There’s AR, there’s VR and now there’s mixed reality. 2016 is shaping up to become one of the most confused, yet most innovative years in tech history. The ZapBox, is closing the year with perhaps the most unique reality projecting device we’ll be seeing in the near future atleast.
The ZapBox is meant to provide HoloLens type functionality at about 100th of the cost. And it does that in a way that matters to the masses. It’s a mix of Google Cardboard clubbed with VR, making users apply both functions in a kit that costs way less than the average game for a console nowadays.
A prototype of the ZapBox MR Kit
The hardware consists of three accessories, basically. And they’re not all that high-tech, actually. There’s a headset for placing the user’s phone and acting as the point of sight for the user. It’s also got a pair of makeshift controllers that look pretty weird but still pretty functional. The third component in the kit is the set of pointcodes that are laid out around the environment and define the perimeter of the Augmented Reality world. Oh, and it’s all made out of cardboard. That’s probably why the pricing comes to the level of dirt cheap.
That’s not the only equipment though. The real brains happen in the software – the app that it comes with through the smartphone. There’s also a lens adapter to overlay over the phone camera lens to act as a medium to spot the markers and to create the virtual reality within the app. It’s all a bunch of overlays and markings that make for such powerful application of the app.
Essentially, the user will be able to generate their 3D virtual images onto the markers in real time through the interface and view it, as well as interact with it through the accessories provided. It’s as simple as that. The ZapBox also comes with its own Studio software – ZapWorks, for creating interactive 3D content, using the power of Javascript. The Studio software however, will cost about $45 a month. But it’s a complete software package that has been built over a period of five years.
ZapBox was brought to this world thanks to Zappar – an AR and VR startup. It’s available for just $30 on Kickstarter with ZapWorks Studio included. The prospect of such a device brings to fruition the potential of its application in education and sciences at the most affordable cost. No need for any fancy Holo Lens or some sensors. It’s all in the cardboard. It doesn’t even require much set up. It’s a tool that’s ready to go, whenever, wherever.
We can’t wait to see this come out.
