Jump right in - five of the best uses of immersive technologies
You might have noticed that immersive technologies – Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality – have lately been going from strength to strength.
The UK in general is a leading player in immersive tech, generating somewhere between £600m and £800m in turnover for around 1,000 specialist companies, and employing many thousands of people.
According to a report compiled by Nesta last year, Bristol (home to Ignition’s UK office) is one of 20 budding clusters for immersive technology in the UK, and is particularly strong on media-related uses for it. Not only that, but Bristol boasts the specialist shared workspace Bristol VR Lab as well as Limina Immersive, the UK’s first arts space dedicated to virtual reality.
BBC Earth’s groundbreaking animal experience Bear Island was created in Bristol, and local company Ultrahaptics has pioneered technology that allows users to receive tactile feedback, using ultrasound.
We’ve taken a look at some of the most exciting and inspiring uses of tech in the events and exhibitions space*. Strap on your headset, here we go!
When it comes to telling stories using technology, Disney has been doing it incredibly successfully for years. Their new park attraction, Galaxy’s Edge, opens this year to great anticipation, and combines immersive and interactive experiences such as a thrilling ride in the Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run - with real park locations. If you want inspiration, it’s a great place to start – and did you know you can hold meetings and corporate events at Disney Parks?
Masters of storytelling with immersive technologies, The Void is an incredible VR arcade that debuted in 2016 with a Ghostbusters-themed VR attraction at the New York Madame Tussaud’s. It now boasts a Star Wars themed experience, Wreck-It Ralph, and something called ‘Nicodemus: Demon of Envanishment’, among others.
Have you seen Hamilton yet? The musical about one of America’s founding fathers has been a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and now boasts an immersive exhibition in Chicago to allow visitors to experience the birth of the nation in more depth. With 19 rooms making full use of all dimensions, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Hamilton’s humble beginnings in the Caribbean to becoming the first ever US Secretary of the Treasury. Rise up and see it!
All your best paintings have been stolen? Not to worry – Augmented Reality can put them back in their frames for you. This Boston museum lost some of its gems in an art burglary in 1990, but now visitors can see the paintings again through their ‘Hacking the Heist’ app. Just think what you could do with event displays using the same principle!
Want to see how VR can enhance the experience at trade shows? Textron Aviation used VR to demo their new Cessna Citation business jet. Not only is it not practical to take every potential buyer on a test flight, but the VR experience also allowed them to demonstrate customisations available without ever leaving the ground.
*We deliberately went looking for the most exciting uses we could find for this piece in order to inspire and spark ideas, but there are many ways of using immersive tech in events that don’t need Disney-size budgets.
Talk to us about the possibilities!
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Textron Aviation share how they worked closely with Sector 5 and the HTC VIVE to help design and market their new Cessna Citation Longitude business jet.