MIRAO

Mirao is a real-time AI visual system that turns human movement into generative art. At its core is StreamDiffusion - a high-performance diffusion pipeline capable of generating images fast enough to feel live. Participants approach a custom touchscreen kiosk, enter a creative prompt, and then step in front of a large projection wall where an Azure Kinect depth camera captures their body and movement.

The system feeds the camera input alongside the user's prompt into StreamDiffusion, producing a continuous stream of AI-generated visuals that react to the participant's pose, gesture, and motion in real time. The result is a living mirror - part reflection, part hallucination - projected at scale on the wall behind them.

We designed and built every layer of the stack in TouchDesigner: a custom touchscreen UI for prompt entry, a Python-based web server managing the diffusion pipeline, and a polished display system for the projection output. Mirao has been deployed as a standalone interactive installation and as a real-time visual engine during live concerts, generating unique visuals driven by performer and audience movement on stage.