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The display opens as part of the reveal
A guided moving-screen stage in Dubai, aligned to show cues and media playback so the physical opening becomes part of the product reveal rather than a scene change around it.
Project at a glance
- Delivered
- September 2023
- Location
- Dubai, UAE
- Setting
- International product launch
- System
- Guided opening stage screen
- Motion
- Motorised travel along a guided path
- Interface
- External show-control cues
- Environment
- Indoor event
The brief: make the screen part of the choreography
A product reveal has one moment that matters. Everything before it is preparation and everything after is applause. The question on this project was whether the screen itself could carry that moment — opening on cue, in time with the media, instead of being wheeled aside while the lights cover the gap.
What was engineered
Rail alignment and load path
The visible screen travels along a guided path. What makes that travel look effortless is rail alignment and a load path that stays predictable across the whole stroke — a heavy assembly on a slightly out-of-true rail betrays itself immediately, and on a stage it betrays itself in front of an audience.
Repeatable end positions
Position, timing and repeatable end states are the control requirement. The screen has to stop in exactly the same place every time, because the lighting and camera positions were set against that mark during rehearsal.
Show-control integration, with local limits
Motion is coordinated with external show cues so the opening lands with the media. Local travel limits sit underneath that, protecting the boundary regardless of what the show system asks for. Neither layer trusts the other completely — which is the correct arrangement when a moving structure shares a space with people.
Cable management and backstage access
Cable routing on a travelling assembly is a design problem, not an installation detail. Rail layout is selected around the moving load, the floor or wall support condition and the backstage access that crews need during a live event.
| Constraint | Why it drove the design |
|---|---|
| Show cue timing | Motion coordinated with media playback, not triggered manually |
| End-position accuracy | Lighting and camera marks are set against the stopped position |
| Support condition | Floor or wall support determines viable rail layout and stroke |
| Backstage access | Crew routes have to survive the screen being in either position |
Delivery
Representative travel and the control interfaces are tested before the system is packed for the event site. An event build has no commissioning window worth the name — the system arrives expected to work.
Questions this project usually raises
Can the motion be driven by our show-control system?
Yes. Motion is coordinated with external show cues so the opening lands with the media sequence. Local travel limits remain active underneath the show system, protecting the physical boundary independently of what is being commanded.
How repeatable are the open and closed positions?
Repeatable end states are a core control requirement rather than a tolerance to be discovered later, because lighting and camera positions are set against the stopped screen during rehearsal.
What decides how wide the opening can be?
The moving load, the support condition — floor or wall — and the rail layout that follows from both. Backstage access is part of the same calculation, since crew routes have to work with the screen in either position.
Related
Planning a moving reveal or opening wall?
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