Page 82 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

82reliable in spaces where internet availabilityis not assured. This is where beacons provide a good alternative. As they are installed in strategic locations inside a theatre or cinema, users can be easily guided towards their seats.3. To boost ticket salesAccording to a recent study, shoppers in malls are ve times more likely to go and watcha lm than the average person. In addition, when someone sees the trailer for a lmthey are three times more likely to go and watch the movie. Bearing in mind this data, NBC Universal used beacons and Wi-Fi to target shoppers in shopping centres with a campaign for attracting their attention and sending them o ers for forthcoming releases. The campaign enabled shoppers to receive exclusive digital content on the lm, trailers before they were released for general viewing, and calendars with exclusive bookings and premium seats.But what technologies are going to make it possible for the Internet of Things to create unique spaces and experiences? Let us now examine some of them.We will soon be able to walk along the Great Wall of China from our sitting rooms, but not only watching a downloaded video using our glasses.The Internet of RealityMuch has been said about augmented reality (AR), which incorporates fragments of virtual information into our eld of vision. And many possibilities are o ered by virtual reality (VR), which can transport us to other worlds designed by computers or recorded with 360-degree cameras. Now, thanks to our connected devices, we can add to the sensations they allow us to experience. For example, we have VR suits withpressure sensors (Teslasuit: teslasuit.io) and gloves that enable us to touch virtual objects (Manus: manus-vr.com), and electronic tongues and noses are even being developed to allow us to savour our favourite dishes in the virtual world.All this sounds a lot like teleportation, not in the sense of transferring matter immediately from one point to another but on a mental plane. Companies like Facebook, Google and Samsung are investing in it. We will soon be able to walk along the Great Wall of China from our sitting rooms, but not only watching a downloaded video using our glasses. If we install in the wall several high-quality 360-degree cameras located at di erent points, they can broadcast live, and with our VR glasses we can see the people strolling along beside at this moment. If this is still not enough, suits, gloves and sensory devices can allow us to touch the wall and even sense the aroma of wet stone if it is raining.What is more, we are already witnessing the incorporation of another kind of reality with the advent of new glasses and technologies like Microsoft’s Hololens, Meta Soft and the Magic Leap project in which Google has invested 542 million dollars. The latter will start out as a headset but, according to leaked information,it will end up incorporating strategically placed devices that directly project virtual objects onto our retina with no need for smart glasses as intermediaries.THE INTERNET OF THINGS: THE DEFINITIVE REVOLUTION... · PEDRO DIEZMASmart culture. Analysis of digital trends