Project Overview

Our three-person team, MAR CREATIVE, won 1st Place in the TEA APAC Next-Gen Design Challenge.

Within just one week, we developed an Olympic-themed interactive walkthrough attraction set in Kyoto, Japan.

The concept combined storytelling, environmental design, interactive technology, Japanese cultural elements, and multisensory experiences into a single guest journey.

As Technical Director, I was responsible for developing the technical concepts that connected guests with the story and physical environments, particularly the interactive Medallion Device used throughout the attraction.

Team — MAR CREATIVE

The name MAR CREATIVE was formed from the initials of the three team members.

• Masashi — Technical Director

• Akari — Concept Artist / Landscape Designer

• Riki — Project Manager / Producer

Each member brought a different area of expertise to the project.

Rather than developing the creative, environmental, production, and technical elements independently, we continuously shared ideas and integrated our outputs throughout the one-week design process.

This multidisciplinary collaboration became one of the strongest aspects of the final concept.

Challenge

The entire attraction concept had to be developed within approximately one week, from the announcement of the theme to the final presentation.

We focused particularly on two goals:

• Creating a strong and understandable story

• Establishing a meaningful connection between the guest experience, the Olympic theme, and Kyoto

Because the team could not meet in person, we collaborated remotely using Zoom and Miro.

We first generated a wide range of ideas together, then gradually narrowed the direction based on storytelling potential, interactivity, and the strengths of each team member.

Once the walkthrough format was selected, we introduced an interactive device and treasure-hunt structure to give guests an active role in the experience.

Attraction Concept

The attraction was designed as a three-stage walkthrough experience:

Pre-Show → Main Activity → Post-Show

Guests enter the attraction as newly recruited Olympic event volunteers attending an orientation session.

During the briefing, a presenter introduces the event using a slide presentation.

Suddenly, the colors of the Olympic rings begin to disappear.

Guests are then given a commemorative medal-shaped interactive device called the Medallion Device and asked to embark on a journey to recover the missing colors.

The Medallion becomes the interface connecting:

Guest → Environment → Story

Rather than simply observing the attraction, guests actively participate in restoring the story world.

Pre-Show

The Pre-Show introduces the story and prepares guests for the journey.

Guests are divided into groups and attend an Olympic volunteer orientation. During the presentation, the colors of the Olympic rings unexpectedly begin to fade away.

Each group receives a Medallion Device, which will be used to recover the missing colors during the Main Activity.

Multilingual Experience

Because an Olympic event would attract guests from many countries, we also considered multilingual accessibility.

Directional speakers are positioned above individual guest groups, allowing different languages to be delivered simultaneously within the same room while minimizing interference between groups.

The original concept illustrated separate audio zones for languages such as English, Japanese, and French.

This allowed guests from different countries to share the same Pre-Show space while receiving the story in a language they could understand.

Main Activity — Five Elements, Five Senses

The Main Activity consists of five checkpoints inspired by the five colors of the Olympic rings.

We developed a design framework connecting:

Five Olympic Colors → Five Natural Elements → Five Senses → Five Japanese Experiences

Each checkpoint combines a color, a natural element, a sensory experience, and a cultural or environmental motif associated with Kyoto or Japan.

Blue — Water × Touch

A waterside environment inspired by Kyoto's Kawadoko riverside terraces and an Ashiyu foot bath.

Guests physically experience the element of water through touch.

Black — Earth × Hearing

A limestone cave environment.

The enclosed cave space uses sound to create an immersive interpretation of the earth element.

Red — Fire × Smell

An environment inspired by Kyoto's traditional Okuribi ceremonial fires.

The experience incorporates incense to connect the element of fire with the sense of smell.

Yellow — Sand × Sight

A Karesansui Japanese dry landscape garden inspired by traditional Zen gardens.

The carefully composed landscape creates a primarily visual experience.

Green — Wood × Taste

An environment inspired by Uji tea and Kyoto tea culture.

Guests experience the element of wood and nature through the taste of Japanese green tea.

Interaction with the Medallion

As guests visit each checkpoint, the Medallion receives information corresponding to that location and captures its color.

The device responds through multiple forms of feedback:

• Light — LEDs

• Sound — Speaker

• Touch — Vibration motor

These responses help reinforce the interaction and make the abstract action of “collecting a color” feel tangible.

The Medallion was intended not simply as a prop, but as a tool for increasing guest participation and immersion throughout the walkthrough experience.

Post-Show

After exploring the Main Activity, guests enter the Post-Show area.

The experience shifts from individual exploration to a collaborative finale.

Five Medallion Devices are brought together to recreate the five Olympic rings.

When the devices are assembled, the final show sequence is triggered.

Projection-mapping effects illuminate the space as the missing colors return to the Olympic rings, completing the story.

The finale was intentionally designed so that no single guest could complete the story alone.

The journey begins with individual exploration but concludes through collaboration between multiple guests.

My Role — Technical Director

As Technical Director, my responsibility was to translate the creative attraction concept into technically plausible interactive systems.

My main contribution was the design of the Medallion Device.

Although the competition did not require us to build a physical prototype, I wanted the device to be more than a visual concept.

I therefore considered how the proposed interaction could realistically be implemented and developed:

• The interaction method

• Electronic system architecture

• Internal component layout

• Guest feedback mechanism

• Charging concept

•  3D CAD internal structure

I also created a system configuration diagram to communicate how the device could function as a real interactive system.

Medallion Device — Technical Design

Communication Method

For communication between the checkpoints and the Medallion, I selected infrared communication.

The interaction requirements were relatively simple: each checkpoint only needed to transmit information identifying its corresponding color.

Using a complex or high-bandwidth wireless communication system would therefore have added unnecessary cost and complexity.

Infrared communication was selected because it provided:

• Simple implementation

• Low cost

• Sufficient data capacity

• Short-range, location-specific communication

• A system appropriate to the actual interaction requirements

The goal was not to use the most sophisticated technology available, but to select a solution appropriate to the experience.

Electronic System Architecture

The Medallion was designed around a microcontroller-based architecture.

The conceptual system included:

• Microcontroller

• Infrared receiver

• Rechargeable battery

• Charging module

• LED driver and LEDs

• Sound module and speaker

• Motor driver and vibration motor

• USB-C charging port

The LEDs, speaker, and vibration motor provide visual, audio, and haptic feedback when guests interact with checkpoints.

A dedicated charging system was also included so that the devices could be repeatedly operated within an attraction environment.

Internal Mechanical Design

In addition to the external appearance, I modeled the internal structure of the Medallion using 3D CAD.

The internal design considered how the electronics, speaker, LED system, battery, infrared receiver, and USB-C connector could be packaged within the medal-shaped enclosure.

The objective was not to create a production-ready device within the one-week competition, but to demonstrate that the proposed interaction could be supported by a realistic physical system.

Attraction Operation

The concept also considered guest flow and attraction capacity rather than focusing only on the creative experience.

The proposed attraction was designed with a theoretical hourly ride capacity of:
THRC: 4,800 guests/hour

The Pre-Show was designed as:
5 minutes / 200 guests × 2 rooms

The Post-Show was designed as:
5 minutes / 100 guests × 4 rooms

This helped establish the attraction as a concept intended for real guest operation rather than only as a conceptual installation.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

One of the most valuable aspects of this project was the collaboration between three different disciplines.

Each member contributed strongly within their own specialization, but the final experience emerged from the connections between those disciplines.

The environmental concepts influenced the guest interactions.

The storyline defined technical requirements.

The Medallion connected guests with both the physical environments and the narrative.

The production perspective helped integrate these elements into a coherent attraction proposal within an extremely limited development period.

This project demonstrated how multidisciplinary teamwork can create an experience that would be difficult for any one discipline to develop alone.

Result

1st Place — TEA APAC Next-Gen Design Challenge, 2024

The final proposal was recognized for integrating storytelling, interactivity, multidisciplinary expertise, and the distinctive characteristics of the host city into a cohesive themed entertainment experience.

Final Presentation

The final presentation consisted of six slides covering:

1. MAR CREATIVE and team roles

2. Overall attraction concept and guest flow

3. Pre-Show and multilingual directional audio

4. Medallion Device and technical system design

5. Main Activity and multisensory environments

6. Collaborative Post-Show finale

Team MAR Creative_Presentation Slide.pdf