Designed for Digital Projection

Digitalis Domes are inflatable domes designed to be fast to set up and take down, and easily portable for circumstances where a fixed dome is just not an option. This second generation dome design is based upon years of experience with the unique aspects of digital dome projection and inflatable dome manufacturing.

The Digitalis Dome provides a matte projection surface which hides wrinkles for high quality digital projection. The gray interior enhances the black level of digital projectors for a truer black night sky.

Our domes are constructed from a single layer of durable, opaque fabric that is custom manufactured to our specifications exclusively for use in Digitalis Domes. The fabric itself consists of six distinct layers for durability and opaqueness even in direct sunlight. Our fabric passes the demanding NFPA 701 Test Method 2 flame retardance test. It also does not contain latex or controversial polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) fire retardants which are being banned in many localities due to environmental and health concerns.

The dome is inflated by an adjustable-speed fan that continuously blows air through the interior. In the US and Canada (or other 120V AC countries) the fan speed is infinitely adjustable with a controller inside the dome. Set the fan speed to high to initially inflate the dome or while the door is open, and then lower the speed once everyone is inside for quieter operation. The fan is also positioned to minimize inside noise.

Entry and exit is through a 6 foot (2 meter) vertical, zippered, light proof doorway. There is no tunnel, air lock, or other hindrance to crawl or squeeze through. We find air lock entries add weight and substantial trip hazards and are really only useful if you want people coming and going throughout a presentation (not something most people will want with a planetarium show). Our vertical entrance makes entry and exit extremely easy and saves on weight, packed size, and production costs. The absence of an entrance tunnel also means that you can project upon the entire dome surface.

The exhaust vents automatically close when the dome starts to deflate, helping keep the dome inflated when the door is open. The dome will slowly deflate with the door open, but you should have at least two to three minutes to load your audience into the dome. If that is not long enough, you can always let the dome reinflate between batches of audience members.

We recommend loading any audience members in wheelchairs first, by lifting the side of the dome and wheeling them under. This avoids unnecessary wear on the fabric near the door.

Set up takes about 5 minutes, and take down from 5-10 minutes. In case of emergency, the dome can be flipped over the audience within a few seconds since there is no floor on the dome. Alternately, people can duck under the skirt of the dome to exit quickly.

This model is only available in a navy blue exterior color.

We advise against using Digitalis domes outside due to the danger to audiences and equipment from sudden gusts of wind. This same advice applies to any inflatable dome that is not designed to be moored to the ground with cables.

See the table below for pricing and other details. We can do custom sizes and configurations to meet special needs, such as shorter heights to accomodate short ceilings or taller domes for chair type seating.

Price includes blower, blower transit case, and wheeled dome case or bag.

Three Layer Nylon Dome

We have discontinued our original three layer nylon dome. However, we do have some remaining navy blue exterior nylon domes in stock: 5m (16 feet) $4,650. Please contact us for details.