Niantic and 8th Wall join forces to create planet-scale platform technologies for more shared experiences.
Also, Ikea's new showroom utilises AR to make it customisable.
Read on!
Niantic and 8th Wall join forces
XR's two big players - Niantic and 8th Wall - joined when Niantic acquired the WebAR developer company.
Niantic's SVP of Engineering, Mapping and AR Brian McClendon says, "joining forces with Niantic, 8th Wall will empower more Lightship developers to realise their visions for AR in the real-world metaverse."
8th Wall's CEO and Founder Erik Murphy-Chutorian says, "The 8th Wall platform will remain a standalone offering, and the team will join the Niantic AR engineering organisation. We will work together to continue the development of our products as part of the Niantic Lightship platform, including expanding the reach of Lightship tools and technology to the mobile web."
Niantic's Lightship platform launched last November and, according to Niantic, offers the world's largest immersive canvas to bring developers' creations to life on a massive scale. 8th Wall and Niantic plan to expand the developer platform tools with WebAR technology.
Read more on Niantic's website.
Ikea uses augmented reality to create customisable showrooms
Ikea has launched Space Unfolded - an in-store pop-up located in Brooklyn, N.Y. The pop-up showroom uses sounds, flashing lights, and projections to highlight the latest offerings and inspire shoppers and homeowners.
When the customer enters the showroom, they can use a touchscreen to select a room, projected into the space and shown simultaneously on the screen. Each of the three rooms presents a different lifestyle and provide tips, design ideas and product suggestions.
"We wanted to give the customer a digital experience they won't get in the showroom," an Ikea representative told Adweek. "This is the first time [we're] using our digital capabilities. We're always looking to keep innovating. We're always looking to evolve in that space and show our capabilities there. It's a great way to introduce our customers to that, too."
That's all for now, see you next time!
