The 1200 fixtures in the glass canopy provide a substantial canvas for geometric and organic lighting effects, generated by a networked Pharos LPC 1 and LPC 2. An additional four LPC2s and three LPC1s control the 4100 LEDs incorporated into the glass parapets of the 150m interactive walkway. Integrated along the walkway are 256 sensors connected to the digital inputs on 32 Pharos RIO 80 remote devices networked via 16 Pharos PoE switches to the LPCs.
As pedestrians pass the sensors, sections of lights follow their progress across the bridge. The LPCs' support for scripting simplifies the process of handling the inputs from the numerous sensors and determines which LED sections to light up in response. A Pharos button panel (BPS) is also installed for local triggering of override sequences.
From sunset to the early hours, the controllers run a change of programme every 15 minutes, culminating in the hourly sequence that expresses a universal message: the chemical elements that comprise the human body. This was achieved by translating their periodic table chemical symbols into Morse code and programming the dash-dot pattern as a text effect in Pharos Designer. The resulting light pattern travels across the parapet.
(Jim Evans)
