Eyecandylab, an interactive video technology company, worked with Redbull TV and Google to launch what it’s calling a first for augmented reality.
The company has released a version of “The Last Ascent” documentary with a synced AR experience for on-demand video streaming. The experience is available on the Redbull TV app through Chromecast with Google TV and other Android TV devices. Users will need to scan the TV screen with the app, which detects the scene and delivers the AR content relevant for that particular moment in the story. The technology, developed by eyecandylab, expands the linear video story on the TV screen with an interactive experience through the viewers smartphone, tablet and AR glasses.
Eyecandylab said the experience will let users “explore the dramatic impact of climate change” by engaging with interactive 3D content and additional videos projected directly into your living room.
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“As the documentary progresses from one location to another on the way up Kilimanjaro, memories and photographs of [Will Gadd’s] 2014 trip play a crucial part in the story line. The integration of AR technology with the Red Bull TV app enables you to connect with the story on a deeper level,” the company wrote.
Eyecandylab -- whose CEO, Robin Sho Moser, was named one of Fierce Video's 2020 Emerging Leaders -- credited advancements in mobile technology like computer vision software, real time 3D graphics rendering by Unity, and increasingly available 5G connectivity as the driving factors for the launch of this new functionality.
AR isn’t often paired with on-demand streaming but some major players may be working on ways to incorporate the tech. According to Bloomberg, Apple is developing a feature that will debut next year and allow viewers to access optional AR content – like characters and objects from Apple TV+ shows – through their iPhones or iPads.