How many of us wish that elements of our favourite science fiction films would become a reality? Personally, I’ve always wanted my own robot butler.
Unfortunately, the nature of Sci-Fi and the way it hurdles technological barriers often prevents them from becoming tangible! It’s true that a laser ‘death ray’ is being tested for use in the Royal Navy… And that somewhere in a lab on the Canary Islands, teleportation has been achieved by a group of physicists. But augmented reality is a different story altogether; one which we can all take part in the future of.
It’s a concept borne of our fascination with exploring the unknown, and turn of the century Victorian stethoscopes are early attempts at recreating 3D imagery. 1935’s Pygmalion’s Spectacles, a short novel by Science Fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum, is one of the first depictions of an actual virtual reality, but it’s not until 1962 that we saw the Sensorama. Not a prequel to Futurama, it was an arcade cabinet with sight, smell and touch elements designed as a ‘cinema of the future’ by filmmaker Mort Heilig.
Virtual Reality as we might consider it today was first seen in 1968, when Ivan Sutherland (coined by CyberEdge Journal’s Ben Delaney as the “father of VR”) conceived The Sword of Damocles, a primitive VR headset which utilised miniature CRT monitors and was so heavy it had to be suspended from the ceiling! Ten years later in 1978, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the Aspen Movie Map, an early interactive 3D map akin to Google’s Streetview.
Technology has always proved an obstacle for both virtual and augmented reality, though in recent years, video games have been a huge driver in their development.
It’s a trend which started in 1982 when Atari founded their own VR research lab, and furthered in 1991 when publisher Sega launched the Sega VR headset for the Mega Drive console. One of the most numerous sets was the Nintendo virtual Boy, released in 1995, and enabling virtual reality to reach almost every home for the first time. Fast-forward to 2010 and we can see that VR took off in an unprecedented way, when Palmer Luckey created a prototype which would pave the way for the world’s most popular VR headset.
Known as the Oculus Rift, this virtual reality headset was first released to the public at the beginning of this year. Currently representing the height of VR technology, the rift features a 1080×1200 OLED display for each eye, an impressive 110-degree field of view and integrated 3D headphones. The Rift was released alongside a development platform, opening the potential of the VR headset up to a variety of sectors.
Augmented reality is somewhat newer addition to the reality experience, but is an exciting prospect which has developed rapidly with technology. Instead of creating a virtual world, AR often overlays information or graphics on to an existing environment, which has benefits for both development time and immersion.
One use which has really caught our eye this year is Pokemon GO. Striking the perfect balance between Millennial nostalgia, innovative technology and experiential elements, GO represents an always-on augmented reality app. It not only interacts with your setting, but reacts to the type of environment you’re in – for example if you’re by the sea or in a wooded area. Most importantly, it allows users from all over the world to interact with each other, sometimes in a shared reality.
We’re always on the lookout for the latest advancements in VR & AR, and had our own experience with the Oculus Rift when we visited VR-Med, a development company in the medical field. Based in Nottingham, they’re using the latest technology to build applications for patient therapy and medic training. The sheer potential for these kinds applications promises a bright future for developers.
But where’s all this heading? Well, both VR and AR also represent an exciting avenue for marketers. Of course, whilst augmented reality is already prevalent in a B2C landscape, there’s undoubtedly untapped potential in the B2B sector too. With a younger generation of B2B buyers in the workforce who demand transparency in a connected world, tailoring their experience with your brand will be key.
“Faced with this tech-savvy and cynical group of young buyers, the challenge is to create campaigns that don’t appear to be for self-purpose”
– Campaignlive, 2016
A great example of this is an app named ScoresOnTheDoors, which utilises data from the Food Standards Agency to overlay restaurant hygiene ratings on to a real-time view from your phone’s camera. Honest and genuinely useful, it’s evidence of an app presenting otherwise dull data in an innovative fashion.
The B2B possibilities for virtual reality are exciting too. With control over sight, sound and feel, it’s a truly immersive experience which offers unparalleled levels of brand interaction. Instead of pushing messages, the focus is instead on embracing the decision-making abilities of the consumer, but in a space you have ultimate control over.
This space is a great way to present scenarios and offerings to audiences, with a fluid and visually striking message that uses 3D elements to add to the immersion. Whether at trade shows or in 360-degree presentations, it’s not hard to imagine VR taking center stage as a method of communication to future B2B buyers.
After all, CCS insights has predicted that by 2018, there will be around 24m AR and VR devices sold, with a market value of over $4 Billion! If you’re interested in utilising the power of VR, get in touch.
