Augmented Reality Billboard at Canberra Airport Invites Visitors to Pat Cheetah, Spot Whales

 

Australia-Visitors to Canberra Airport will now be greeted by a new state-of-the-art advertisement that watches them while they are watching it.

The augmented reality screen is in part funded by the Federal Government.

It currently invites people to pretend to pat a cheetah at the National Zoo & Aquarium, search for bettongs at Mulligans Flat Woodlands Sanctuary just outside Canberra, or spot a virtual whale on the Sapphire Coast off New South Wales.

At the same time, sophisticated cameras provide detailed analytics to advertisers about those who interact with the screen, down to the detail of whether they are smiling or not.

The project was partly funded by the Federal Government’s Tourism Demand Driver Infrastructure Fund, which contributed $248,000 to the project.

The government funds were met dollar-for-dollar by Canberra Airport.

More immersive than static billboard.

Amber Standley, who runs APositive, the Canberra technology company behind the installation, said each advertisement took her designers up to 12 weeks to create.
  Photo: Visitors can use a spotlight to find virtual bettongs. (ABC News: Ewan Gilbert)

“When it’s put up on a big screen it’s fully interactive, you can walk up and participate,” Ms Standley said.

“It’s far more immersive then say a static advertisement or billboard.

“The more interactive, the more fun, the more lasting the impression it leaves on the users.”

Stephen Byron from Canberra Airport said the billboard would provide tourism operators with a unique way to advertise.

“I think this will be a battle between the children and the adults to get hold of and get in the front of what is an exciting engagement,” he said.