I am starting to go through notes and endless pix shot last week at ISE, and remembered one of my first stand visits – actually a day before the show formally opened.
The start-up CECOCECO had intrigued me with its 3D-printed ArtMorph LED tiles meant for architectural applications, making walls seemingly, surprisingly come alive. This podcast from a few weeks ago gets into it.
I was eager to see the tech for real, and it was indeed pretty interesting. Ambient visuals kind of emerge from wall surfaces that look, for example, like wood.
Printed plastic covers fit over square LED cabinets, and those tile together to create larger walls or canopies. The plastic is thin and NOT sturdy enough to be a floor surface.
What was almost amusing – and I don’t mean this in a negative way – was how the company had a carry bag full of different tiles – kinda like a bag of different flooring or upholstery samples.
Because the covers fit over the cabinets, there are subtle, halo-like seams between each unit … so up close there is a slight grid pattern. But that’s not evident from a distant.
It’s a VERY niche product aimed at the designed space community – companies like Gensler and Populous. I saw a similar thing a few years ago at ISE from a Dutch company, but this is done differently and has the backing of Chinese LED giant Unilumin and the experience and knowledge of the guy who started ROE, a BIG player in rental displays for touring shows.