Global Debut of Panasonic 3D Scanning Booth Turns Audience into Kabuki Avatars at Opening of “Kabuki Lion” in Las Vegas

Following its successful Las Vegas debut, Panasonic expects to apply its 3D Scanning Booth in retail, entertainment and sports event solutions

NEWARK, NJ, U.S. – May 4, 2016 – Panasonic’s 3D Scanning Booth–an innovative technology that provided guests the ability to see animation of themselves dancing like a Kabuki actor–premiered on the opening night of “Kabuki Lion: The Adventures of the Mythical Lion,” on May 3 at the David Copperfield Theater at the MGM Grand Hotel. The show, produced by Shochiku Co., Ltd., is the centerpiece of Las Vegas’s first Japan Kabuki Festival. Both the show and multimedia festival run through May 7.

The 3D Scanning Booth creates a multidimensional map of the body using 54 Panasonic LUMIX GX8 cameras taking pictures from different angles simultaneously. The images are combined with a pre-captured dancing motion program of a Kabuki master. Participants have the opportunity to turn the 3D scan into their own Kabuki Avatar video or selfie Kabuki figurine. Some 3D Kabuki Avatar videos of audience members were integrated into the performance. (See videos of Kabuki avatars of audience members at 3D KABUKI AVATAR Channel)

“We were excited to premier this technology in Las Vegas and to watch the faces of people in the audience as they experienced the Kabuki performance in a whole new way. We’re looking forward to exploring opportunities for the 3D Scanning Booth globally in professional sports, entertainment and other B2B venues,” says Masaki Arizono, Vice President of Panasonic’s AVC Networks Company, in charge of its visual and imaging businesses. While the innovative technology provides a new approach to enjoying Kabuki, the classical Japanese dance drama that dates back more than 400 years, by making it more engaging and accessible to contemporary entertainment seekers, it can also be used to create sports avatars in 3D as well, turning a fan into their favorite athlete.

Panasonic also showcased Hospi at the MGM, a robot waiter that delivered drinks to guests in the lobby of the David Copperfield Theater. In addition, during the festival, Panasonic’s high performance, high-definition projectors and projection-mapping technologies enthralled audiences by turning the Fountains of Bellagio into a display surface for video projections showing the tale of an aquatic Samurai battle.