie. The movements are controlled by a Festo Motion Terminal VTEM. This provides a unique way of combining digitisation and pneumatics.

A chase involving sports cars is unfolding on the screen. On a hairpin bend, the cinema

seats tilt to the left – only to swing back to the right when the car is travelling straight

ahead again. The cinemagoers feel the unevenness of the road surface, hear the

screeching of the tyres when the driver brakes and smell burnt rubber and exhaust

fumes. Suddenly water is splashed into the audience's faces as the car drives through

a puddle. At the same time, they can feel a draft of air blowing through their hair.

 

The cinema audience becomes one with the film. In the MX4D Motion EFX seats produced

by the Californian company MediaMation, the audience has the feeling that they are actors themselves. The seats incline, shimmy and lift. Effects and synchronised movements with gusts of wind, water splashes, vibration and scents are piped in through the V2 EFX armrests of the cinema seats, while pressure points are incorporated in the backs of the seats.

 

Industry 4.0 makes it all possible

Industry 4.0 is delivering “Cinema 4.0” – the Festo Motion Terminal VTEM controls all

kinds of motion and triggers all the effects. This versatile pneumatic control system

integrates digital functions into a single valve. Preprogrammed function modules

and motion apps eliminate the need for costly system structures. The motion apps

“Proportional directional control valve” and “Proportional pressure regulation” control

the flow rates and pressures to ensure fast and powerful yet gentle and precise motion

sequences.

 

Compact and simple

The motion profiles for the films are processed in a controller CPX-CEC directly on the Festo Motion Terminal. Many hardwarecomponents previously required are now

superfluous. Three valves VTEM control the three actuators of each cinema seat, while

one valve is responsible for pressure regulation. Inexpensive standard valves VUVG-…-S from Festo's core product range are used for the effects such as the gusts of wind.

 

"The Festo Motion Terminal makes everything much easier for us. Installation, commissioning, diagnostics and fault-finding can now be realised with far fewer components," says a very pleased Dan Jamele, CEO of MediaMation.

Digitisation and apps

As a key contributor to Industry 4.0, VTEM allows many new functions to be integrated

thanks to digitisation and piezo technology. “We already have many different apps to

choose from, such as proportional pressure regulation, presetting of travel time and

selectable pressure level, depending on each individual film scene,” explains Takayoshi

Kawakami, Director of Engineering at MediaMation. MediaMation with its fast and

intuitive operation is very well received in the age of “Cinema 4.0”.

Condividi comunicato stampa