WHY Colombia launched a European campaign to promote itself as a tourist destination at the National Geographic Store in Madrid. Wildbytes was approached to design and develop a refreshing interactive experience for the storefront.

WHAT There are amazing things to discover about Colombia, like its cultural heritage, natural diversity, history… and, of course, astonishing rivers! We created an engaging installation in the National Geographic’s storefront that allowed passersby to raft in a Colombian river!

The interaction couldn’t have been simpler: visitors paddled in the air to move through the river as they pleased, controlling the direction with their bodies. We developed a custom computer vision system to precisely track the movements of the participants. The system’s amazing responsiveness had everyone sweating and having fun.

The National Geographic Store has 27,000 visitors every month, and this interactive rafting experience was the gateway to The Month of Colombia for them. The result was a refreshing installation during Madrid’s summer that brought attention to the National Geographic Store and the wonders of Colombia.