Red Globe Productions worked with the team at SimpleMotion and Performing Lines to help create the Tekno Train by Paul Mac for Vivid Sydney.
The Tekno Train wasn’t just any train ride. It was a spectacular moving canvas, lit from within by the brilliance of innovative technology. Tasked with creating a wireless lighting and audio system that could traverse the length of a moving train, Red Globe’s team rose to the challenge. The project demanded a solution that was not only effective but also resilient against the myriad of potential disruptions caused by the train’s metallic structure and constant motion.
Traditional methods of wiring were off the table due to the train’s existing infrastructure, pushing us towards a wireless solution. But how do you maintain stable and synchronized audio and lighting on a moving train, filled with passengers, and subject to Sydney’s diverse urban landscape?
The Red Globe team, headed by Andrew Yager, built a world-first lighting and audio distribution system suited for hostile environments like this one, and safety systems to ensure that public safety could be paramount during the trip.
Key to any system like this is the ability to monitor what’s happening in real-time. Red Globe’s team built status dashboards for the performance operators, that showed the real-time audio levels in each car of the train, speed, and network health. These dashboards were also available in each car, so in the event that network interruptions existed, they could be managed.
Using state-of-the-art technology and a bit of creative engineering, Red Globe designed a system that used high-frequency wireless signals to seamlessly bridge the gaps between train carriages. Each carriage was equipped with its own relay points, ensuring continuous communication and impeccable performance of the audio-visual spectacle.
