We got word of a new use for high-powered front projectors recently from the Graffiti Research Lab (www.graffitiresearchlab.com) dedicated to "outfitting graffiti artists with open source technologies for urban communication." The company’s LASER Tag product enables a small laser pointer device to paint images (graffiti) on any (yes any) size building, limited of course to the power of the projector.

Steve Sechrist
Senior Analyst and Editor

In its simplest form the Laser Tag system is a camera and laptop setup, tracking a green laser point across the face of a building and generating graphics based on the laser’s position, which then get projected back onto the building with a high-power projector. The software to drive the system is open source so anyone can download this and use it at the Graffiti Research Lab web site. The latest version was released in Feb-08 and written in C++ code.

The groups using the technology range from providing services to bona fide advertisers to "Borf’s Riot Trike," a portable projection system on three wheels making use of a front projector, the Graffiti technology, and a marine battery to power up the system for clandestine graffiti fun at night.

Equipment includes, 1 PC Laptop (minimum 1GB Ram with advanced video card like the Geforce Go 7300 256MB with VGA and DVI out), a high powered projector (like a Panasonic PTD5600U with 5000 ANSI Lumens), a Watec 221S Security/Astronomy Camera with manual iris zoom lens, a Pinnacle PCTV USB capture card, a 60mW Green Laser (super illegal in a lot of places and very dangerous) plus batteries to power it all.

Set-up includes mapping the building surface with the digital camera and laser, adjusting your color values and positioning the equipment to project on the surface of the building. Once this is done the software calculates an overlay field that is mapped to the surface you are projecting and paints the strokes, gestures graffiti if you will on the building surface that can be seen miles away.

If anything else, this serves as a prime example of the unintended consequences of technology. Laser Tag offers all the stress-releasing, need-to-be-heard benefits craved by the graffiti artist, with none of the ugly consequences. Come morning, the light is gone, the cityscape preserved.

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