Verizon supercharged their B2B 5G game with a mobile theater inside a revamped Ford E-450 shuttle bus. This high-tech roadshow crisscrossed the U.S., hitting events to educate folks on Verizon's 5G solutions. Cue Civic Entertainment Group, called in to give it a killer upgrade.

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The bus had seen its fair share of miles, but it was time for a makeover. Enter me and my A-Team that I assembled of freelance developer Alex Nguyen, the award-winning animation company Buck to create the content and former fabrication company, Standard Transmission, to engineer the entire thing. Creating the epic Version 2.0, launched in Orlando, Florida, in February 2020. This mobile marvel will keep rolling across the U.S. for years to come, with its content fine-tuned via a unique remote management workflow.

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Inside is five 85" 4K touch displays fitted into custom CNC metal frames. A web-based CMS calls the shots, powered by the Unity game engine. (It's not my first rodeo, as I’ve previously built experiences in a moving vehicle with the award-winning "Field Trip to Mars.") The CMS also handles internal system like lights, door control, and monitoring the bus's vital signs. We provided Verizon with a turn-key solution, literally. Added new video content takes only a few steps. We added an IR-touch bezel to the screens but it was not added to the final build at launch.

All this tech runs from a discreet server rack tucked in the back. Drawing power from a gas generator tied to the bus's fuel tank, a battery for short runs, or shore-power for indoor performances like tradeshows. Boots up in under 5 minutes and stays in check through a cloud-based babysitter app, serving real-time updates and remote access.

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Technology

5 85″ 4K touch-enabled screens

3 Power options: Gas generator, Shore power or BatteryCustom designed power controls

Custom web-based CMS hosted on internal server

Content playback using Unity

Door and lighting controls using DMX and Phidget

Remote monitoring of all systems

Tablet used for all playback and error reporting

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