World Collider is an urban research project that uses augmented reality as a medium to collide different worlds. By fusing the different worlds of East and West, fiction and real, the urban and the suburban, and the modern and the contemporary, the project aims to offer a new perspective on the way we view cities.

World Collider is an urban research project that uses augmented reality as a medium to collide different worlds. By fusing the different worlds of East and West, fiction and real, the urban and the suburban, and the modern and the contemporary, the project aims to offer a new perspective on the way we view cities. Our initial exploration focuses on the collision and fusion of East and West. By extracting unique elements of Tokyo as a 3D model and using it in AR, we can overwrite cities around the world with elements of Tokyo. Through creating an alternative "New Tokyo," we hope that it will provide an opportunity to consider the invasiveness of certain cultures and their resistance to it, as well as the elements that make a city unique. It's hard to imagine a world you don't yet live in. One year ago, most of us probably could not have imagined a future where there were signs in the city asking people to wear masks and keep social distance. Signs in the city are the direct representation of the culture of the people living in it. It captures our desires through advertisements and represents our societal restrictions through warning signs. The future signs in AR serve as a prop that asks "what if" questions intended to open debate and discuss the kind of future people want to live in.

https://vimeo.com/477357889

https://www.world-collider.app/

Details

Team members : Tomo Kihara

Project leader(s) : Tomo Kihara

Descriptions

Technical Concept : In order to execute this concept in web AR, we used the latest .usdz file that is made especially for AR by Apple. It detects vertical surfaces in buildings and attaches signs automatically.

Visual Concept : We made 3D files in a way to make sure the visuals look blended in the built environment. By using the occlusion lighting that is native to apple we achieved a smooth and natural look.

Credits

Tomo Kihara

Tomo Kihara

Tomo Kihara