Illuminating Immersive Experiences with NOVA Light Labs

When Casey Nova, CEO of NOVA Light Labs, found himself rebooting computers on a rooftop in a rainstorm, he knew he needed a different solution. NOVA Light Labs, based in Boise, ID, blends technology and art to create immersive and memorable experiences with interactive projection mapping. Projection mapping is a process where imagery is projected onto 3D objects instead of traditional flat surfaces. The images and video can be mapped to exactly fit the contours of a building, a wall, or just about any object to transform the surface into a screen. 

Projection mapping turns any surface into a screen or canvas for art. NOVA Light Labs turned the Herald building in Bellingham, WA into a head turning art installation. 

Projection mapping is done on indoor and outdoor surfaces and it’s used for marketing, art installations, and events. The projected image can even be responsive to its environment and movements around it, making it truly interactive and seemingly magical. Businesses, event planners, and artists are leveraging this innovative technology to enhance spaces and events and engage audiences in unique ways.

The problem: consumer grade computers had reliability issues

When Casey Nova, founder of NOVA Light Labs, first began creating projection mapping installations, he purchased the computers he needed at local electronic stores. He quickly discovered a reliability issue. 

"The computers I started using were top of the line consumer electronics. While they worked fine in an office setting, they did not fare well in my installations. There was a point when I had to go on a roof in a rainstorm to manually reboot a computer in an enclosure after a power surge. It was then that I knew I had to find a different and more reliable solution."

~Casey Nova, CEO NOVA Light Labs

After performing some online searches for rugged computers, Casey discovered OnLogic. He contacted the technical sales team who helped him determine his requirements and find the perfect solution. 

Computer requirements

Casey worked with the OnLogic technical sales team to identify and configure the hardware he needed to ensure reliability.

“Meeting NOVA Light Labs’ requirements would be challenging for other vendors because of their installation environments - but that is where OnLogic rugged computers shine. About half of their projects are for outdoor installations where the computer is mounted on a DIN rail in an outdoor enclosure. In addition, for larger projects, they need a GPU and sometimes multiple GPUs to manage the complex graphics processing. With that amount of processing power, in an enclosed space, there's a lot to consider to ensure reliability, but those are the types of conversations we love having.” 

~Darren Herd, Technical Sales, OnLogic 

In general, Casey and his team needed hardware that could meet each of these requirements: 

• Reliable, even in harsh environments - including dust, vibrations, and extreme temperatures

• Remote reset capabilities

• Variety of form factors 

• DIN rail mountable

• Variety of processing capabilities for both simple and complex installations

• Single and dual GPU support

• Active cooling options including an external fan 

• Options to configure and purchase online

• Computers shipped ready-to-go

• Available with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise

Solutions

For their single projector installations, NOVA Light Labs leverages the OnLogic HX310. This low profile fanless computer powered by dual-core or quad core Intel Elkhart Lake processors is designed for the edge. 

For installations with multiple projectors in environmentally challenging installations, NOVA Light Labs relies on the rugged Karbon 800 series, available with Intel 13th Gen (Raptor Lake) processing, advanced GPU support, and active cooling options.

Testing a projection mapping solution with the K803 with an external fan for active cooling

Rugged hardware can withstand a harsh environment - even in an enclosure, on the roof in the winter. 

Results

Since switching to OnLogic hardware, NOVA Light Labs hasn't had to worry about the reliability of their projection mapping deployments.

“The OnLogic computers have been so much better and way more reliable than anything else we have found over the 10+ years of operation. In addition, the Win 10 IoT Enterprise OS is essential for us. It solves a million problems when it comes to ensuring these installations are as reliable as possible for long term installations. OnLogic computers are our go-to solution for permanent installations.”

~Casey Nova, CEO NOVA Light Labs

In fact, NOVA Light Labs has one installation that has been running continuously for over 6 years in an outdoor enclosure without a single intervention. They do run an annual check on the system, but in Casey’s words “we don’t mess with it!” 

“OnLogic systems are not your normal office computers. They are designed for industrial applications. If you need something to run and you want to set it and forget it - you should try OnLogic.” 

~Casey Nova, CEO NOVA Light Labs

Check out some more of NOVA Light Labs’ amazing work on their Website, in their Portfolio, and on Instagram!  

 Need help establishing your requirements for your brilliant idea? To help you get started, we’ve collected the most important information to consider. Download our Complete Guide and Configuration Checklist to learn which variables, configuration options, software choices and more will inform the hardware you need to launch a successful project.