The THEA award-winning Gantom Torch looks like a normal battery-powered flashlight. But unlike a normal torch, it’s not controlled by the visitor, but via infrared (IR) emitters placed around the attraction.

The lighting designer can programme the Gantom Torch to flicker, switch off and on, change the colour of the light and vibrate as the visitor moves around the attraction.

Its potential in haunted house and dark attractions and adventure and escape room experiences is evident, but it has many further applications in the industry and can provide an entire new layer to a storytelling experience.

The LED torch has full RGB colour mixing and vibrate capabilities. The BlinkFX MiniEmitters are IRemitters that are installed throughout the show and control the torches as the guests walk through.

When a torch picks up the signal from an emitter, it switches to the program broadcast by that unit.

Gantom has also used its Torch technology to create a zombie tag game. The ZTag is a badge that allows users to interact with one another using infrared.

The badge contains anIR receiver, anIR emitter, RGB LED, a button to change the modes and a microprocessor.

The badges react when they come into close proximity with other badgesorIR emitters.

In one example of how the technology can be used, ZTag was used at the ScareLA convention inPasadena, California. Players became “infected”when they come close to“zombie”players, and were tasked with visiting certain places (expo booths, in this case) which were fitted with IRemitters. The ZTag signalled green when the player was healthy, yellow when the player was indanger and red when the player had become a zombie and could therefore infect others.

The badge and torch devices can be programmed via a free-to-download Gantom app.