Heathrow is launching augmented reality services across its airport working with Ads Reality to help create a more engaging customer experience.
Ads Reality specialises in adapting AR platforms to increase user engagement. Leveraging new technology, Heathrow airport is working with the company to provide a series of scanning markers at each terminal which will present augmented graphics on smartphone devices.
Heathrow, which accommodates 75 million passengers as the UK’s major airport, will hope to improve the experiences of travelers, especially those accompanying younger children.
The new Reality Ads service will include the creation of ‘The around the world with MR. Adventure app’, which will include augmented ‘MR Men and Little Miss characters’ being brought exclusively to the airport.
Features will include augmented characters being projected on smartphones once the app is accessed through scanning Quick Response codes, and children can pose and take pictures with the characters located at the specific terminal spot.
Making use of new technology, the app will also provide a series of activities that aim to keep children engaged as they interact with different features, including games they can play.
Part of the app’s interactive experience will include five digital badges being hidden around the terminals for children to find as part of a series of interactive tasks. A smartphone will be able to detect when a consumer has found one of them by scanning the markers.
Once detected, an animated 3D video will follow with aims to entertain, providing a series of augmented projections and further sequences to increase engagement with children.
The move comes as a means to enhance user experiences for customers, whilst taking advantage of new technologies.
“This is a fun and interactive experience that we’re rolling out with Heathrow and a chance for the airport to drive engagement and fun for passengers,” said Richard Corps, MD & co-founder of Ads Reality.
“We’re delighted that Heathrow sees the benefits of augmented reality to the customers they serve, and it’s a great example of a large company looking at innovative technology to drive an exciting customer experience.”
As well as enhancing the experiences and interactions people have within the airport, Reality Ads will be able to provide Heathrow with data following the engagement of the AR technology being used. This includes keeping track of the number of markers that were activated in the terminals by users, and which ones had experienced the most scans.
Another part of the new AR infrastructure being implemented, Reality Ads is able to identify how users have shared their experiences across social media outlets. This in turn will provide information on how useful the app is in increasing engagement.
Iona Harper, Senior Experience Manager at Heathrow, said: “As summer sees a greater number of families visit Heathrow, we want to ensure they receive the best possible start to their holiday adventures.
The Mr. Adventure app is a great, fun experience for Heathrow’s tiniest travellers, encouraging discovery for the next generation of explorers.”
