Lois Kim – Looking Outwards 01

Disney’s “Magic Bench”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnLk2_Xbr90

                                                   Disney’s Magic Bench interaction.

You sit on a bench with a mirror across from you – and an animated character walks over to sit next to you. Disney overcomes the barrier of a clunky headset often associated with augmented reality.

This was a breakthrough for augmented reality. No longer is a user tied to a piece of equipment to experience the “magic” of technology. The bench uses depth shadows to operate the experience. I admired how Disney was able to introduce a new way to experience augmented reality. It allows users to be equipment free and interact with whimsical characters.

I appreciate how Disney took into consideration the whole experience. Sound, sensation, and the visuals are all cohesive and included. For example, when it rains – the user feels rain droplets and the sound associated. This was a big component to why it was a success. It mirrors a real life experience. The one negative is that the user is forced to stare at a screen – which takes them away from the world. When augmented reality often times allows users to incorporate their world with the technology.

Augmented reality has been obviously up and coming. A big source and competition is Microsoft and their hololens.