Brian Knep

nTag Interactive, creators of the world's first interactive name badge, developed several activities where conference goers could earn points with their badges. They asked me to design and create an installation to provide feedback on how well each user was doing. In the Orb, each user is represented as a virtual ball whose size and weight are proportional to that user's score. The balls tumble in a physical simulation, bouncing against each other and the walls of the crystal egg. The simulation is live, and whenever a user gets points, their name flashes briefly across the bottom of the Orb. 

At any time, conference organizers can chose a winner from the highest scorers. The winner's ball, one of the heaviest, flies out of the orb and comes forward, showing everyone who won and why.