You Prison is an interactive kiosk by Diller, Scofidio and Renfro on which users can navigate virtual prison cells. The device is a 32″ touchscreen mounted like a periscope – you grasp the knurled steel handlebars and walk around the support pole, tilting the screen up to the ceiling or down to the floor. As you move the monitor, the rendering of the virtual cell moves in step, presenting you with a virtual window keyed to the physical world. Users begin their sessions by choosing a crime from an on-screen menu and receive a cell tailored to the severity of their offense.

Paul Paradiso developed the content application of the kiosk using the open source gaming engine OGRE. With an openGL card on the embedded PC, Paul’s application delivers over 100 frames per second. The experience of You Prison is flawlessly smooth and fluid both mechanically and virtually.