Intel Corp. wanted its exhibit at the 2018 International Consumer Electronics Show to render the nebulous concept of data processing into something as solid as the convention-hall floor beneath attendees' feet. To accomplish that, designers from Taylor Manufacturing Industries Inc. (The Taylor Group) divided the booth into experiential segments topped by a couldn't-miss navigational beacon. Blazing like rectangular lighthouses, 60 metal frames, each containing eight LED tubes, were suspended from a truss to form a radiant spine running the length of the 12,000-square-foot exhibit. Dubbed the 5G superhighway, it pulsed with color combinations representing the cloud and the upcoming high-speed 5G communications network. "Intel had to convey the idea of data being harnessed with its technology," said Mike Klym, one of the booth's designers.

Set below the gleaming backbone was the immersive 5G Connected Worlds LED Tunnel. Almost 10 feet tall, the inverted-V-shaped passageway sparked with animations and text, taking guests deeper into three narrated stories outlining how 5G will enable autonomous cars, safer cities, and lag-free virtual reality. Advancing on to the Sensory Autonomous Commute Experience, nine guests at a time entered an auto-shaped enclosure made of a transparent projection scrim supported by a wooden frame. Cameras then projected a 90-second video over the car's entire surface that crafted the illusion of hurtling through New York in a driverless car.

Visitors then swarmed to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Tower, a 12.5-foot-tall cylindrical structure. Here, eight Microsoft Surface tablets loaded with augmented- reality apps offered stories about how AI might track whales, scan brains, and cover sporting events. By dividing the booth into engaging and interactive experiences, Intel transformed the intangible into the palpable. E