AOTO's AI Installation at IMEX America Highlights Demand for Immersive Experiences

AOTO LED displays, in collaboration with Brompton processing, unveiled an innovative interactive AI installation at IMEX America 2026, a prominent trade show for the meetings and events sector held in Las Vegas. This installation allowed attendees to engage in live conversations with AI-generated characters, marking a significant advancement in the integration of artificial intelligence and immersive technology in event settings. The implications of this development extend beyond entertainment; they signal a shift in how businesses can leverage technology to enhance customer engagement and experience.

The display, measuring 1.83 meters wide by 3.66 meters high, utilized AOTO RM1.5E panels to create a visually striking interface. Visitors interacted with the installation through an iPad touchscreen, selecting from four distinct characters and communicating via an Audio-Technica PRO49QL microphone. The system was designed to manage ambient noise effectively, employing directional voice capture and volume-threshold gates to ensure clarity in communication. This attention to detail reflects a growing trend in the events industry to create highly interactive and personalized experiences.

At the heart of this installation was Unreal Engine 5, which facilitated real-time facial animation and lip-sync at 60 frames per second. The technical specifications included an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, ensuring high performance and responsiveness. The AI processing was conducted on a dedicated server in Spain, equipped with advanced hardware including eight NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs. This robust setup allowed for a seamless integration of speech recognition, response generation, and animation, enabling characters to begin speaking before completing their responses—a feature that enhanced the immediacy of interactions.

NewMedia Creative Technology Studio, the developer behind the installation, reported an impressive median response time of 2.6 seconds from the end of a visitor's speech to the character's reply. This efficiency is crucial in maintaining engagement during live interactions. The installation's offline fallback, which included pre-recorded answers and smaller AI models, ensured reliability and versatility, catering to various event formats and audience needs.

The interactive experience attracted significant participation, with 329 individual visitors engaging in 402 conversations over the course of the event. The system's capability to handle multiple languages—English and 25 others—demonstrates its potential for global application in diverse markets. Diego De Anna, founder and CEO of NewMedia, emphasized the importance of responsiveness in creating a compelling user experience, stating that the system's design allows for a more natural conversational flow.

This development signals a broader trend toward the integration of AI and immersive technologies in the events industry. As businesses seek to differentiate themselves in a competitive landscape, the ability to offer interactive and engaging experiences will become increasingly vital. Companies looking to adopt similar technologies must consider the balance between innovation and user experience, ensuring that their solutions are not only cutting-edge but also intuitive and accessible.

Looking ahead, the success of this installation at IMEX America indicates a growing market for AI-driven engagement tools in trade shows and corporate events. As NewMedia continues to refine its technology for various applications, businesses should anticipate a wave of new solutions that leverage AI to enhance customer interactions. This evolution could redefine how brands connect with their audiences, making personalized, real-time engagement a standard expectation in the industry.