Telefónica is betting on augmented reality by leveraging Onirix technology
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Telefónica has been making the most of the innovation of augmented reality (AR) for years. To consolidate its commitment to this technology and make it known to others, it has just launched the “Distrito AR” project.
What is Telefónica’s Distrito AR?
Distrito AR is the initiative developed by the Innovation and Talent Hub in Distrito Telefónica in Madrid, to show the past, present and future of augmented reality technology through the values that the company defends implicit in its brand: Talent, Technology, Telecommunications, Transcendence and Transformation.
Distrito AR is free. To enjoy the augmented reality experiences of the project, you can visit Distrito Telefónica in Madrid or, from your mobile device, click on the link for each experience:
All these experiences have been developed by the agency DeuSens using Onirix as the technological tool that has provided the Web AR solution.
Why Web AR?
Augmented reality for browsers is the easiest way for end users to consume AR experiences and the most cost-effective for developers.
Web AR offers:
- Agility
If Telefónica wanted to update the content of any of its AR experiences, it could do so immediately. No need for third-party validations such as Apple Store and Google Play.
- Immediacy
You can directly consume AR experiences without having to download an app to do so.
- Accessibility
Onirix Web AR technology is compatible with 97.43% of browsers. So you can consume Telefónica’s AR experiences with your mobile device.
The future is created in the past
Users are increasingly demanding more digital, accurate, contextualized and real-time information. For this, not only augmented reality technologies like Onirix are needed, but it is also essential that the 5G network continues to advance.
Onirix has been developing its own technology for years, and in January of this year 2024, we just launched the beta version of Spatial AR for browsers.
Spatial AR is a new visual positioning system (VPS) that allows you to scan an environment, place augmented reality content in it with high accuracy, and keep it anchored throughout the user experience.
The following image clearly shows the 3 steps of this technology: 1) scanning the space or space mapping with Onirix Constructor, 2) configuring the scene in Onirix Studio and 3) consuming the augmented reality experience with a mobile device or headset without the need to download an app.
Some benefits of Onirix Spatial AR technology are:
- Immersive and more enriching experiences for users.
- Cost savings in the maintenance of industrial machinery.
- More realistic training that generates a higher degree of learning.
- Improved safety with real-time visual warnings to prevent occupational hazards.
- Cost reduction in design and prototyping.
Now it is fashionable to talk about Spatial Computing thanks to the fact that big brands such as Apple are betting on the XR sector, but this, which until not long ago was the future, has been years in the making.
In the case of Onirix Spatial AR, we first marketed the product in 2020. At that time it was necessary to download an app to consume the augmented reality experiences that were projected on spaces previously scanned by our application.
When we say that the future is created in the past, it is because at Onirix we have been working on the current Spatial AR solution for browsers since 2021. It will be in the middle of 2024 when we will launch the final version of the product.
And when we say that the future is created in the past, we also mean that if today we can enjoy the benefits of augmented reality from a browser, without having to download an app, it is thanks to the fact that for years, large companies in the telecommunications sector have been working every day to make it possible.
Without going any further, Telefónica announced the launch of its 5G network in Spain in 2019, promising a revolution in the speed and capacity of the mobile network very beneficial for the consumption of immersive experiences in augmented reality.
Today, the expansion and consolidation of 5G infrastructure continues and converges with other major milestones that will mark a before and after in the XR sector, such as Meta and Apple’s commitment to augmented reality with the launch of their respective headsets (Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3).
The future is created in the past, but that future has already become the present for many companies and end users.
If you want to benefit from augmented reality, write to us!