Goafest 2017: Move over AR and VR; here comes MR

In his address to an immersed audience at Goafest 2017, Rod Findley, ECD, C2K started his address by focusing on demystifying Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for the audience.

 

He was speaking about interesting VR executions like setting up virtual tele-transportation spots by Marriott outside the City Hall in New York. Newly married couples coming out of the hall would enter one of the VR booths and be transported to a location of their choice in an instant.

 

In another project for Toyota to demonstrate its safety features a passenger inside the car could put on the head gear and experience the newly-introduced safety features of the brand. 

 

Describing the eight drivers for a great VR experience he spoke about

 

- immersive -- where VR could be used to recreate a virtual concert, travel or in gaming

 

- interactive -- used in gamification like skydive Dubai that provided a wingsuit experience of jumping from the Burj Khalifa through a VR Glass

 

- memorable -- our brains are trained to remember events linked to locations, he says. 

 

- discovery -- actively engage the brain of the user

 

- empathy -- personal connection with the subject of the experience, you don't want to look away

 

- proxy -- training tool in retailing, shopping or even firefighting

 

- novelty -- However, he warned "that's a limited offer" as this might wear off in another year or so.

 

- scalability -- the key challenge facing VR is on how can you take a solo experience and reach a broader audience. Findley recommends creating an app that can be downloaded and shared to people with google cardboards

 

In the AR space he gave examples of how brands like IKEA were using the technology for simple things like testing a table in the room using AR before actually deciding to buy the table.

 

The other example was the geo-location based Pokemon go. It gives people the first step towards connecting real life with the augmented worl, he said. 

 

Finally what is MR. "Mixed reality is the way forward," he says speaking about the technology that integrates VR and AR and will superimpose computer graphics into your environment in a live manner.

 

Speaking about teh advancement of technology in that space he added that it could lead to super gaming inside your home, live events like "getting Taylor Swift to perform inside your home" or recreating shopping points.

 

However he ended with a strong message. "The goal is not the gimmick. One should plan strategically to engage with the audience," he said.