Total Immersion’s Augmented Reality Gets Hearts Beating at Exploreum’s New Exhibit, 'My Bodyworks'
LOS ANGELES-(Business Wire)-February 5, 2009 - "Be still, my beating heart" is a tall order when you’re holding it in your hand and watching it pump.
Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com), the global leader in augmented reality, announced today that its technology lies at the very heart of a vivid new exhibit demonstrating the inner workings of the body’s most important organ. Part of the “My BodyWorks” permanent exhibit that opened January 19 at the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile, Alabama, this augmented reality experience, created by the partnership of Exhibit Engineering and Total Immersion, puts 3D images of a beating human heart into the welcoming hands of visitors.
The demonstration adds a pulse to a larger-than-life heart, courtesy of augmented reality, a technology that integrates interactive 3D graphics into a live video stream—and, at the Exploreum, provides stunning 360-degree views.
When visitors present cards with any of five designated images before a video camera, a nearby display captures a 3D image of a beating heart emerging from the card, pumping away. Pointers pop up with descriptive text for the portion of the heart in view. Each card triggers a different view, and the visitor controls the action by moving the card to rotate the heart in a 360-degree arc. For an added touch of realism, one card illustrates blood flow through the heart’s chambers, speeding up and slowing down—just like in real life.
"In a new gallery filled with cutting-edge exhibits designed to engage and educate visitors about the miracle of the human body, Total Immersion’s augmented reality solution delivers an experience that can’t help but grab your attention," said Matt Browning, Director of Software Development for Exhibit Engineering, which developed and built more than 20 unique interactive exhibits for the "My BodyWorks" gallery at the Exploreum. "We’ve become a certified Total Immersion partner because their AR technology brings educational and marketing materials to life in a very compelling, memorable way. Our goal is to spark the imagination with imagery and impact, and Total Immersion has helped us achieve just that."
"We are especially proud of this project because it demonstrates the range of augmented reality applications, spanning the gamut from entertainment to academic," said Bruno Uzzan, CEO, Total Immersion. "Whether guiding a surgeon with instructional graphics during an actual procedure or illuminating things we can’t otherwise see, augmented reality is an experiential tool unlike any other. Its ability to combine the real and the virtual provides a new and unique window into the areas of learning, practice and discovery."
The Exploreum demonstration marks the second museum exhibition in America for Total Immersion, a French company with a U.S. base of operations in Los Angeles. In August, the company unveiled an augmented reality three-dimensional puzzle for the Arizona Science Center’s "My Digital World" gallery.
The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center’s new permanent exhibit gallery, "My BodyWorks," incorporates the latest computing and digital-imaging technologies to educate students in a wide range of health and biology topics. The new 6,500-foot gallery includes a fully functioning health and biology lab where visitors can perform experiments and learn more about the science of life.
About Total Immersion
Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com) is the global leader in augmented reality. Through its patented D’Fusion® technology, Total Immersion blurs the line between the virtual world and the real world by integrating real time interactive 3D graphics into a live video stream. Founded in 1999 by Bruno Uzzan and Valentin Lefevre, Total Immersion is based in France and maintains a U.S. presence in Los Angeles. Its solutions are also available through a network of resellers worldwide.
About Exhibit Engineering
Exhibit Engineering (www.exhibitengineering.com) designs, engineers and produces innovative interactive exhibit experiences for clients around the globe. We specialize in museums, science centers, corporate visitor centers and trade shows. EE's world-class capabilities deliver stimulating state-of-the-art interactive products that attract, engage and inform all audiences. Our decades of knowledge and experience insure that our products are tested, reliable and delivered on time and on budget. Exhibit Engineering partners with Perfect Prototype (www.perfectprototype.com) for software development and creation of all augmented reality programs.
About Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center
The Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center (www.exploreum.com) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the quality of life for the people of the Gulf Coast. With more than 100 interactive exhibits, thought-provoking larger-than-life IMAX films, and fun, hands-on educational programming, the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center aspires to increase science literacy among the people of south Alabama and the Gulf Coast region, residents and visitors alike.
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