Making augmented reality real
By Simon Fuller. AR showroom. Augmented reality pioneers Zemoga are so devoted to the continued development of the art that they’re unveiling what they call an ‘AR practice’ to further their explorations.
For the US-based outfit, there are few limits as to how and where AR might be deployed, and the practice will focus on developing augmented reality across a raft of industries, from retail and consumer products, to the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors.
“[There are] opportunities for varying types of engagement,” says DJ Edgerton, CEO and co-founder of Zemoga. “For example, the healthcare industry has a deep need for new engaging ways to illustrate to consumers and physicians alike how drugs [and] devices work. Retail can take advantage of AR through concepts like digital sampling, and media and entertainment leaves an open book to engaging experiences that leverage content.”
Despite the new buzz around AR, Zemoga are old hands with the tech, with current work evolving from the 3D Flash animations they designed in the past for clients. But it’s clear that despite the steps made, there’s still work to be done in making it all really take off.
“A challenge with AR is the rendering of experiences in real time,” says Edgerton. “New development techniques are being developed by Zemoga to accelerate this process which makes the experience more fluid.”
And it looks like the results of all this work could be pretty varied, too. A recent Zemoga campaign for snack brand Wise Cheez Doodles featured a game called Rock The Cheez, which saw players – with the help of a webcam, a printer and some digital coding, naturally – creating a stage for a cartoon rock band to perform on.
Zemoga has also found success with what it terms 3D configurators. These are online tools which allow consumers to view and personalise a product – a car for example, in the case of work for Toyota – on their PCs.
“These configurators have taken that emotional step in purchasing an automobile out of the showroom, and onto the desktop,” says Edgerton. “Consumers begin their emotional connection with the brand through the personalisation that configuration allows. When they enter the showroom, they are already a few steps closer to the tipping point of the decision to buy as a result of their experience online with the brand.
“Imagine this powerful motivator in the format of AR,” Edgerton adds. “I foresee a day when you can sit in your kitchen chair and, through an AR engine, a car builds around you… and you never leave your home. This is the showroom of the future.”
