Augmented reality experiences no longer need to be taken alone, thanks to the launch of a first-of-its-kind AR mobile experience that transforms locations via an immersive vehicle.
Developers Chrono Craft says its augmented reality is different to other immersive experiences in that passengers on a bus are together, not alone, unlike VR’s isolating headsets or AR’s solitary goggles.
First stop for the multi-sensory journey is Beijing at Yuanmingyuan Park, the Old Summer Palace, visited by 10,000 people every day.
A fleet of 22 augmented reality immersive buses transform the park into a living, shared theatre.
The “time bus” story ties Yuanmingyuan’s real ruins to a dynamic tale, “blending history and fantasy — distinct from detached theme park rides”.
Transparent screens overlay digital scenes onto the live park view. “The integration of the real environment with the story is entirely unique to Chrono Craft,” the company says.
Also enhancing the experience, three 4K TOLED screens per bus render real-time 3D scenes, synced to weather and light via a custom engine.
All this comes together for bus passengers as ghostly Qing palaces rise where ruins now sit, their edges blending into the real horizon.
A 12-speaker array throws sound from all angles—birds in the trees, a distant cannon’s boom. “It feels so real that you flinch,” says Chrono Craft.
“One moment, you’re rolling past a lake; the next, it’s 1850, and a royal barge drifts across the glass. Everything you see looks so realistic and native, that you consider asking the person seated next to you if you all are in a time machine.
“Everyone gasps together, laughs together—no headsets, no isolation.”