Team 2: Augmented reality and Holograms

Team 2 (Sheila Avellaneda, Salvador Gómez, Odrija Heinrichsone, Jack Howard, Chang Liu, Sara Mills, Vesa Rantanen) created two consepts; a augmented reality application and a hologram documentary.

A - The augmented reality application
Watch the demo here

What - A platform for making education and historical sites more interesting, more appealing and stimulating the imagination of the users. A combination of a mobile (Google Glass?) app and location-based physical placeholders that hint to the user that a hologram is available at that spot.

Screenshot from the demo

Why - Because the cultural heritage is becoming an important issue and we want to offer a high-tech solution to making history more interesting to the younger generation. Since the younger generation will probably have a much shorter attention span we will need to present the information to them in a more stimulating and immersive manner.

How - Any historical site can come alive with the use of holograms. These holograms would tell the story of the people that have lived, fought, worked and died in that place throughout time. The users will have an interface in the form of a mobile app, where the user can choose how far in the past does he/she wish to go. By looking through the screen of the smartphone / tablet the user can see the holograms and then he/she might even choose to bring the holograms outside the device into the world around him/her. We propose using physical placeholders that serve as indicators for places where the user can initiate the holograms.

Screenshot from the demo

Where - the main idea is to use this platform for historical sites but it can also be extended to visualising the future and possibilities.

For whom - the potential users are anyone capable of using a simple smartphone / tablet interface but the main focus is on younger people and tourists. This platform could potentially be used by museums, cities etc.

Examples / use cases The users goal is to witness more from historical scenes.  Person walking around and visiting historical place.  They open a map and see historical markers.  They pick one and go to the place.  The app includes navigation and the person follows the route through the app.  Once there, they scan the symbol on the plinth and choose the year they want, triggering a dramatic scene in holograms.  This is scene either through a mobile device, such as an iPad or google glasses.  After the scene has been depicted, the user shuts down the app and walks away.

Screenshot from the demo

Features
Realistic scenes from history
Travel back in time to discover what your favourite figures from history were doing in the past.
Dine in grand banquet halls with Kings and Queens, fight along side great warriors, join the ranks of Napolian or down ale in Odin’s halls with the Vikings, sailing the vast Nordic seas in fantastic long ships.
3D sound audio information whilst the hologram scene is going on.
Easy to use, kid friendly interface, with incredible educational possibilities.
Learning has never been such fun!
Beautiful original graphics
Choice of different years at every location!
Directions to historical places

User scenario

Peter goes to Berlin and goes sightseeing. He opens up an app on his smartphone and finds out that there is a “portal” at the Berlin Wall. He walks to the place marked on the map and finds a placeholder with a symbol. He puts on his Google Glass / points his smartphone / tablet towards the symbol and a timeline appears. He scrolls back to 1989 and a scene of holographical figures appears in front of him (in the screen) depicting the demolition of the Berlin Wall. After having watched this scene he tells his Google Glass / tablet to turn the hologram off and goes back to the timeline, where he can choose a different period.

B - a hologram documentary

Technology is taking over our lives.  More and more people are becoming addicted to their technological devices.  By abusing technology, it can have a negative effect.

What - a short mockumentary on the negative effects of relying too much on technology. By showing a typical family abusing the use of holograms, we can show how technology can overtake our everyday life and become damaging.

Why - we feel that the overuse of technology has a negative impact on following generations. People are becoming more and more addicted to technology and the future generations will not know how to do normal things like reading and writing by hand and will rely on iPads, smartphones etc. By showing the downside of technology we wish to make the audience reflect on the importance of balance between the digital and the real life (reality and fantasy, real life and hyperreality).

Scenario  - The beginning opens with the hologram (controlled by a mobile application) conducting the housework, whilst the family plays and goes about things that they usually wouldn't have time for.  The hologram goes to work for them, whilst the family remains at home.  In the middle, the hologram goes to a football match and bar and the family is stuck at home, so there is a change in atmosphere.  Towards the climax, the hologram begins to take over and have more fun.  The family is trapped inside and cannot get the app to work.  At the end, the hologram, the technology, controls the family.

Where - internet, since probably television will cease to exist (there will probably be no use to having a TV anyway).

For whom - our film is aimed at younger to middle aged people, middle class background, European and have access to the internet / rely on technologies in their everyday life.

Examples / use cases
The goal of the user is to learn more about holograms. The way they do this is by going onto the internet, where most of the programs are as normal digital television has been made obsolete by the internet, and tuning into the online channel for the production company that has made this fake documentary. Whilst watching the documentary, they learn about the way the hologram works, how it operates (through the mobile application) and perhaps most importantly for our own goal, the down sides of the hologram and how technology, if abused, can become corrupted.

Visual style - the film begins as a happy, bright, colourful, American style movie (blue skies, saturated colours, good lighting, etc.). It gradually shifts to a grim, dark, depressive, desaturated look (overcast, dim lighting, “horroresque”, dramatic, gloomy).

Team 1 - Haptic Technology & Applications

Imagine a world where digital information can be shared between people just by touch or where a person becomes a storage device for gigabytes of digital data.

These were the 2 technology areas our team focused on.

Sound far-fetched? Well, as you'll find out in our presentation, technology giant Ericsson are already working on it!

Applications

With the technology plausible our next task was to work out 2 applications of Haptic Technology that would fit into our assigned research area of: Online Communities, Offline Impact.

Considering our technology base was heavily person and real-world centric, it was just a matter of connecting offline (real world) actions with an online community.

The presentation (link at the foot of this post) demonstrates our approach but here is a very quick summary of the 2 concepts.

Concept 1: Happ - Retrieval of Data stored within a Product

Just by touching a product, data can be sent through you into your smart device for additional information which could be: extra description, educational, marketing/campaign-based or productive.

Concept 2: Haptic Life - Play Games Online by Interacting in the Real World

Online games or any genre could be created that respond to your actions in the real world. Touch a range of products or people to unlock items, battle opponents, explore collaboratively.

Presentation:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2XDt2GmakgOMXQ5ckJVcmFoN3c/edit?usp=sharing

Thanks for reading.

Please feel free to comment.

Jack, Tom, Yonatan, Zindzi, Aisha & Valts

Team 4: My Guide - connecting cultures

This is the concept presentation prepared and given by team four

Team 3: Non-narrativity is the new storytelling

“A virtual wall, where everyone can add writing, pictures, videos, art and other content in public space.”
People have always had the need to leave something behind of themselves.
With our concept we want to make public space truly public for the people.

Virtuwall™ - The Features

• A layer of virtual reality added on top of real things.
• Uses the internet and cloud based services to keep track of added and deleted content and their locations.
• Virtual wall and it’s content is only visible when using a compatible device and with a special application or command. Otherwise they are invisible to the naked eye.
• Other users can see, browse and search the content left on the wall. Filters can be added.

Concept 1 –Virtuwall™ Home
Use Case 1

• Jennifer is a freelance journalist who works from home and has three children.
• She uses the Virtuwall to see her schedule for the day.
• She uses it to access reference material for her article. 
• It is used to access recipes whilst cooking.
• She can talk to her children about their homework across the Virtuwall.
• The children can send images and drawings across it.
• Jennifer reads a book to the children across the Virtuwall. 

Concept 2 - Virtuwall™ Environment
Use Case 2 

• City of Tampere uses the Virtuwall technology to decorate the city and to make it appealing to residents and visitors.
• Virtuwall technology is cheap, easy and efficient way of decorating the city.
• Makes it possible for the city to change their look as often as they wish.
• Creates jobs for all kinds of artists.
• Enforces the city’s image as a modern and up-to-date place to visit and live in.

Concept 3- Virtuwall™ Business
Use Case 3

• Tim, a young, active moviegoer
• Using the Virtuwall-technology share and access information
• Tim can see that there are posters of currently showing and upcoming movies on the Virtuwall. 
• Below them there is a feed of user comments and ratings. 
• Tim posts a review on the nearest Virtuwall” and the review immediately appears on the feed under the poster of Avengers 4. 
• He see’s a film poster and tells his device to download the schedule and adds a reminder to his calendar about the movie.

Virtuwall™ - Technology
Where are we now?

EyeTap

• An EyeTap is a device that is worn in front of the eye that acts as a camera to record the scene available to the eye as well as a display to superimpose a computer-generated imagery on the original scene available to the eye. 
• In essence, similar to Glass, but functions as a visual overlay, instead of providing a small Heads-up display (HUD) in the corner. 

Contact lenses

• Contact lenses that display AR imaging are in development. These bionic contact lenses might contain the elements for display embedded into the lens including integrated circuitry, LEDs and an antenna for wireless communication.

Advancements Needed

• Getting rid of visual markers.
• A more precise positioning system for storing the location data.
• Hardware advancements.

Virtuwall™ - Business Plan
Product definition in customer centric view

• Virtuwall enables the consumer to interact with all kinds of space without damaging it.
• Virtuwall provides the consumer freedom to express him/herself in public space.
• Virtuwall makes public space a better place for citizen aesthetically and functionally. 

Virtuwall™ - Marketing Analysis:

Virtuwall™ - Business Model:

Virtuwall™ - Benefits

• Makes the public space truly public.Reduces the amount of actual graffiti, tags and posters on real walls.
• Creates a whole new platform of human communication.
• Teaches about cultures.
• Stores history in a new way - tied to a location.
• Gives a new platform for art and installations.
• It could be helpful as students can interact in the class with their teachers.

Virtuwall™ - Target Groups

• Our initial target audience is young University students because these people interact every day with technology. 
• They also could be interested in the Virtuwall as a way to share their ideas, paintings or anything in a virtual environment.
• As the Virtuwall expands the target audience will change to suit the location and situation it is going to be used in.

Virtuwall™ - Challenges

• Some people will be scared of the new AR-technology.
• There will be discussion about "virtual littering".
• All of the technology needed for making this does not yet exist.
• A highly sophisticated system for locating virtual objects and content as current GPS technology is not good enough. 
• The ownership of virtual space.

Team members:

Left to right: Teun Buursema, Eltons Kuns, James Booth, Judith Espert Martí, Veera Rouvinen, Bokyung Kim, Gemma Pass.

The Team 5 Concept - Kupla: Get To Know What You See!

Kupla, is an app built on the base of a strong knowledge database. The database has taken the idea of Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias, and developed their open source approach to gathering knowledge, to create the possibilities you experience with Kupla. New technology and mobile devices converge to allow you to touch the elements you see in film, music videos and television. If you want to know about a certain landscape, what a certain actor or musician is wearing, or how the technology you’re viewing works, all you have to do is tap on the area of interest, and the app will present you with the information surrounding the selected interest. The movie will pause, you can access the information within the app display and when you're done the movie will start again. There is also the possibility of adding your own content to the database if, for example, you're a filmmaker or a lecturer. Although the initial idea is to create an app for this information, eventually using converging technology we would like to have Kupla integrated into interactive TVs and into augmented technologies. We like to think that Kupla is future proof and will adapt with future technologies and lifestyles.

"Kupla is for everyone, for those always wanting to know more."

Key Platforms

While working on their concepts, each team was asked to choose two of a number of platforms on which the product would be focused. Here's how we thought Kupla would work best:

• Game/Interactive
• Online Community (next level social media)

We felt these two platforms tied into our initial theme of "Shared Knowledge," which we've channeled through the database which stores all the information behind Kupla.

Key Features

• Interactive database via an app for mobile devices as well as being augmented into interactive TV.
• It provides shared information on films etc. from within the movie, meaning you don’t have to go away from the film, and look up the information. Information is built into the movie interface.
• New touch screen elements i.e. SmartTVs, meaning users can click on any area within the movie to find information i.e. landscapes, products, how to build a particular item of furniture etc.
• Open source- shared knowledge, films that are older may not already have the information available however someone with a particular interest and knowledge of a film can add information to older films via the open source database.
• Introduces the idea of gamification- you can learn how to do things such as karate moves, play a song on guitar, or learn how to perform CPR.
• Easily integrated with VOD and cloud-based films.

Business Model

The revenues model we think that could be more profitable is one that the users don’t have to pay. It’s important because we need our product to become popular, for at least two reasons: Firstly because in a way our product uses a wiki style model to grow, to expand the database, so it only can be possible if there’s a lot of users. The second reason is that when you have one popular product, every company becomes interested in it, so the money will soon be available.

We need the product to be attractive for companies and to become a profitable company without damaging the users’ experience. So we should study how the different income strategies affect their app experience.


The Demo

We hope you're as excited about Kupla as we are, in fact we were so excited about this concept that we created a digital realisation of what it might look like. This is our vision for Kupla and you can check it out below. Why not try clicking on the motorbikes? Or Tom Cruises's Jacket? Remember, you'll get to know what you see if you use Kupla.

Test Kupla (Digital Realisation)

MC2020 video released!

The five minute video documenting MC2020 Tampere two week workshop has now been released.
The film is produced by the HKU student team Oavsett (Hugo de Kok, Kay van Vree & Edwin Haverkamp) oavsett.nl. The logo is designed by Yonatan Wolowelsky (grmmph.com)

The video also reveals the sources of inspiration, like swimming in the
hole in the ice.

The video is best described by the participants on the Facebook coffee room wall of the project:

This is fantastic, well done guys. Seriously good 

I like so much!!! INCREDIBLE. I get excited 

This is amazing guys !!!

Awesome work boys. This makes me miss Finland. 

Well done guys, really well put together.

Simply brilliant!

wow! really good work! amazing video!

Wow. motion graphics are really (really) good.

fantastic work well done

I can feel the whole 2 weeks in 5 minutes. Thank you so much for great work 

Well done! So great video! Thanks for that :)

The film team Kay van Vree, Edwin Haverkamp, Hugo de Kok

See the film here: