WebAR – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 26, 2022

Niantic is Bringing Its Large-scale AR Positioning System to WebAR Too

This week Niantic announced Lightship VPS, a system designed to make possible accurate localization of AR devices at a large scale to enable location-based AR content that can also be persistent and multi-user. While the first implementation of the system will need to be baked into individual apps, the company says it’s bringing the tech to WebAR too.

With the launch of Lightship VPS (visual positioning system), Niantic is staking its claim in the AR space by offering up an underlying map on which developers can build AR apps which are tied to real-world locations. Being able to localize AR apps to real-world locations means those apps can have persistent virtual content that always appears in the same location in the world, even for different users at the same time.

The system is built into Niantic’s Lightship ARDK, which is a set of tools (including VPS) that developers can use to build AR apps. For the time being, VPS can be added to apps that users will download onto their phone, but Niantic says it also plans to make a version of VPS that will work from a smartphone’s web browser. While it’s not ready just yet, the company showed some live demos of the browser-based VPS in action this week.

WebAR is a foundation of technologies that allow AR experiences to run directly from a smartphone’s web browser. Building AR into the web means developers can deploy AR experiences to users that are easy to share and don’t have the friction of going to an app store to download a dedicated app (you can check out an example of a WebAR experience here).

Thanks to Niantic’s recent acquisition of WebAR specialist 8th Wall, the company is now poised to make VPS compatible with 8th Wall’s WebAR tools, bringing the same large-scale AR positioning capabilities to web developers. Though it showed off the first demos this week, the company hasn’t said when the WebAR version of VPS will become available.

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March 11, 2022

‘Pokémon GO’ Developer Niantic Acquires WebAR Company 8th Wall

Niantic, the company behind Pokémon GO, the Lightship AR SDK, and more, announced this week that it has acquired 8th Wall, creators of AR development tools designed to run through web browsers with wide reach across devices.

In what the company calls its “largest acquisition to date,” Niantic this week announced that is has acquired 8th Wall, a company known for its toolset that allows developers to build web-based AR content. Neither company disclosed the price of the acquisition, though 8th Wall had previously raised $10.4 million in funding since its founding in 2016, according to Crunchbase.

Though best known for its games like Pokémon GO, Niantic is moving to position itself as a platform for AR development. The company recently launched its Lightship SDK—a suite of AR development tools to give third-parties the ability to create world-scale AR content—along with a $20 million development fund to kickstart the platform.

While Niantic’s Lightship SDK is designed to integrate with the popular game engine Unity—and ultimately produce standalone app-based experiences—the company’s acquisition of 8th Wall expands its toolset to cover web-based AR content as well. Strategically that moves Niantic closer to being a one-stop shop for developers building AR content across a broad range of devices.

8th Wall says its web-based AR tech supports “5 billion smartphones across iOS and Android as well as computers and [XR] headsets.” You can check out an example of content created with 8th Wall’s tools by visiting 8th.io/niantic from any browser. From our understanding, 8th Wall’s tools are not based on the WebXR standard.

Niantic hasn’t signaled any immediate plans to merge its own Lightship SDK with the 8th Wall toolset, saying that developers can “build sophisticated AR experiences with Lightship & Unity and build lighter-weight AR experiences with 8th Wall.”

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May 11, 2021

Rovio and Burger King Deliver an Angry Birds WebAR Experience

Rovio Entertainment has managed to bring its Angry Birds franchise to most mediums, with a couple of virtual reality (VR) videogames as well as augmented reality (AR) titles under its belt. In its latest venture into immersive gaming, the company has teamed up with Burger King and AR specialist Zappar to offer an Angry Birds WebAR experience through promotional packaging.

Utilising Zappar’s WebAR tech, Burger King diners can access the Angry Birds experience by scanning QR codes on various items and meals. These range from King JR kids meals and other box packaging to plush toy tags and even signage at select Burger King locations.

Once the Angry Birds WebAR title starts players will see three eggs appear. Waves of Hatchlings will then try and steal them with players having to defend the eggs by tapping on the Hatchlings. While this will shoo them away, players can also deploy catapults that fire slime to hamper the Hatchlings efforts. After a while player will be rewarded with a unique power-up where the camera swaps to a selfie viewpoint. This allows players to blow away all the Hatchlings, safely returning all the eggs to the nest.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Zappar and Burger King to create this unique AR experience for Angry Birds fans,” said Katri Chacona, Director, Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment. “The accessibility of WebAR and wide availability across thousands of Burger King restaurants make this an incredible opportunity to connect with consumers in new ways.”

Zappar’s ZapWorks platform has powered numerous app-based AR campaigns for several years with its WebAR technology one of the most recent features. It means that brands don’t need an app for a particular marketing campaign as it can all be run on the web. Expect to see this type of promotion become far more commonplace as brands connect with customers, especially as 5G-enabled devices allow for faster streaming.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of WebAR, reporting back with further updates.

February 18, 2020

Google Brings Web-based AR to Chrome in Latest Beta

Last week Google released a beta of Chrome 81 for Android, Chrome OS, Linux, macOS, and Windows, which means a stable version is just around the corner. One of the most important updates to arrive in Chrome 81 is the ability to use web-based AR apps.

Google first included WebVR, the VR-focused predecessor to the WebXR API, in Chrome 66 back in April 2018. Debuted in Chrome 79 at the end of 2019, WebXR Device API came to devices without AR support.

Now, the stable version of Chrome 81 is expected to release sometime next month, which will carry with it the ability to display web-based AR content.

According to Google’s Chromium blog, the upcoming stable version of Chrome will also include support for the WebXR Hit Test API, an API for placing digital objects in a physical world view. Google says the new API captures both the location of a ‘hit test’, or where the user taps on the screen, and the orientation of the point that was detected.

Appealing to developers, Google says that if you’ve already used the new API to create virtual reality apps, there’s very little new to learn to use AR.

“This is because the spec was designed with the spectrum of immersive experiences in mind. Regardless of the degree of augmentation or virtualization, the application flow is the same. The differences are merely a matter of setting and requesting different properties during object creation, ” the company says.

Chrome 81 is also slated to include web-based NFC (Near Field Communications), which allows a web app to read and write to NFC tags.

If you want to try out the beta, simply download the Chrome Beta app on your preferred device. When you do, make sure to play around with a few examples first..

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October 29, 2019

8th Wall Launches Cloud-based WebAR Development Tools & Hosting Platform

8th Wall, a Palo Alto-based company creating augmented reality development tools, today announced the release of its cloud-based authoring and hosting platform which aims to make it easier for AR developers by providing what it calls a “unified in-browser solution” to create and host WebAR experiences.

Founded in 2016 by ex-Google and Facebook engineers, 8th Wall puts a heavy emphasis on computer vision, machine learning and product development. Throughout its three years of existence, 8th Wall has racked up a pretty impressive résumé, powering WebAR activations for Sony’s Spider-Man, Miller Lite, British Gas, Heineken, Swiss Airlines, Porsche, Red Bull, Time Magazine, LEGO, and Ally + MONOPOLY to name a few.

Now the company is opening its own cloud-based authoring and hosting platform to both new and existing clients, providing a solution to create, collaborate and publish browser-based WebAR experiences. The company also provides templates as well as the ability to work across teams, something that’s fundamental to building an experience when team members are distributed across multiple time zones.

Check out the company’s sizzle reel below to get a better idea of what you can make with the company’s authoring/hosting platform:

Like all WebAR applications, AR experiences powered by the company’s software require no app downloads, essentially removing a big friction point between the app’s creator and its consumer. Accessing WebAR experiences on a compatible mobile device is oftentimes as simple as scanning a QR code or navigating to a URL in your browser, giving you instant access to a miniature AR experience right on your phone.

Early access partner 72andSunny used 8th Wall’s new tools to publish their current WebAR activation for Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi’s “Bra Twist” campaign, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker.

“8th Wall’s authoring and hosting platform is a game-changer for creating in-browser augmented reality and a significant milestone for the immersive web,” said Erik Murphy-Chutorian, CEO and Founder of 8th Wall. “Our SLAM and marker-based AR engine has powered WebAR for partners and developers since its launch last year, but required the use of third party software and the need for a hosted environment to get out to market. This release delivers on the demand from our customers in wanting a single end-to-end solution to create and host WebAR projects.”

The 8th Wall cloud-based authoring and hosting platform is available today for Agency and Business account holders, providing them with the ability to:

Create SLAM and image target-enabled WebAR experiences using 8th Wall’s fully featured text editor with out-of-the-box support for the most popular web frameworks (React, Vue.js, A-Frame, Babylon.js and Three.js), developer keybindings and dark mode.
Collaborate with multiple team members on one project from anywhere in the world and quickly view and resolve conflicts with an in-browser distributed version control system.
Publish and host WebAR projects to different deployment states including a password-protected staging environment, all served globally on the edge for instantaneous and fast viewing of code updates.

You can see a full list of the company’s pricing for Agency and Business accounts here.

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October 29, 2019

VR Web Browser ‘Supermedium’ No Longer in Active Development

Supermedium, the team behind the native virtual reality browser that lets you interact with web-based VR content, says its namesake project is no longer in active development, and that it’s effectively been put “on ice” in search of something that consumers might use in VR on a daily basis.

According to an interview with German VR publication MIXED (German), the company says it’s “not actively working on Supermedium itself right now and exploring other projects.”

“We’ll try to continue to take our approach and design in directions into projects that we think people will want to use more,” a company spokesperson told MIXED.

When asked whether the free VR web browser would receive any more updates, Supermedium’s creators say it probably won’t “in the incarnation of WebVR browser.”

“It’s on ice as it sorta works and is still up, but I think we’ll be trying to solve how to make something that people would want to use VR everyday for and solve a problem,” the spokesperson concluded.

The company, also known as Super XYZ, is the very same behind VR web framework ‘A-Frame’ and was also a part of the original Mozilla team behind the WebVR initiative.

In July 2018, the company raised a seed investment round of $1.1 million, with funding coming from Y Combinator, General Catalyst, Boost VC, Anorak Ventures, Candela Partners, Social Starts, M Ventures, Seraph Group, Taimatsu, Outpost VC, Colopl Next, Shrug VC, Andrew Ogawa, and Cantos VC.

Supermedium is available on a range of PC VR headsets, including Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, and Windows VR headsets. You’ll find it on Steam and the Oculus Store.

A special thanks goes out to MIXED for providing Road to VR with direct quotes in English.

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February 24, 2019

Mozilla Announces ‘Firefox Reality’ AR Web Browser for Hololens 2

Today at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain Mozilla announced a collaboration with Microsoft to bring the Firefox Reality web browser to the recently revealed Microsoft HoloLens 2.

While Mozilla hasn’t mentioned a release date yet, the company says they’re currently working with community developers of the programming language Rust to bring “the language and runtime that enable us to deliver a more secure experience to the HoloLens platforms.”

Mozilla says they’ll build on previous efforts—namely their work on the developer build Firefox browser for Magic Leap One—and then bring their web platform Mozilla Servo to HoloLens 2 when it is available this summer.

Much like Apple’s WebKit for Safari, Servo is an open source browser engine that will form the foundation of the company’s next generation WebXR Firefox Reality web browser.

First announced back in April 2018, Mozilla developed Firefox Reality to be a cross-platform, open sourced web browser not only capable of delivering VR/AR headset-users standard web pages, but also immersive games, videos, environments, and experiences from around the web.

At the time of this writing, Firefox for Magic Leap One currently only offers support for standard 2D web pages, so there’s undoubtedly still work to be done before a firm release date can be set for ‘the full Firefox XR experience’ on HoloLens 2, which would necessarily include the burgeoning 3D web as well.

“Building on Microsoft’s years of experience with the current HoloLens among enterprises and consumers, we will work together to learn from developers and users about bringing AR content to the web,” says Lars Bergstrom, director of engineering at Mozilla’s mixed reality program.

Mozilla says they’re continuing their focus with Firefox Reality to deliver a “safe, private experience with open, accessible technology.”

The company will be detailing new builds of Firefox Reality for HoloLens 2 via their blog. Interested developers can also get involved in Mozilla projects by taking part in the company’s Servo Starters program.

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April 4, 2018

Firefox Reality: Neuer AR- und VR-Webbrowser von Mozilla angekündigt

Mozilla arbeitet an einem neuen plattformübergreifenden Webbrowser für die nächste Generation von AR- und VR-Brillen entwickelt mit dem Namen Firefox Reality. Der Open Source Browser soll mit möglichst vielen gängigen VR-Brillen inklusive Standalone-Brillen kompatibel sein. Der Sourcecode für die derzeitige Entwicklerversion steht bereits jetzt für Gear VR und Daydream zur Verfügung.

Firefox Reality: AR- und VR-Webbrowser von Mozilla

Mit Firefox Reality möchte Mozilla einen schnellen sowie sicheren Webbrowser zur Verfügung stellen, der plattformübergreifend mit einer Vielzahl an AR- und VR-Brillen kompatibel ist und sowohl 2D- wie auch 3D-Inhalte darstellen kann. Dafür verwenden die Entwickler die neue Servo-Engine, die ebenfalls im verbreiteten Firefox-Browser für PC zum Einsatz kommt. Ein bereits veröffentlichtes Vorführvideo gibt Einblicke in die Nutzung des neuen Browsers mit einer HTC Vive Focus.

Der neue XR-Webbrowser ist für die kommende Generation von AR- und VR-Brillen gedacht und soll ebenso wie die Desktop-Version von Firefox den Fokus auf Privatsphäre und Datenschutz setzen. Zudem ist das Ziel der Entwickler, eine unabhängige Plattform zum virtuellen Surfen im Internet bereitzustellen und damit AR- und VR-Projekten wie WebVR und WebAR mehr Entfaltungspotenzial zu bieten. So werden entsprechende Inhalte nicht mehr zwangsweise mit geschlossenen App-Stores verbunden, sondern sind auch per Web-URL erfahrbar.

Im offiziellen Blogpost heißt es dazu: „Die Zukunft der Mixed Reality liegt nicht in der Entwicklung von geschlossenen Apps, sondern in der Darbietung von Erfahrungen. Dabei sollten keine Hindernisse oder Grenzen im Übergang entstehen. Firefox war der erste Browser, der WebVR implementierte – eine offene Möglichkeit zum Teilen und Erleben von VR-Inhalten über die Web-URL. Dies diente als Grundstein zur Erschaffung und Darbietung von immersiven Erfahrungen, die so einfach erlebbar sind wie das Öffnen einer Internetseite.“

Die Entwickler stellen den Sourcecode des neuen Internet Browsers jetzt auf GitHub zur Verfügung. Derzeit können Anwender diesen im Entwicklermodus mit einer Google Daydream sowie einer Gear VR ausprobieren.

Auf dem offiziellen Blog sowie dem Twitter-Account von Mozilla sollen zukünftig Updates über die Entwicklungsarbeit von Firefox Reality erscheinen.

(Quellen: Mozilla Blog | Road to VR | Video: Mozilla Hacks Youtube)

Der Beitrag Firefox Reality: Neuer AR- und VR-Webbrowser von Mozilla angekündigt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

April 3, 2018

Mozilla Announces Open Source AR/VR Web Browser ‘Firefox Reality’

Mozilla, the non-profit company behind Firefox web browser, today announced a new cross-platform, open sourced web browser called Firefox Reality, something Mozilla says was built from the ground-up for standalone VR and AR headsets.

Firefox Reality, Mozilla says in a blog post, has a specific focus on serving up the web to “a wide variety of devices and platforms” including standalone headsets such as HTC Vive Focus.

Check out an early preview of Firefox Reality running on HTC Vive Focus below:

Most every headset has, or will have, a web browser of its own, although Mozilla is planting a flag in the ground with their upcoming Firefox Reality much the same way they did with the standard version Firefox by providing a solution that’s not only hardware agnostic, but also acts as ground zero for integrating larger AR/VR projects such as WebVR and WebAR.

The idea behind WebAR/VR is to create a whole new way of delivering and interacting with virtual experiences, which would necessarily be web-based and not hosted on dedicated content stores. For now, these have been smaller, lightweight experiences for quick consumption, but Mozilla sees the utility of these web-based experiences growing in potential.

“Mixed reality is the wild west,” writes Mozilla Chief R&D Officer Sean White. “How do you type? How do you express emotion? How do you view the billions of existing 2D web pages as well as new 3D content? How do you communicate? Who maps the world and who controls what you see? Can we build on our work with voice recognition and connected devices to create a better browsing experience? We love tackling these questions. Everything is new again, and we are constantly building and experimenting to find the right answers.”

It’s still early days for Firefox Reality, and while the company hasn’t announced a list of supported headsets, the open source nature of the project makes it hypothetically easy for manufacturers to add the browser to their platform. The company says they’ll be providing updates on when Firefox Reality will be available on headsets via their Twitter soon.

The post Mozilla Announces Open Source AR/VR Web Browser ‘Firefox Reality’ appeared first on Road to VR.

December 9, 2017

Mozilla Launches iOS App to Experiment With WebAR

The Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit organization behind Mozilla Firefox web browser, just made their experimental WebXR Viewer app available for download on iOS devices, letting developers quickly experiment with web-based AR built with web technologies and ARKit.

According to a blogpost announcing the app, the WebXR Viewer lets you view web pages created using Mozilla’s own JavaScript library that features sample code for a proposed API for building AR and VR applications in web browsers. Mozilla maintains that developers using the app will be able to more easily test, demonstrate and share their web-based AR experiments.

Blair MacIntyre, principle research scientist on Mozilla’s mixed reality team, says that code written with their JavaScript library can run both the iOS WebXR Viewer, as well as Google’s experimental WebARonARCore APK on Android. The team is also working to bring support to other AR and VR browsers too, including WebVR on desktop.

What about all this XR business?

MacIntyre says the various companies developing the WebVR API, including Google and Mozilla, recently decided to scrap the WebVR naming scheme in favor of ‘WebXR Device API’. MacIntyre says the name change was done to “reflect [a] broad agreement that AR and VR devices should be exposed through a common API.”

The term ‘XR’ has been defined a few ways by different companies looking to own the term, but whatever it means (eXtended reality, cross-reality, ‘x’ as a variable, etc), it essentially functions as a catch-all term for AR, VR, and MR.

You can download the WebXR Viewer for iOS on iTunes here. Just like ARKit, only devices capable of running iOS 11 or later need apply.

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