
Ask HN: How were the super bowl led torches synced? - alistproducer2
My guess is via each volunteer&#x27;s phone. Anyone with a better guess?
======
nmjohn
I'd be tempted to think they decided to solve the logistics challenge instead
of the technical one. So instead of trying to build a generic piece of
hardware that detects its own position and lights up accordingly, each torch
was unique (or configured via software to be unique, even if at "runtime") and
configured specifically for its exact position on the field.

If each torch is designed for it's own show, then the only thing that has to
be synced is the exact time to start. And in comparison, that problem is
trivial to solve with known constraints (as opposed to triangulating hundreds
of devices with < 1ft precision in addition to actually synchronizing the
devices)

~~~
arbabu
so are you saying all those people are not some random spectators of the show
but super bowl crew? Or random spectators who guarantee that they wont move
from their predefined position?

~~~
reza_n
The audience was doing choreographed moves during certain songs, so it was not
random at all.

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altitudinous
This is done by shining bright Infra Red lights high in the stadium down onto
the crowd. We cannot see Infra Red light ourselves, but the lights/torches the
crowd holds can detect the infra red light and respond when they see it by
switching on and showing visible light we can see. Thus all the lights the
crowd have can be commanded to light up at the same time, or turn off at the
same time. In advanced situations the infra red lights can trigger mass synced
colour changes in the lights the crowd holds, exactly the same way an infra
red remote control commands a TV to do different things. Cheap and effective
tech.

~~~
Itsdijital
There's got to be more to it than that. Even with a really tight beam you'd
run into all sorts of "Am I in the spotlight or not" problems, especially with
the torch flailing around while someone dances (illuminance detected would be
all over the place).

Looking at this video

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYDSguhC4FQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYDSguhC4FQ)

It seems advanced patterns only turn up when people are in a roughly grid
arrangement, and no one moves out of their spot except at predetermined times
(obviously everyone is in on the choreography here). There are also dark
periods after people finish moving around and "get in place". It looks like
they are doing some degree of calibration. The torches my well have IR lights
on them too that can be individually addressed to quickly calibrate every
torches position, sorta like marco polo. Break it into quadrants and you could
do it even quicker.

It could be simply overhead IR lights, but gah, they are doing something
really special to get those well defined sharp edges.

Besides all that, everyone could just have assigned spots that they memorized.
It's obvious they practiced, and arranging a bunch of people on a field
quickly and fluidly is nothing new.

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nondon4
PixMob ([https://pixmob.com/en/](https://pixmob.com/en/)) has been used in
past superbowls to create similar effects, which aparently uses IR.

~~~
downandout
Yes, PixMob also produced synched LED bracelets for Taylor Swift's most recent
tour. Here's a video of that in action [1] and a video showing various events
they've been at [2].

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2hNcJeeDsM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2hNcJeeDsM)

[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYnaMaKj27M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYnaMaKj27M)

~~~
ec109685
Those weren't localized to seat location, like that of the super bowl show.

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jschulenklopper
Didn't see the Super Bowl, and can't comment on the technology used, but I've
been looking into Xylobands, [http://xylobands.com/](http://xylobands.com/),
that have been used by Coldplay in some of their concerts.

Technically, that's a LED (monochrone, later they used multicolor LEDS) with a
radio receiver. Radio transmitters were installed throughout the stadium,
controlling specific LEDs to go one or off.

See
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JficYgaK8j8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JficYgaK8j8)
for some background video and the use in the song Charlie Brown in the Mylo
Xyloto tour.

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thebiglebrewski
Maybe it was this guy?
[https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5pouv4/18_months_ago_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5pouv4/18_months_ago_i_didnt_know_how_to_code_im_now_a/?ref=search_posts)

~~~
giarc
If I was preparing to show off my tech at the Superbowl, in front of 100
million people, I wouldn't be doing an AMA a few weeks before.

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metaobject
I'm curious how the one commercial knew the score was 21-3 ... Did they record
a bunch of versions which covered most possible scores? Did Fox dub in the
score right after halftime?

~~~
svec
It was a live commercial:
[http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/25/news/companies/snickers-
live...](http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/25/news/companies/snickers-live-super-
bowl-commercial/index.html)

~~~
stordoff
FWIW, link above has auto-playing video with sound.

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mcrocksteady
The company that makes the torches is Glow Motion. It's RF tech, but they're
not super-specific about how it works. They do say it only requires one
antenna, so it's doubtful they were triangulating the location of each device.

[http://www.glowmotiontechnologies.com/how-it-
works](http://www.glowmotiontechnologies.com/how-it-works)

It's the same company that did the illuminated kinetic beach balls in Drake's
recent tour.

Source: [http://livedesignonline.com/super-bowl-li-2017-halftime-
show...](http://livedesignonline.com/super-bowl-li-2017-halftime-show/super-
bowl-li-2017-halftime-show-photos)

------
fury-s12
[https://github.com/jamrader/XTAudioBeacons](https://github.com/jamrader/XTAudioBeacons)

maybe

~~~
gravypod
That sounds like something out of a Bond. (Pun intended)

I'd be really interested in how far this can work effectively. Could we build
solar phone booths in a forest that will flash a light (to make them easy to
find) if they hear an warning siren from the rangers? Maybe also if someone is
yelling in pain so they know where to call for help.

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dx034
Could anyone here explain what happened? Didn't see it and tried to find it on
Google/Youtube, but only this thread shows up. What effect are we talking
about?

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siculars
Was wondering the same thing. Either each volunteer was in a predetermined
location with specific uuid'd torches or there some newfangled rfid/bluetooth
location tracking to within one foot or so that I want to know about. My
money's on the later, can't trust 100s of people to be where you told them to
be during a live performance who aren't professionals.

~~~
bobbytherobot
Why do you say that they weren't professional dancers?

~~~
nicky0
No Spandex

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vxxzy
Imagine you had all the torches lifted up in the air throughout the entire
duration of the show. As long as the 'human' stays in place, and as long as
you know the uuid of each device; you can make any shape you desire.

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mmjaa
Wifi? I've worked on something similar:

[http://magicshifter.net/](http://magicshifter.net/)

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wnkrshm
I don't know exactly how the torches look, but I can imagine they have an
indoor GPS setup in the stadium. Couple that with a position-dependent program
that each torch has. The actual program can be started, paused or stopped
using an RF signal of some sort - so the torch actually knows its position and
just sets itself to what should be running on the virtual, stadium sized
display.

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artsandsci
Maybe triangulation with beacons?

~~~
mathgeek
This is what I would assume. They weren't perfectly synced (although very
close), so it appeared to be some sort of localized position detection.

~~~
jwatte
They weren't perfectly synced, so I would assume the field audience just all
pressed the "go" button at the same time (indicated by handlers with headsets,
presumably)

Much simpler than localization.

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xyzzy4
Maybe Bluetooth paired with phones

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Girlang
Infrared.

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spectrum1234
Is this honestly not trivial in 2017??? Given this didn't have to be perfect,
there are 3-5+ ways to do this.

~~~
corobo
Don't be shy, what are the 3-5+ ways? Some of us aren't even familiar with the
superbowl LED torches never mind the tech behind them.

Try to avoid faking surprise to make yourself sound smarter too, it doesn't
work.

