The modeling clay may be one of the most low-tech toys ever created, but it now offers some high-tech fun.
A new augmented reality app has been launched to bring Play-Doh works of art to life. The majority of us have played with this modeling compound at some point in our lives. That said, the number of kids who are spending time with this type of toy is starting to shrink.
Kids are more likely to look to tablets and mobile devices for fun than they are to modeling clay.
In response, Hasbro has introduced a new augmented reality app. The purpose is to remind kids of all ages about how fun it is to be creative. The new Touch app is now available for iPhones and iPads. Kids and adults alike can use it to scan their Play-Doh creations. Once, scanned, they are brought into a virtual world where they are animated. This may seem rather gimmicky, but the response from both children and grown-ups has been a very positive one. People just seem to love it.
The augmented reality app is both immersive and entertaining, encouraging people to be creative.
In this way, the sixty-year-old brand is giving itself the opportunity to become more relevant among children who are accustomed to seeing a digital version of their playtime. This mobile app can be used for free with any Play-Doh product the kids already have. That said, there is also an enhanced opportunity to play.
With the Shape to Live Studio set, kids have considerably more features available. The set retails at about $40 and comes with seven cans of Play-Doh, character and action stampers, cutters and a white scanning surface. It provides a notably larger environment as well as a larger number of characters for interaction. Overall, it can make the mobile game more fun.
The augmented reality app launches with a digital world that is essentially empty. That said, once a Play-Doh creation is scanned, it is brought into the application through the device camera. The scanning takes around 10 seconds to complete including the aligning of the image and the image processing. Inadequate lighting slows down the process, which must be completed on a white surface.
Rimmel London’s Get the Look beauty app is bound to be a hit with makeup lovers.
The augmented reality app designed for mobile allows users to “steal” a makeup look from friends and even celebrities in magazines. Dubbed the “Shazam of beauty”, Rimmel’s newly launched 3D augmented reality (AR) application uses technology that enables consumers to digitally try out makeup styles. The AR tech identifies makeup on images and people, letting consumers match this makeup with Rimmel products that can be purchased online or in stores.
Mirror technology allows app users to virtually try on Rimmel makeup before buying.
The new app called Get the Look is based on Rimmel’s Get the Look Technology. It also uses the patent-pending FACE technology created by Holition. The AR tool utilizes advanced real-time tracking to detect makeup on the scanned subject. It can detect everything, including mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner, lipstick, lip liner, foundation, blusher and bronzer. It also identifies skin textures and face shapes. If the app is used to scan makeup from one of the company’s competitors, the technology will automatically pair the consumer with similar Rimmel products.
The face-tracking technology within the app also tracks the movements of users. They can smile, turn and talk and the virtual makeup remains in place just as if they were looking in a real mirror.
The augmented reality app also lets users customize different colors and shades in real-time.
Users can easily capture looks from the street with their smartphones. They can then replicate the look on themselves via the app using Rimmel products. This interactive experience helps consumers to mix and match and find the look that they want.
“Make-up consumption has increased, and one of the main drivers of the market’s growth is that women have access to tutorials,” said Montse Passolas, Vice President of global marketing at Rimmel and Manhatten. “You used to need a make-up artist to know how to do contouring, and now you don’t, you go online, it’s so accessible,” added Passolas.
Rimmel’s augmented reality app provides a similar makeup artist experience. The cosmetic brand’s Get the Look app lets users still try on makeup before buying it online. The app is currently available for both iOS and Android and is free to download.
In this way, the sixty-year-old brand is giving itself the opportunity to become more relevant among children who are accustomed to seeing a digital version of their playtime. This mobile app can be used for free with any Play-Doh product the kids already have. That said, there is also an enhanced opportunity to play.