In two weeks The Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo will feature a Star Trek: The Next Generation reunion and to promote that event they have erected "Transporter Room" bus shelters around Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They have also released a special app that actually makes these transporter rooms really work (kind of). More details below. UPDATE: New link to print out your own mini-transporter background to use with the app.
Calgary Bus Shelters Turn Into Transporter Rooms
The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo kicks off on April 27th and it features "Star Trek: TNG Exposed," a reunion of the entire TNG cast with Sir Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Wil Wheaton and Denise Crosby. And residents of Calgary, Alberta are being invited to beam up to the Expo with a series of bus shelters around the city.
Star Trek: TNG "Transporter Room" Bus Shelter in Calgary
But there is more to these shelters than meets the eye. The Calgary Expo, in conjunction with CBS Outdoor and Vulcan Tourism, has also released a free augmented reality app for iPhone and iPad called the "Calgary Expo – Transporter." And if you stand on the special blue transporter pad while a friend aims their iOS device at you, you can be beamed up.
Star Trek: TNG "Transporter Room" Bus Shelter in Calgary
After beaming you can share an image of the effect on social networking.
Instruction screen for Calgary Expo – Transporter app
This video shows how the transporter effect works.
Download the free Transporter app at iTunes.
And visit calgaryexpo.com/tng-exposed for more info on the TNG reunion.
UPDATE: Do it yourself mini- transporter
For everyeone who doesn’t have a bus shelter transporter near buy, the folks at E-Axis (makers of the app) have sent us a link so you can print out a mini transporter background and you can start transporting things off your desk, like your action figures (this is also seen in the video above). Visit e-axis.com/startrek to download and print your own mini-Transporter background to use with he app.
Beam me anywhere but Canada!
Sorry… couldn’t resist.
Snarky comeback from H. Ballz, in 3… 2… 1…
Fascinating!
It would be logical for every good Trek fan to have one. ;)
NICE 1st or…….
If they have this, then there must be one that doesn’t need the special marker to work.
Must scour internet. See you in a few milennia.
How cool is that?!!!
I wonder how long it will be until some drunk dude takes a piss in it and vandalizes it? People like to smash bus shelters, and a Trek-themed one would no doubt be a tempting target.
Now I have to admit…seeing some homeless guy conked out in one of those shelters will be one of the strangest sights I’ll ever see.
Canada is cool.
Great Job!…. now, how ’bout a Food Replicator?
1. CmdrR – April 11, 2012
Beam me anywhere but Canada!
Sorry… couldn’t resist.
Snarky comeback from H. Ballz, in 3… 2… 1…
Why? What’s wrong with Canada? I’d really like to know
8. T’Cal – April 11, 2012
Canada is cool.
Yes Canada is cool. I took many trips to other parts of the world before I realized Just how good I have it…
thanks T’Cal
10 – Nothing’s wrong with Canada.
It…. was…. a…. joke.
Energize, eh.
Humor, it is a difficult concept….
Love the shelter!
This is fantastic! What a great way to promote the event! Any Canadian Trekkies going to be attending this year?
How about an android app as well?
I want a PDF of a transporter room to print out and try.
I would love to Kayla.
However I am not Canadian and it is too far from NZ to just pop in, you know ;).
However, it is my birthday today so why don’t you fly me over as a birthday present?
I can pack in 10 minutes!
Beam me up……PLEASE!!!!!!
@6 50 Quatloos says it happened within 24 hours after being erected.
link to the small marker:
http://www.e-axis.com/startrek
Between Vulcan and Calgary, I’d say the province of Alberta is the site where a real future Enterprise should be built someday…. ;-)
They seem to be some of the most enthusiastic Trekkies in the world. Wish we had some of them here in California! I think those transporter room bus shelters would look great in Riverside… California (no, not Iowa).
;-)
Fascinating, eh?
#1 CmdrR
Yes, well, with apologies to any Calgarians, but I’ve been to Calgary a few times on business and……………………………….
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!
In other words, a dull town with a fun expo!
@ # 18 :
Where in NZ are u Battle-scarred? i used to live in Kerikeri.
Im in BC Canada now, about a 7 hour drive from Calgary, but i dunno if i can afford to go.
Its funny, ive been to the last 3 Vegas cons, but thats almost cheaper cuz the flight and hotel is only like $200, but the drive and stay over in Calgary would cost me more like $3-400. My roommate and i made the trip to Vulcan to see Nimoy a cpl years ago, but that was a MUST trip IMHO.
@23: It is a nice big flat space to build starships though. Rather like Iowa, now that I think about it…
I met Robert Picardo at the Comic/Ent Expo a few years ago, and he’s a class act, but Calgary is a little meh. Its fun during Stampede and the expo, but other then that, its like every other city you go too.
@24 draderman
I live in Dunedin (out on the Otago Peninsula).
I love Kerikeri. i have very good friends here who hail from Kerikeri and go back there every year at Christmas to spend time with their folks.
Its soooo much warmer there than it is here!
I originally hail from Norwich, Norfolk in the UK.
We are thinking of trying out Canada in 3 years time or thereabouts. My wife is a midwife and they have a similar midwifery system in Canada.
I lived in Penticton just outide Vancouver for a few months back in the early 90’s.
I’ve been round quite a bit…not as much as Harry Ballz though…….eh, Harry?……..mmmwwwwwoaoaoaohahahahahaha. :)
Awesome! I’ll be looking for those on my way to work from now on lol
Will be attending the event, bright and early! Been going for the past few years, great time! And this year will be better than ever!
@1 CmDr- hey!
William Shatner is Canadian
Jimmy Doohan was Canadian
Canada invented hockey
The telephone
Baseball and basketball.
And it has Vulcan Alberta to boot.
Sent from a “transported” Canadian (who lives in Fla during the winter)
#29.
The telephone was invented by Marconi, an Italian. Baseball was invented by Lewis Doubleday, an American. And basketball, while invented by a Canadian, was first played on American soil, essentially making it an American invention.
I think football (pigskin, not soccer) was invented in Canada.
Steve Nash, who plays for the Phoenix Suns, was born in my city, Victoria. So was singer Nelly Furtado.
27.
Oh, I’ve been around, BsS…..the question is, what?
I’ve been to hell and back so many times, I deserve air miles!
#31.
“I’ve been to hell and back so many times, I deserve air miles!”
I had no idea you were a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, Harry!
:-D
30 – I’m in Vic too!
29 – So….you’re a snowbird?
30 & 33 – Victoria’s my hometown! Living in California now though.
That is one of the coolest apps. If only i had an IPHONE
They need to port this to the Android OS ASAP!!! Need this app for my Motorola Atrix!
KHAAANN!!!!!
#30 – The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, an American. Radio was invented by Guglielmo Marconi , an Italian. An Italian-American who lived in Staten Island, New York, one Antonio Meucci, invented a voice communication system which some believe was an early telephone. There was a line in “The Godfather-Part III” to the effect that some people are trying to get Meucci credited as the inventor of the telephone.
Is there a TOS setting?
You can beam to Canada and get mangled in a transporter accident as much as you want because we have free health care!
How about one for Windows Phone to ???