We are in the midst of a rapid technological revolution that promises to disrupt and transform the employment market, with potentially millions of jobs rendered obsolete in the near future. However, this revolution also signals the creation of many new and exciting positions and progressive industries. With the pace of this transformative change set to continue to accelerate, it is predicted that many jobs that exist today will disappear within the next few decades.
New digital technology, including virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality, are all part of this disruptive technological story. We don’t know where it will take us, or where it will end; nor do we know how it may look, or what it may hold. All we can do is stay engaged, think of the future, and continue to progress toward a bold and exciting new world.
Our Senior Digital Designer, John Walker, gave a presentation to our digital team exploring recent examples of virtual, augmented and mixed reality. He introduced us to some really exciting examples from several different industries and even brought some kit in for us to play with!
Here are just a few examples we’ve picked out for you from his detailed research presentation:
Field Trip to Mars
The first of its kind, this headset-free VR experience entitled ‘Field Trip to Mars’ was designed by Framestore and sponsored by Lockheed Martin. Together they launched a national educational program, Generation Beyond, intended to bring science and space into children’s environments.
Built within a classic yellow school bus, this virtual experience – with no need for headsets – transports passengers to the surface of Mars. Using cutting-edge technology, including geological configurations, mapping and programming, they created a system that enabled the translation of real-time movement, vibration, speed and GPS. Ultimately, they devised a ‘1:1 relationship’ between Earth and Mars, and created a fully immersive experience; the bus became the headset. Through specialised screens for windows, the passengers’ route was transformed into a journey across Mars’ rocky red surface.
Watch the short video here.
Merrel Trailscape
Framestore were tasked with creating an experience for the launch of the new Merrell Capra, ‘the most technically advanced hiking shoe yet.’ Partnering with agency Hill Holiday, they designed a virtual reality world in which the capabilities of the kit were showcased in extreme scenarios, set in the kind of landscapes that would really engage Merrell’s adventurous, outdoor-loving audience.
To launch this exciting new product, the marketing team took over the Sundance Film Festival with an immersive VR experience in which participants donned their new shoes and trekked across the Dolomites in Italy. A motion capture system, vibrating bridge, ‘real’ rockfall and wind were just a few of the physical elements that were created to intensify this mixed reality experience.
Watch the video here.
In the future, we believe that AR’s ability to be adopted en-masse will allow it to overtake VR. “The global augmented reality market was valued at around $3.33 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach approximately $133.78 billion in 2021″ (Ramella, 2018).
Why is this? AR’s boom is largely due to one thing: mobile devices. A huge percentage of the world’s population own one. This makes AR much more widely accessible and much less cumbersome than VR; it allows for virtual experiences without having to stray too far from reality.
The future of AR is also evident in the new platforms that a host of big tech giants are unveiling: Apple’s ARKit, Google’s ARCore and Snapchat’s Lens Studio. Their introduction will pave the way for more companies and developers to create their own augmented reality apps and features. For these reasons, by the year 2025 we predict that it’ll be clear that AR has a more logical place in business than VR.
However, the leading global tech companies have sunk billions into VR over recent years and aren’t ready to give up on it just yet. These two technologies – and their futures – are inextricably linked. Developers in the space are still committed to launching VR and this technology still offers enormous benefits to both businesses and consumers.
View our work with Santander in the augmented reality space here.