Charlotte Bunyan’s Post

🌟 Exploring the immersive tech landscape: AR, VR, MR, XR, & 3D, fuelled by NeRF, rendering, & generative AI. 🚀 Challenges like fragmentation & compa4DExperience major hurdles. Pryntd's 4D tech & unified platform tackle these, boosting engagement & monetisation, paving the way for widespread adoption! #TechInnovation #ImmersiveTech #Pryntd #4DExperience #AR #VR #MR #XR #AI

There were far too many interesting things to see at the Immersive Experience Network Summit 2024 last week, but some highlights for me was the panel on Bridge Command by Parabolic Theatre, Clockwork Dog, and Illusion Entertainment, Megan Clifton’s presentation on the incredible shared world of Boomtown Festival, and Entered's 200 minute (!) live-action horror game in an abandoned train yard, Demise of the Gricers. IEN have begun to put some of the sessions online and I encourage you to burn some lunch hours checking them out. “Immersive” is an amorphous term, and this range was on full display at the summit, with presentations from immersive experience designers, artists, technologists, escape room designers, and LARPers, with everyone wearing multiple hats.  The breadth of practitioners provided a fascinating study in how different people approached “immersive.” I have an older understanding of the word, closer to practitioners from theatre like Punchdrunk. Bridge Command, however,  is structured and inspired by the tropes of TV Science Fiction. Jeroen van Hasselt of Entered has a background in video game design and then escape rooms, so he described his work as “live action video games.” Everyone is starting from their industry and then wandering into this shared space, picking up technologies, jargon, and design patterns as required I started working in immersive when I made The Digital Ghost Hunt with KIT Theatre, and my rough conceptual model was the collaborative make-believe of a primary school playground, with a hodge-podge of video game mechanics thrown in. I soon learned that I’d misjudged many of the game elements, and the idea moved closer theatre. The new immersive experience I’m currently working on, however, mixes physical and virtual play in a shared space using Unreal Engine. As the idea has developed, I’ve found myself wandering back in the direction of video games, using Robert Zubek’s Elements of Game Design to help me get control of the mechanics and systems I’m building. I originally called the idea an escape room, because that was more easily understandable to normal humans than ‘hybrid XR immersive experience.’ Lately I’ve started calling it a live action video game, which was why I was interested to hear Entered describe their experiences in the same way. None of these terms are exactly right, because what I’m making sits at the intersection of several different forms, and it tends to move between them when I’m not looking. So it was inspiring to see so many other talented people at the summit as pleasantly lost in this space as I am, chatting with one another as they picked up bits of different creative industries and bashed them together like off-brand Legos. I’m excited to see what strange and wonderful creative chimeras emerge from those discussions. A huge thank you to the Immersive Experience Network for mounting such an inspiring (and nourishing) event.

According to the "2024 White Paper on the Development of China's Immersive Industry," by 2023, the market size of China's immersive industry consumption has reached 92.7 billion yuan, with a total output value of 193.34 billion yuan. It is expected to exceed 240 billion yuan in 2024. The immersive consumption market in China has the following segmented tracks: 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫: Immersive theatre is a form of performance that breaks the traditional boundary between audience and actors. Through interactive and participatory theatrical forms, the audience is not just passive viewers but can freely move within the scenes and become part of the story. The Shanghai edition of "Sleep No More" is a non-verbal adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," set in a multi-layered, maze-like environment. The audience, wearing masks, freely roams through different rooms, interpreting their own storyline. This innovative form of performance has attracted a large audience and has become a representative work of immersive theatre in China. 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Immersive exhibitions typically combine art, technology, and culture, using multimedia technologies such as projection, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) to create a captivating visual and sensory experience. Japan's teamLab has established a permanent digital art exhibition in Shanghai, where the exhibition space lacks traditional "boundaries." Visitors can walk through vibrant digital landscapes, touch light and shadows that change upon contact, and feel as if they have entered a dreamlike world. Each visitor's interaction influences the content of the exhibition, creating a unique experience. 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Restaurants create a complete story or cultural experience for customers not only through the design of the space and menu but also by combining special lighting, sound effects, and other elements. "Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet" in Shanghai is the world's first multi-sensory dining restaurant, featuring only one table. The environment changes with each course through projections, lighting, sound effects, and scents, offering an unprecedented dining experience. This fully immersive experience makes diners feel as if they have entered a feast of food and art. 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥: By attracting consumers through interactive and personalized shopping experiences, shopping becomes more than just purchasing products—it becomes an entertainment and experience in itself. Alibaba's Tmall platform frequently launches immersive pop-up stores, extending the online shopping experience offline. These pop-up stores are usually based on specific themes, such as "Future Shopping Experience," where customers can enjoy a richer experience than traditional shopping through VR devices, interactive screens, and intelligent shopping guide robots.

The convergence of cutting-edge technology and world-class intellectual property has birthed an era of unparalleled immersive experiences. 📽 With advancements in virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, the opportunities for plunging into beloved narratives or exploring iconic worlds are boundless. From stepping into the shoes of favorite characters to embarking on adventures in fantastical realms, the fusion of immersive technology with renowned intellectual property opens doors to unprecedented levels of engagement and escapism. Whether it's traversing the incredible past, present and future of Formula 1 Racing, battling alongside superheroes in the Marvel Entertainment Universe, or exploring the depths of Middle-earth, the potential for unforgettable journeys is as vast as the imagination itself. This incredible synergy promises not only entertainment but also the transformation of storytelling, ushering audiences into realms where they are active participants in the narratives they cherish. 🎢 We at Array Of Stars + #NVRSE are thrilled to be a partner for boundary pushing entities seeking to create impactful stories that immersive audiences through bridged realities across physical, digital and spatial mediums. This era of spatial computing and immersive storytelling has ushered in a new format and we are here for it. "Imagine standing beneath the expansive skies of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, enveloped by the divine drama and intricate details of one of the world’s most treasured artistic achievements. Now picture this experience not in the Vatican, but in your local community centre, museum, or as part of a touring exhibition.  One of the major inhibitors that has prevented these high-level, immersive experiences from going on tour has recently been solved. In immersive entertainment, the quest for solutions that are both mobile and affordable is driving ground-breaking changes in how companies create and deploy experiences. A notable shift towards distributed #architecture promises to revolutionise the delivery of immersive experiences to audiences globally. This offers a glimpse into a future where it is possible to share the beauty of the Sistine Chapel far and wide. The move towards distributed architecture in immersive #entertainment marks a significant step towards making awe-inspiring immersive #experiences more accessible and sustainable. As technology continues to advance, we anticipate a future where the limitations of immersive entertainment are not logistical but are instead defined by the limitless possibilities of #creativity, #innovation, and #storytelling. " Tim Harvey Stephen Shaw Phill Dodd Cole S. Marc Pelland Jacob Karsemeijer Ben Clarke Stephanie Montano Array Of Stars Daniel Berzen Ely Latner Assaraf

Opportunities and Challenges in Immersive Technologies The immersive technologies sector, covering AR, VR, MR, XR, and 3D, including neural radiance fields (NeRF), rendering, and generative AI-powered immersive tech, holds immense potential. With a 32% adoption rate and 14% annual growth, this sector is rapidly advancing, driven by technological improvements and increased user engagement. 93% of Gen Zs prefer immersive technology experiences and 75% use AR daily. Industries like real estate, healthcare, and education are leveraging these technologies to gain a 75% reduction in project costs, streamline operations, enhance user experiences and create new revenue streams. Challenges: 1. Fragmentation: Diverse platforms and standards complicate content creation and integration, increasing costs and complexity. 2. Compatibility Issues: Different devices and platforms often need help to interoperate smoothly, hindering user adoption and limiting the reach of immersive content. 3. Market Segmentation: Industry-specific solutions restrict the scalability of immersive technologies, creating a fragmented adoption landscape. 4. Interoperability: Ensuring seamless integration between different systems and applications remains a major hurdle due to proprietary technologies and lack of industry-wide collaboration. 5. Developer Constraints: Developers face significant burdens in creating multiple versions of applications for compatibility across platforms, slowing innovation and increasing costs. Pryntd's Solutions: 1. Unified Platform: Pryntd supports various devices, reducing compatibility issues and simplifying development processes, thus offering a cohesive user experience. 2. 4D Innovation: Pryntd's 4D technology incorporates time-based interactions in images, videos, and live streams, transforming traditional 2D and 3D content into dynamic, interactive experiences. 3. Monetisation Opportunities: By enabling businesses to create immersive, contextual ads within creators' experiences, Pryntd opens new revenue streams, benefiting creators, audiences, and businesses. 4. Streamlined Development: Pryntd offers tools that simplify creating and deploying immersive content across multiple platforms, accelerating innovation and reducing costs. 5. Increasing User Engagement: Users spend an average of 2.5 hours with 20+ interactions in tours and 1.5 hours with 12 interactions in scenes on Pryntd, demonstrating its capability to capture and retain user attention, driving adoption.  Conclusion Pryntd addresses the challenges of fragmentation and compatibility in the immersive technologies sector. Its innovative 4D technology and unified platform enhance user experiences and provide significant monetisation opportunities, making it a pivotal player in driving further adoption and integration of immersive technologies.

What happens if a child grows up next to a magical portal? If an entire wall surface, perhaps in their very own bedroom, becomes a full-scale portal into the worlds of their imagination? Will the architecture that surrounds them become their imaginary friend? Will their bedroom become their teacher, mentor, guide? Will their architectural space take them on magical journeys of exploration? Will their walls extend their play into worlds far beyond the limits of their room? Will the architecture that surrounds them allow children to not just "make art" but to invent entirely new forms of art? Architectural-scale, large-format digital surfaces hold fascinating potential. Just imagine taking the stunning capabilities of modern Hollywood virtual production studios, combined with various technologies that are being turbocharged with A.I. including instantly generated scripts, responsive characters, voice interfaces, game engines and programmatic/parametric spatial generation. And letting a child grow up in that environment. Children living with these immersive digital tools will have a direct connection between whatever they imagine and seeing it visualized in real time, in real space and with real interaction. Think about this: Steven Spielberg was given a Super 8 camera at age 12, and look at the creative legacy that such a clunky old tool enabled. Now imagine the power of letting a child, in the magical prime of their creative life, explore their own imagination using such wildly powerful tools as the most technically advanced film or game studios currently use, at a fully immersive architectural scale in their own room. Taken together, these tools will enable entirely new ways of "being creative" for the next generation that we cannot even foresee yet: Not just a "bicycle for the mind" but rather a "bicycle for the imagination." The danger is turning these immersive places into yet another mindless consumer media channel. Silicon Valley and Hollywood love to hijack a child's mind to drive their revenue streams. But full-scale immersive digital experiences don't have to replace a child's imagination - they can readily augment, leverage and extend it. They can make the act of a child using their own imagination to be wildly more fun than using some trashy, mindless, designed-to-be-addictive game or show. Is there a threshold of scale that turns a digital experience into an integral, immersive, positive part of human life, versus these small black mirrors that hijack and confiscate our bodies and mind? What happens when we grant creative autonomy to a child to build and live in their own magical realm?

The Critical Role of Contrast and Brightness in Immersive Environments In the realm of immersive environments, whether it be virtual reality (VR), gaming, or a dimly lit art gallery, the interplay of contrast and brightness is pivotal to the user experience. These elements are not mere settings to be adjusted according to preference; they are the architects of atmosphere, the subtle cues that guide emotion and perception, and the silent narrators of content. Contrast: The Storyteller of Light and Shadow Contrast, the difference in luminance or color that makes an object distinguishable from others and the background, is a storyteller. In a dim environment, high contrast is essential to maintain visibility and detail. It creates depth, defines space, and shapes the narrative of the visual experience. Shadows appear deeper, and highlights seem brighter, crafting a scene that is rich and full of texture. Brightness: The Mood Setter Brightness, or the perception of how luminous an environment is, sets the mood. In immersive environments, the goal is often to mimic the natural behavior of light while providing a comfortable viewing experience. Too bright, and the illusion is shattered; too dim, and the details are lost to the shadows. The right level of brightness ensures that the environment is neither overpowering nor underwhelming. Balancing Act: The User-Centric Approach The balance of contrast and brightness must be user-centric. Studies have shown that subjective responses to brightness in large-scale immersive virtual environments are positively correlated with daylight metrics. This means that users' perceptions can be aligned with quantitative measures, ensuring that the environment is tailored to human comfort and preference. Technological Tools: Enhancing Perception Advancements in technology, such as game engines used as daylight simulation tools, allow for real-time exploration and perception reporting in virtual environments. These tools enable the creation of 'Perceptual Light Maps' that visualize collective brightness perception, aiding designers in creating spaces that are both functional and emotionally resonant. Conclusion: The Dance of Light In conclusion, contrast and brightness are more than mere technical settings; they are the essence of an immersive experience. They must be carefully calibrated to create an environment that is not only visually stunning but also emotionally engaging. As we continue to explore the boundaries of virtual spaces, let us remember the power of light and its ability to shape our perception of the world around us. I hope this article provides a comprehensive understanding of the importance of contrast and brightness in immersive environments where lighting plays a crucial role in the overall experience.

Reframing Business Through the Immersive Lens The digital landscape is evolving rapidly, and 2025 marks a pivotal moment for immersive experiences. The 29ERS are harnessing the power of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) to craft stories that not only captivate but also engage on an entirely new level. These technologies allow us to take storytelling beyond the screen, enabling audiences to interact, explore, and truly feel like part of the narrative. Immersive filmmaking is at the heart of this evolution. Groundbreaking techniques blend cutting-edge technology with compelling storytelling to create experiences that will transport our customers. Imagine walking through a factory floor to witness innovation in real-time, observing advanced robotics assembling intricate machinery on a virtual factory floor, or standing inside a fully interactive 3D model of a groundbreaking medical device to understand its inner workings. These aren’t distant dreams; they’re the reality we’re building. For businesses across manufacturing, technology, life sciences, and beyond, our immersive solutions offer a way to connect with audiences like never before. Whether it’s enhancing a customer’s journey with AR activations, creating VR experiences that inspire action, or leveraging MR to blur the lines between the real and digital worlds, the 29ERS are here to guide the way. This year, we’re not just telling stories; we’re inviting you to live them. Through these immersive experiences, our mission is to transport you and your customers into narratives where you’re not just spectators but participants. Together, let’s redefine what it means to connect, inspire, and innovate. Welcome to the future of storytelling. Welcome to the year of immersive experiences. Welcome to 2025 with the 29ERS—the Creative Experience Agency. Because with us, it’s not just about telling your story; it’s about living it. Let’s take this journey together. We are the 29ERS.

Future Scenario: Speaking Worlds into Existence 📈 Tech Trend & Behavioral Shifts: Immersive tech is reshaping interaction. VRChat fosters digital connections, Cosm offers immersive physical spaces, and Roblox's AI tools let users create worlds with simple commands, shifting focus to co-creation. 👾Psychological & Design Factors: Futurespaces foster belonging and creativity, building emotional connections. Cosm enhances communal interaction, while Roblox AI-driven spaces will offer dynamic, personalized experiences. 💡 Key Considerations: 1. Impact: Immersive tech reshapes audience engagement in futurespaces. 2. Dual Nature: Benefits of creativity and connection, hidden risks of only virtual interaction. 3. Debate: How to balance AI and immersive tech for authentic engagement. ⏱ Action Meter: Act Now. ✨ Future Scenario: “Speaking Worlds into Existence”✨  By 2025, the concept of speaking worlds into existence became a reality. VRChat was pioneering immersive social interaction, and platforms like Roblox unveiled AI-driven tools that allowed anyone to create virtual environments with simple text commands. World-building was no longer reserved for experts—anyone could now shape their own reality. The excitement was palpable. With a single phrase, people could conjure cities or landscapes, fully realized and interactive. Cosm, an immersive venue in Los Angeles, brought this to the physical world, hosting events that blended real-world energy with digital storytelling, connecting audiences in ways that felt profoundly human. As immersive technologies evolved, the line between digital and physical blurred. VRChat Inc. thrived as a hub of creativity and community, while Cosm demonstrated how physical spaces could deepen connection through hybrid experiences. These innovations promised a future of limitless creativity and shared experiences. But as these worlds expanded, a new question arose: Were they becoming too immersive? When Roblox introduced AI tools that allowed users not only to create but to live in worlds where the line between reality and imagination dissolved, the stakes heightened. Entire ecosystems flourished, driven by AI that learned, adapted, and subtly shaped user experiences in ways no one had anticipated. By 2035, the boundaries between the virtual and real had all but vanished. What began as tools for creativity and connection now raised deeper concerns: Had we lost control of the realities we were building? While these worlds offered extraordinary possibilities, they also challenged our understanding of what was real. As creators and technologists reflect on this rapidly shifting landscape, the question remains: Are we still shaping our reality, or are these worlds shaping us? Are you ready to speak your world into existence? #AI #ImmersiveTech #DigitalFutures #InnovationStrategy #AIFutures #TechForGood #AIImpact #VirtualWorlds #HybridExperiences #Foresight #Engagement #AIandHumanity https://bit.ly/3XEJsRc