AR Photobooth at Sharjah Children's Reading Festival
A captivating interactive installation developed at SECTOR4 INTERACTIVE inpartnership with agency Ortmor for the 14th Sharjah Children's ReadingFestival (SCRF) in Sharjah, UAE — bringing official 3D festival mascots to life viareal-time Augmented Reality with intuitive touch interactions and instant souvenir photo printing.
Project Case Study & Overview
The Augmented Reality Photobooth installation, developed by Sector4Interactive (S4) in collaboration with Ortmor, was a standout interactiveattraction at the 14th Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) in 2023. Designedto create lasting, magical memories for festival attendees — especially children and their families —this installation leveraged Unity's advanced augmented reality (AR) capabilities to deliver a fun,highly accessible digital experience.
Children could walk up to the interactive photobooth kiosk, choose their favorite official festivalcharacters, see the 3D animated mascots stand right next to them in real-time camera feed, strike a pose,and receive a high-quality physical printed photograph within seconds to take home.
Project Goals & Architectural Solution
The primary goal was to create an inviting, kid-friendly attraction that could seamlessly handle largefestival crowds with zero friction:
Kid-Centric UX Design
Developed oversized, colorful touch controls and intuitive iconography so children of all agesand reading proficiencies could operate the photobooth independently.
Real-Time 3D AR Mascots
Rendered fully rigged, animated festival characters in Unity with dynamic lighting matchingthe venue ambiance, making the characters feel tangibly present beside visitors.
Automated Photo Printing
Engineered direct background spooling to high-speed dye-sublimation photo printers, producingbranded physical souvenir photo cards in under 15 seconds.
High-Throughput Reliability
Built robust crash-resistant kiosk watchdog routines capable of operating continuously acrossfull festival days with zero human intervention or maintenance required.
My Technical Role & Implementation
As the Unity AR Developer at SECTOR4 INTERACTIVE, I spearheaded the core interactivesoftware development:
Camera Feed & AR Compositing
Integrated high-definition industrial camera feeds into Unity, overlaying 3D mascot animation rigsand branded festival frames with synchronized audio cues and particle effects.
Character State & Animation Machine
Programmed an interactive state machine where mascots react dynamically — waving to visitors,counting down before the shutter fires, and striking celebratory poses when the photo is captured.
High-Res Image Processing Pipeline
Developed automated frame composition shaders that capture full-resolution snapshots, apply colorgrading and festival border templates, and format outputs for instant print spooling.
Hardware & Printer API Integration
Interfaced Unity C# directly with local thermal printer drivers, managing print queues, ink/papertelemetry checks, and automatic fallback procedures.
The Photobooth Experience Flow
- 01
Character Selection
Children step up to the touchscreen and choose which festival mascot character they want to takea picture with.
- 02
Interactive AR Posing
The live screen mirrors the child with the 3D mascot standing alongside them, interacting andreacting to their movements.
- 03
Animated Countdown & Snapshot
A cheerful 3-second animated countdown counts down, capturing the moment with flash particlebursts and sound effects.
- 04
Instant Keepsake Printing
The high-speed photo printer delivers a glossy branded souvenir photo card within seconds forthe child and parents to take home.
Results & Festival Impact
The AR Photobooth emerged as one of the festival’s most popular attractions, drawing non-stop queues ofchildren and families throughout the multi-day event:
Thousands of Keepsakes Delivered
Printed thousands of personalized souvenir photos, blending digital interactive tech with a tangiblephysical keepsake that families cherished.
High Festival Footfall & Viral Reach
Became a focal photo point of the 14th SCRF, celebrated by visitors on social media and enhancingthe festival’s modern, innovative appeal.