As previously reported, Universal is marking its 100th anniversary with a range of 15 new ‘Augmented Reality’ DVD and Blu-rays which this weekend they and some familiar friends took over Oxford Street’s HMV to launch.
Smartphone users with a free app were able to point their devices at special hotspots much like the images in our earlier story which then come alive to show 3D footage – the Blues Brothers dancing, King Kong scaling the Empire State Building and Apollo 13 blasting off were just some of the treats on show.
And outside the store the mighty T-Rex was on hand to give shoppers his very own welcome.
The app allows you to take a picture of the characters interacting with you or your friends. In this case a random shopper is about to provide lunch to a hungry dino!
The hotspots are powered by Aurasma whose technology uses image recognition to download the mini movies from a remote server using the phone or tablet’s internet connection.
This is then overlaid on top of the hotspot, or in the case of T-Rex, the store’s exterior to bring the famous film characters to life.
We went down and were treated to a tour of the store’s hotspots and a personal introduction to T-Rex who seemed a little miffed abut the poor weather.
In this business we get a lot of press releases but never before have we got to see one come alive in front of us.
Aurasma have created a fun technology which could become the next big thing in marketing – expect to see film posters and perhaps even your local billboard start coming to life very soon…