This past summer, the Aquarium of the Pacific debuted its new wing, Pacific Visions.
The expansion of the existing aquarium facility was realized with a 29,000- square-foot, two-story, building that blends state of the art technology with sustainable design features. The venue is a wondrous place for guests to explore nature’s gifts through live animal exhibits, an art gallery, interactive activities, multi-media displays and a 4D immersive theater. As our SensoryCo team participated in the development of this multi-sensory 4d theater experience, we decided to take a field trip to witness our scenting system in action.
When we arrived at the aquarium, we couldn’t help but notice the exterior of the building. The aquarium seems to invite guests to enter into an otherworldly space as its glass panels capture fresh California sunlight and shimmer in a soft roll to create the virtual movement of an ocean’s waves. The structure has been publicized as eco-conscious, implementing sustainable materials for its construction and it, definitely, leaves an artistic impression with this intuitive nod to our seas.
Honda Pacific Visions 4D Theater Experience
For our big reveal, we entered into the Pacific Visions Theater waiting area. This room houses a large screen and benches for viewing a preview type of slide show depicting various colorful conservation messages. We were awe-struck, however, when we were ushered into the main theater arena. The size of the room is massive with a curved floor to ceiling movie screen facing concert-style seating under an endless “sky”. The “stage” floor changes and moves creating a whole feeling that you are enveloped in this atmosphere filled with energy. At once, we felt very small in this space…like a metaphor contemplating our human place within the universe.
The film explores our earth’s fragility and brings awareness to our need for innovation, sustainable resource planning, and regard for conserving our planet. The movie has stunning cinematography with concepts narrated so visitors can easily follow the presentation. This is a 4D interactive experience in that you are immersed in sights, sounds, vibrations, and scents while participating in the adventure. Seats rumble when the volcano erupts on screen. You feel a slight breeze as air blows gently upon your body during a windy scene. To our SensorCo team’s delight, we experienced the smell of the “ocean” as sea marine life appeared and as the picture soared over green farmland, we smelled a pleasant hint of “fresh cut grass”. The aromas emitting from our specialized SensoryCo SMXt1 model scenting system completed the overall multi-sensory experience.
SensoryCo SMXT1 Model Scenting System
The SenscoryCo SMXT1 is a smell generator developed for immersive training, production and entertainment environments. This particular model has been designed by our team to deliver aroma in both large and small spaces using SensoryCo custom scent cartridges. For the Honda Pacific Visions Theater show, specific scents, in this case, “ocean” and “fresh cut grass” cartridges are triggered to release fragrance when programmed to coordinate with the various scenes in the film presentation. When the sights and sounds are combined with the 4D effects of wind, motion and scent, human senses are stimulated for visitors to see, feel, and smell… leaving a lasting impression.
A World Living Together
Our team was excited to tour the Aquarium of the Pacific and of course, the live animals did not disappoint. The jellyfish and sharks drew our attention but we found that every display was beautifully curated and presented. The Honda Pacific Visions 4d Theater remains a highlight for our team. We feel it is an entertainment and educational masterpiece featuring a truly amazing immersive atmosphere for discovery. We are proud to be a small part of its creation and it is rewarding to know that our SensoryCo scenting system has contributed to the authenticity of this project. It is our hope that this very “real” experience will impact the meaningful exploration of pressing environmental issues and possibly, inspire the thoughtful pondering of future solutions for prolonged life on earth.