Stimulate your imagination! The potential of "Audio AR"
When you hear "AR" (Augmented Reality), you probably think of "visuals," but Audio AR systems add information to the real world using "sound."
Using smartphone apps compatible with this system, various audio information can be delivered to users. It was jointly developed by Dentsu Live Inc. and the creative company VASQUEL, known for interactive content, and announced this past January.
This system was first introduced at the "FINAL FANTASY 30th ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION: The Story of Farewell" (hereafter "The Story of Farewell Exhibition"), where Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Live Inc. also served as executive committee members.
Related article: "FINAL FANTASY" 30th Anniversary "The Story of Farewell Exhibition" held at Roppongi Hills
https://dentsu-ho.com/articles/5777
Visitors to the "Tales of Farewell" exhibition were provided with smartphones equipped with an app incorporating the audio AR system and headphones. The various audio effects synchronized with the exhibits and visitor attributes generated significant buzz.
Let's explore what this audio AR system can actually do!
Audio guidance could evolve further
Why do exhibition audio guides still rely on systems that require visitors to manually press buttons?
As someone who frequently visits museums, this has always puzzled me. Technologically speaking, we're in an era where audio guides that automatically play explanations when you stand in front of an exhibit should be the norm.
However, as I became involved in art exhibition work myself, I began to see the reasons why audio guides haven't evolved. For example, issues with the museum's readiness to implement them and the digital literacy of visitors.
The barriers are high. But could that actually be an opportunity?
Couldn't we create a new guidance experience that museums would actively want to adopt? Couldn't we develop guidance that requires no visitor interaction and doesn't disrupt the normal flow of the viewing experience? Driven by this desire to develop, we created the Audio AR System.
Museums, tourist spots, shops... Where the Audio AR System can be used
This system aimed to:
- Simply delivering audio or music tailored to the user's location and attributes
That's all. Yet, the applicable scenarios and uses are diverse. Here, we introduce five scenarios for implementing the Audio AR System.
① Art Museums
Beacons installed throughout the museum accurately track visitors' locations, automatically playing audio through headphones. Simply moving in front of a piece allows visitors to hear related commentary or BGM, creating a magical exhibition experience.
② Tourist Destinations
Services can be provided that deliver different audio content to each tourist based on their pre-visit questionnaire responses, activity history, and the analysis learned from this data. This can be used for town revitalization initiatives that create motivation to visit, or for inbound tourism measures with multilingual support. For example, it could play an explanation in Chinese saying "The Five-storied Pagoda is..." only to Chinese tourists visiting the pagoda for the first time.
③ Outdoor Events
For users running a smartphone app integrated with the audio AR system, simultaneous broadcasts can be sent to everyone at the same time, or individual broadcasts can be sent to specific groups segmented by location or attributes. Since audio AR allows hands-free use, there's no worry about "walking while using a smartphone," enabling unique treasure hunts or orienteering events in urban settings.
④No-Sound Zones
Triggered by video or light motions, it can automatically play voices or music. It can play audio synchronized with outdoor advertisements or music matching illumination lighting effects directly to individual headphones. This makes it highly effective for performances in public roads, commercial facilities, and other areas where sound output is normally prohibited.
⑤ Permanent Storefronts
This system does more than just broadcast audio information; it records participants' movement paths and dwell times along with their attributes. Installed permanently in a store, it can help analyze customer interests, analyze traffic flow patterns, and inform layout planning.
Did you grasp the system's features and usage scenarios? These five scenarios were mostly identified after we introduced it for the "Story of Farewell" exhibition at an art museum. Through actual customer use, the concept solidified: "This kind of application is possible too."
Rediscovering the Unique Effects of Sound
The implementation at the "Tales of Farewell" exhibition also served as an opportunity to reaffirm two unique characteristics of sound.
Feature 1: Sound enhances the "real thing" right before your eyes
Traditional AR, heavily reliant on visual information, displayed supplementary information or effects on smartphone screens over the actual exhibits or scenery. However, experiencing things through a screen defeats the purpose of having the "real thing" right in front of you.
Audio-only information and effects allow for a deeper experience without distracting the viewer's attention from the exhibit or scenery itself.
Feature 2: Sound as a Trigger for Beautiful Memories
Visual information is said to account for about 80% of the information humans receive. When visual information is insufficient, people use their imagination to fill in the gaps. Sound possesses this power to evoke imagination.
The "Tale of Farewell" exhibition recreated the fantastical space where the protagonist and heroine's voices echo from "Final Fantasy X," and the place imbued with the heroine's voice from "Final Fantasy VII." Some visitors recalled the era when they played the game through the characters' lines and shed tears. Sound revives beautiful memories without tarnishing them.
The audio AR system is brand new. We'll keep developing it further. There should be plenty more application scenarios and uses.
Taking cues from the unique characteristics of sound, we hope to explore with everyone an augmented reality that can only be expressed through sound.
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Author
Kenji Ozaki
Dentsu Inc.
After joining Dentsu Inc., I focused on experience-driven communication, business development, and space creation. I specialize in planning grounded in a continuous perspective and operational thinking. I've received awards including the Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, and the Good Design Award. I'm a dad who spends every day trying to get my three-and-a-half-year-old daughter to notice me, even though she's already looking the other way.
