AR Souvenir

The Service

As a part of the second Grad Studio project, I and my teammate Rutuja created a collaborative AR souvenir service for the BTS (One of the most popular kpop music bands) concert. More than 14 million kpop fans who use Weverse (an app that specializes in hosting multimedia content and artist-to-fan communications for musicians) to book BTS concert tickets could now have the privilege of owning a virtual Army Bomb on the platform. The idea was to convert the physical ticket into a base structure which could then be scanned and transformed to be the stand for the virtual Army Bomb. 

The Essence of Souvenir Tickets

Many of us have a habit of collecting tickets as a souvenir to remember the unique event experience. Some people even buy personalised tickets post the event just for the sake of memory. So, we decided to make this memory engaging especially for the BTS fans who yearn to own an Army Bomb; the physical form of which is fairly expensive. Army bomb is a light stick that symbolizes fans’ unity and support.

Augmented Reality

The emotion of owning something in the physical world vs owning it in the metaverse is a debatable topic hence, we created a blend-in. Augmented reality was our rescue. I experimented with several softwares for AR and 3D modelings like Unity, Adobe Aero, Fusion, and Blender. We finally achieved our aim with the help of Adobe Aero and Blender. Here is a link to view some behind the scene explorations with AR and origami.

How does the service work?

The general process of purchasing the tickets from Weverse which are then couriered to the users’ addresses remains the same. Post the concert one may scan the QR code on the ticket to view the steps of transforming the ticket into a base structure with the help of reference lines given on the ticket. The user may then click on “Go to Scan” and scan the logo to finally spot their own Army Bomb in their own space. Here is the link to view the video for a better understanding of the process.

Future Scope

The AR souvenir service can be extended to more than 70 kpop bands which have their own lightsticks. Moreover, additional features could be added to the digital lightstick depending upon the status of the ticket. These additional features could also be sold separately on Weverse shop creating a competitive market among the fanbase. Gradually the entire service could be a part of the metaverse providing each individual with a virtual space to collect their lightsticks.

Reflection

This project was great learning in terms of AR, its scope and limitations along with a broader understanding of service. I went through many hiccups while exploring the AR software trying to bring the idea to life. Adapting an agile approach definitely helped to overcome the shortcomings and achieve the final aim. In terms of service, I expanded my comprehension of child services under a parent service and also a collaboration between different services to accomplish a greater service.

Reference for the CAD model : https://grabcad.com/library/army-bomb-bts-official-lighting-stick-1