While augmented reality (AR) has already seen use in retail, with companies such as IKEA using it for assisting customers in making decisions. The technology has yet to see a great deal of use in the area of food, but that might be about to change with a new app called ‘Aug-It!’.
Liverpool-based start-up company AR Independent have created an AR app with the aim of enabling businesses to promote their brand through AR experiences.
AR Independent was one of the first companies to take part in a project called Activate, a £5 million (GBP) project to support digital and creative businesses in the Liverpool region. The company also worked with the Liverpool Business School to access planning support and specialist equipment in order to conduct feasibility tests for the software.
The first client for AR Independent is Dockside Dining, a restaurant which is aiming to become the first fully immersive dining experience in the city when it opens on Liverpool’s Mann Island later in June.
Users that download Aug-It! Will be able to access a fully immersive experience featuring more than fifteen restaurants through an AR pop-up menu on the smartphone. The app uses proprietary cloud computing system which uses geolocation to track and adapt to the user’s environment.
Anthony Hagan, Creative Director at AR Independent said: “The idea for the Aug-It! hatched when I was living in California, and I got to see the sheer scale that AR is being harnessed in sports and events for brand engagement, and I wanted to bring the same technological advances to the UK.
“Through Activate, the company has leapfrogged from a blue-sky idea to a commercially available product, and it has happened much faster than I ever imagined.”
Jonathon Clark, Business and Technology Manager, LCR Activate, said: “We are thrilled at how AR Independent and the ‘Aug-It! app has grown over the past six months, and it’s wonderful that the grant funding is being injected straight back into the digital and creative sector.”
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via Mint VR