Outdoor wayfinders deployed at Sydney Olympic Park

Zytronic’s all-weather projected capacitive (PCT and MPCT) touch sensors are helping visitors to Sydney Olympic Park navigate their way around.

The site of the 2000 Sydney Olympics still hosts some of Australia’s most significant events, with its 660 ha comprising sporting venues, recreational facilities, parklands, cafes and restaurants. Sydney Olympic Park Authority’s (SOPA) Master Plan 2030 is to deliver outstanding social, economic and environmental benefits for the people of Sydney and NSW; Design to Production (D2P), a digital communications and merchandising solutions provider, collaborated with media partner oOh!media to bring SOPA’s plan to life with outdoor interactive directories, or wayfinders.

Specialising in delivering enhanced engagement through quality design and customer experience, D2P takes a holistic approach to help venue operators, such as SOPA, engage with their community and visitors. The Sydney-based company developed its double-sided outdoor interactive wayfinders supported by Zytronic distributor JEA Technologies, which is based in Melbourne. Collectively, they produced a 75″ outdoor display fitted with an all-weather, vandal-resistant Zytronic 49″ ZyBrid touch sensor on the front, enabling users to interact with D2P’s precise wayfinding software.

D2P selected Zytronic’s large-scale touch sensors for their robust nature, especially in outdoor applications. As these areas are mainly unsupervised, the sensor is made from 5 mm-thick, thermally toughened glass, which delivers vandal resistance. The custom-designed touch sensor incorporates infrared and UV filters to help protect the underlying high-brightness display from solar damage. It also has an antiglare etched finish, allowing the totems to operate comfortably in Sydney’s sweltering summers, with some days hitting temperatures of over 45°C.

“At almost 3 m tall with its ‘Olympic Blue’ livery, the SOPA wayfinders are unmissable,” said D2P Director and co-founder David Astone. “Our intuitive wayfinding software integrates with SOPA’s web content management system to ensure there is only one, easy-to-maintain, source of truth.”

The elegant design of the SOPA wayfinder belies its rugged construction, with the sensitive ZyBrid technology creating a user-friendly experience. Much like a smartphone’s touch screen, the interactive display on the SOPA wayfinder is designed to provide a millisecond-fast, precise touch response. It also supports simple gesture controls, such as swipes and pinches, but it still works when the user is wearing gloves if the weather becomes inclement.

“Our 75″ double-sided outdoor touch screen systems do not miss a beat; a true testament to our entire team with assisting in developing our SOPA wayfinders,” Astone concluded.

Please follow us and share on Twitter and Facebook. You can also subscribe for FREE to our weekly newsletter and bimonthly magazine.