Interactive Rooms
by dirkSome time ago, I was impressed by the Roomware project, an open-source initiative by a company called Alchemyst in Amsterdam.
The idea is to augment the reality of a room with virtual and digital stuff: Display the avatars of all people in the room, interact with the music being played by adding your wish or get information about the objects in the room by scanning your RFID-enabled phone along the objects.
The roomware server makes it easy to integrate the existing technologies and creating all kinds of interactions.
Whilst most examples given on the site are in the sphere of entertainment or gaming in high-tech discos or bars, think about the potential for other locations:
- As you enter your favorite clothing shop, you are directly recognized. Your favorite song starts playing. On the big screen your 3d avatar is shown wearing the newest collection items. A virtual shop assistant walks up to your avatar and offers you a 30% rebate on the garnments your avatar is wearing.
- As you walk out of the shop, instead of scanning for stolen stuff, the gates scan for what you bought. A little later you receive an SMS showing you the latest update in your account. Have you earned enough credits for the free VIP treatment during the next Amsterdam fashion week?
- Reward returning customers by offering them free downloads. You can do that in a shop, in a restaurant, in a bar, even at the office for your employees.
- Once you’ve established a relationship with your customer, don’t hesitate to contact him on his mobile phone when he’s close by (location based). Nobody will complain about privacy if the rewards are great.
The possibilities are endless! This is definitely the next step in interior design. Don’t think of a static display, make your space interactive.
Tags: interactive, Mobile, RFID, roomware