Brief Reality: Blippar Transforms into Shazam for Cars

Augmented reality is quickly becoming a popular tool for marketing use cases, as demonstrated by new projects serving the automotive, entertainment, and tourism industries this past week.

Blippar Cranks Up Automotive Recognition to Deliver AR Content

Last week, Blippar introduced automotive recognition technology with better than 97.7% accuracy for identifying the year, make, and model of more than 6,000 cars built for the US market since 2000.

Using the computer vision feature, users of the Blippar app for iOS or Android can unlock augmented reality content by scanning vehicles with their devices. Upon identifying the vehicle, the app overlays make, model, and year information, as well as consumer ratings, price, and even a 360-degree view of the vehicle's interior.

"We started with cars, as it is a big part of people's lives and this technology offers immediate value to consumers whether they are looking to buy a new car and want to jump in the driver's seat and get a 360 degree view inside it or unlock more details about that model or to simply satisfy their curiosity about the cars in front of them and read the expert reviews. This is where the power of an augmented reality browser lies," said Ambarish Mitra, CEO & Co-Founder of Blippar, in a news release.

Transformers Rolls Out AR/VR Experience in China

Hasbro has aligned with DMG Entertainment to bring an interactive augmented and virtual reality experience that is, perhaps, "more than meets the eye" to Transformers fans in China this summer.

Described as "digital simulation experience centers," the exhibits immerse participants in the world of the toys-turned-film-characters as they engage in battles and conflicts.

"We're pushing the boundaries of creative storytelling by harnessing innovative, immersive and interactive technology that brings fans into the Transformers world like never before," said Dan Mintz of DMG Entertainment in a news release.

The attraction will debut in Shanghai this summer, expanding to other cities in the country over the next five years. Oh, yeah, and the latest installment of the film franchise, Transformers: The Last Knight, debuts globally on June 21.

Montréal en Histoires Brews Up AR Exhibits to Tell Molson Story

Molson Coors Canada has collaborated with Montréal en Histoires to add six points of interest their augmented reality historical tour guide app.

As tourists walk through Old Montreal, they can use the app to scan points of interest and access augmented reality content to learn more about the history of the location. With the John Molson Walk, can learn more about the family's brewing history.

"These six presentations tell the story of this great Montreal family who has worked for seven generations in developing our city. This technological journey makes our history accessible and playful," said Martin Laviolette, Montréal en Histoires' executive producer in a news release.

Every Tuesday, Next Reality gives readers a rundown of the augmented and mixed reality news briefs from the preceding week that we didn't cover already. This way, you'll never miss anything of importance in the Next Reality landscape, and will always know what's going on with new augmented and mixed reality tech and applications. You can browse previous Brief Reality reports, too, if you'd like.

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