Big Picture - May 2019 - 6

NEWS

The
Reality
of AR

Ever since the launch of the widely popular augmented
reality (AR) Pokémon Go mobile game in 2016, AR technology has been on the rise. According to a report from eMarketer,
68.7 million people are expected to use AR at least once per
month in the US in 2019. Hello, great opportunity. Your shop can
be on the cutting edge of technology and establish itself as an
industry thought leader; the possibilities at the juncture of digital
print + AR are vast and virtually untapped, especially in the
wide-format space. Imagine scanning a concert poster and the
band appearing right before your eyes, persuading you to buy
tickets. Or a construction wrap that gives a tour of the finished
retail space. Now is the time to set your business apart by
tapping into this emerging market.

BIG PICTURE

March 2019

WAKE UP

The reality of climate change can be hard to visualize; most
people don't encounter starving polar bears, shrunken
glaciers, and rising sea levels on a daily basis. An interactive,
mixed-reality art installation in the heart of NYC's Times
Square aimed to change that by (literally!) immersing visitors
in the discussion around climate change.
From July to September of last year, Times Square visitors
could experience a future where global warming has gone
unchecked, with rising waters and boats floating down Broadway Plaza 26 feet in the air. Artist Mel Chin's two-part installation, Wake and Unmoored, was presented by Times Square Arts,
No Longer Empty, and Queens Museum in partnership with
UNC Asheville and Microsoft. Wake featured a 24 x 34 x 60-foot
installation of a shipwreck with a 21-foot-tall animatronic
sculpture, serving as an entry point into Unmoored, the mixed
and augmented reality activation available through Microsoft
HoloLens headsets or an iOS/Android app for smartphones.
Users located one of the six nodes positioned near the
Wake installation, which activated the AR experience: The
shipwreck transformed into a full-scale model of the USS

Nightingale, other boats made their way downstream until
they were bunched in a gridlock, and sea life appeared.
Physical components of the installation were engineered
and fabricated at UNC Asheville's STEAM Studio, while 100
square feet of graphics for containers and a kiosk near the
Unmoored activation were printed by Knam Media (wrapscar.
com) with an HP Latex 360 onto 3M Controltac Graphic Film
with Comply v3 Adhesive IJ180Cv3-10, finished with 3M
Scotchcal Matte Overlaminate 8520.
CAPITALIZING ON AR

To celebrate the Washington Capitals #ALLCAPS Fan Week
in April, the NHL team crafted a fun and unique way for fans
to celebrate: augmented reality coasters. The team partnered
with Bud Light and Balti Virtual to create coasters that launch
an AR game, available for free at two Capitals games and 22
DC-area bars. (Out-of-town fans could get in on the fun by
downloading and printing their own, too.) By scanning the
coasters with the AppAR8 app, users opened the Tilt the Ice
game, transforming the coaster into a rink with an interactive,
3D goaltender. By tilting the coaster left and right, gamers
controlled the goalie to get as many saves as possible before
the timer ran out. The use of image recognition and a native
app available in the Apple and Google Play stores enabled the
AR experience to be controlled by the digital print, rather than
the phone.
"At Monumental Sports and Entertainment, we are
always looking for new and emerging technologies that will
enhance our fans' experience and connection with our brand
and believe this game, the first of its kind in the NHL, is a
perfect step into the always advancing AR field," said James
Heuser, Capitals senior director of digital media, in a release.
Users were encouraged to screenshot and share their high
scores on social media for a chance to win prizes - connecting
digital print to AR to cyberspace. Win, win, win.

http://www.wrapscar.com http://www.wrapscar.com

Big Picture - May 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - May 2019