Starport

Engineering Starport Explorer: A New Spatial Portal for Shared 3D Experiences

Traditional digital content is trapped behind flat screens and headsets. Starport identified a need for shared, physical, glasses-free 3D experiences. The company partnered with Unlimit Ventures to advance its spatial portal technology from concept into a production-ready system, arriving at AWE USA 2026, the industry’s largest AR/VR conference and expo.

Introducing: Starport Explorer

Unlimit Ventures provided end-to-end product and engineering development support behind Starport Explorer, the company’s first patented spatial portal. Explorer renders lifelike Lightform™ entities — from photoreal environments to fully animated characters — visible to groups without headsets or glasses. The system combines AI vision, voice interaction, gesture control, and spatial audio in a single freestanding unit.

The Starport Explorer spatial portal on display at an exhibition, featuring a white cylindrical base and a glowing green dome rendering a 3D alien character.

Unlimit Ventures’ Contribution

  • System architecture development sprint

    • Review existing prototype and concern areas

    • Workshop design improvement strategy and identify key components

    • Generate a budget/timeline for a subsequent design/build phases

  • Rapid prototype design

    • Execute mechanical structures design to reduce weight and while improving rigidity

    • Mechanical engineering CAD design for exterior A-surface

    • Design internal mounting structure for electronics and other components maintaining adjustability and ease of maintenance

    • Improve the optical design stack and improve manufacturability

    • Select optimal components and perform electrical systems design and integration for lighting and sound

    • Integrate ~1200 individually addressable LED lights throughout

    • Design magnetically coupled panels for easy access while maintaining clean exterior aesthetics without any visible fasteners.

    • Prepare manufacturing documentation including drawings, bill of materials and specification sheets

    • Generate renderings and other visualizations for marketing and other purposes

  • Rapid prototype build

    • Fabricate & source components leveraging in-house equipment and local/off-shore vendor network

    • Generate large and small format 3D prints in-house

    • Assemble and perform bring-up testing

The Benefits of Starport Explore

  • Glasses-Free 3D: Groups view and interact with 3D content together in the room — no headset required.

  • Shared Presence: Enables telepresence, embodied AI characters, and digital art that multiple people can experience together, rather than alone.

  • Flexible Deployment: Available via purchase, rental, or lease for venues, retail, and events.

  • Cloud-Managed Content: Paired with Starport Gateway, content can be scheduled, monetized, and deployed remotely across multiple locations.

Pioneering Spatial Computing at AWE USA 2026

Led by founder Dan Miller, Starport Inc. (Irvine, CA) debuted Starport Explorer at AWE USA 2026 in Long Beach, which drew more than 5,000 attendees and 250 exhibitors for its 17th edition. Gadget Flow’s recap of the show named Starport among the standout glasses-free holographic demos, alongside Avalon Holographics and notAnImage. Starport is now engaging pilot partners, venue operators, and investors for early installations.

A man stands at the Starport booth during the AWE USA 2026 event, holding a tablet next to a Starport Explorer device displaying a 3D red character bust.

Key Features of Starport Explorer

  • Lightform™ Entities: Photoreal 3D characters and environments rendered in physical space.

  • No Headset Required: Multiple people can view and interact with the same 3D content at once.

  • AI-Powered Interaction: Reads voice commands, gestures, and vision input, paired with spatial audio for a responsive room.

  • Starport Gateway: Companion cloud platform to manage, schedule, monetize, and deploy content across locations.

    Learn more about Starport →

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