Google Installation Features 6,000 Light-Up Buttons Powered By Open-Source Software

Google has unveiled another unique creation: an installation of roughly 6,000 arcade buttons on a wall that respond to presses by lighting-up with various patterns and designs. But this is more than just a piece of art for the lobby of Google's New York City office, it's part the announcement for the their newest piece of open-source software, AnyPixel.js.

Available now on GitHub, AnyPixel.js is designed to let users create large, interactive display, just like Google's own button installation. A Google Creative Lab blog post explains that they wanted to display something interesting, but also have it be fun and interactive.

"A giant screen would have been pretty easy, but touching a screen just isn't that much fun. So we went with something a little different: six thousand light-up arcade buttons acting as interactive pixels, controlled through a web page," wrote Richard The.

The software uses JavaScript, and allows buttons to be programmed just like websites. It doesn't have to be buttons, of course, but whatever else can be used to build a big, interactive display, including lightboxes, balloons, or light switches. Also on Google's GitHub is a browser previewer, so users can play around and get an idea of what their creation might look like.

SOURCE Google Creative Lab, GitHub