How AR is changing printed media: Pacha Pajama’s case
🗣 One of the multiple ways through which AR is revolutionizing our day-to-day life is through its use in printed media. Because at CaptivatAR we are here to help you make an impact when connecting with your audience, our app links your print media with the digital world. This solution is a cost-effective way for brands to create meaningful engagement, regardless of audience location and language.
You can use this innovative technology to integrate content, applications, and multimedia files into all your printed products, such as newspapers, magazines, catalogs, or flyers. This way, they become interactive and get new possibilities in areas such as marketing, eCommerce, and publishing.
Moreover, each Printed Media contains a range of multimedia content that enhances events like ads, news, holiday celebrations, anniversaries, launches, conferences, presentations, and more. Not just during the events themselves, but long into the future.
Audiobooks, e-books, and now ‘a-books’
🗣 Let’s dive a little deeper into how AR works on print, specifically in books!
We’ve all heard of e-books, but augmented reality might soon be giving us a brand-new reading experience. So-called “augmented books” – or “a-books” – could be coming to shelves near you in the future, with the University of Surrey announcing the latest version of a research project which seeks to combine the best of both physical and electronic books.
Like electronic books, augmented books would allow readers to access extra information or multimedia content about what they are reading; all while keeping the look and feel of a physical book. In that sense, augmented reality might allow printed books to make a comeback against the e-book trend, according to researchers from the University of Surrey.
They have recently introduced the third generation (3G) version of its Next Generation Paper (NGP) project, allowing the reader to consume information on the printed paper and screen side by side. Dr Radu Sporea, Senior lecturer at the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), comments: “This technology exists to assist the reader in a deeper understanding of the written topic and get more through digital means without ruining the experience of reading a paper book.”
Magic Bookmarks
🗣 At a basic level, the idea is for a user to be able to flick through a physical book, and then have the book know what they are reading and be able to relay that information to a nearby device, such as a TV or a smartphone.
For around five years, Sporea and his colleagues have worked through various iterations of augmented book technology. As part of their Next Generation Paper project, the team created an “a-book” prototype; with no visible electronics or wiring, the book allows users to trigger digital content with a simple gesture, such as the swipe of a finger or the turn of a page, and this content is then displayed on a nearby device.
The team also developed something called a “magic bookmark”: a physical bookmark with hidden electronics that recognizes an optical pattern on the pages of a book.
It can be laid down on a page, and trigger relevant information to show up on a device such as a smartphone or a screen. This bookmark connects to an electronic system on the cover of the book, says Sporea. It boasts an array of light sensors, which can then pick up individual codes printed on each page.
What a time to be an avid bookworm, right?
Case of Pacha Pajama’s
🗣 Guess what? Pacha Pajama is the first children’s book that springs to life through Augmented Reality! And of course, we had something to do with it 😁
CaptivatAR created a customized app using MyAR platform that allows our clients to manage 2D and 3D content that can be shown within the app. Users can then show animations that come to life on the cover and nearly 100 pages of the book, activating through Augmented Reality. In this way, kids can play, sing, and most of all learn all while reading and having fun.
Pacha’s Pajamas features a diverse array of characters and an environmentally conscious storyline that inspires children to see the world in new ways. With augmented reality technology, reading the book just got way more fun. This unique innovation in multimedia storytelling not only encourages children to pick up physical books but also positively impacts reading comprehension and literacy skills.
The book opens where children meet Pacha, the main character and a budding Youth Leader. They join her and the animals and plants in her pajamas on a magical dream adventure. Through the dream, Pacha remembers that she is part of nature and discovers how to use her unique gifts and innate compassion to save the planet. With the augmented reality Pacha Alive! app available for free on iOS and Google Play, children connect with Pacha on a personal level and they can see the story come to life before their eyes.
Additionally, Pacha loves to dance, and the “Connected Dance Challenge” invites young people to submit their dance clips for a chance to win prizes and be in a video with children from all over the world. Using the “Play with Pacha” feature in the Pacha Alive app or the Connected Dance Challenge ARKit app (Apple’s recently debuted software development toolset for AR), children can bring Pacha and friends into the room, take their pictures with Pacha “sitting” right beside them, as well as make videos dancing with Pacha and her friends.
👉 From Direct Mail to flyers, postcards, posters, and everything in between. AR is revolutionizing almost every aspect of our lives and at CaptivatAR we are ready to help you use it to take your business to the next level! We integrate Augmented Reality into every type of print collateral you can imagine. Take a look here.
📝 Sources:
Gustavo Sanabria – LinkedIn
