Corporate Learning and Development Center – Atlanta, Georgia
Coca-Cola U Digital Classroom is a revolutionary new experience, bringing people together face to face from wherever they may be in the world. There are three unique, augmented reality experiences: The instructor, the in-room participants, and the virtual attendees.
The room is built into Coca-Cola’s World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Using the parameters of the existing room, McCann Systems configured the technology specifically for that solution.
The back wall of the room is outfitted with 14 High Definition LED displays, 58” in size. The screen is programmed to be split to show two virtual participants portrait-mode on each output, resulting in 28 virtual seats in the classroom at any given time, from anywhere in the world. Inside the classroom, each display is outfitted with a Marshall Full-HD Point of View Camera. They feature a 2.5 Megapixel HD sensor, an interchangeable 125° Angle-of-View Lens, and USB 3.0. This live feed is the output for the virtual students, allowing a real-time, real-perspective view of the instructor and other participants.
Inside the Digital Classroom, the space is fitted to an additional 16 students. Each hotdesking station has built-in sensors around the student to be able to zone the audio and focus on whoever is speaking, augmenting the experience of anyone not on-site. The audio output in the room for any virtual attendee speaking is delivered by JBL sound bars, installed under each participant.
The instructor has a digital whiteboard at the head of the classroom, and, more importantly, controls the entire system with a custom, branded, Graphical User Interface on a Crestron display. This software can manually override any automation built into the system, adjust the video and audio experience, change the featured point of view, along with providing a real time status of the experience.
In addition, McCann Systems developed an app that allows all participants an identical, shared space to ask questions, display their screen, poll the other contributors, and take notes. Each Hot Desk in the room and virtual attendee has an iPad configured specifically for the Digital Classroom with the app installed.
The entire system is cloud-based, eliminating a tech closet to maintain the system. In fact, the only rack is tucked behind the digital whiteboard and includes only two pieces of equipment: Digital Signal Processing (DSP) for the in-room audio experience and network switches.
