Total Immersion Releases Augmented Reality Game SkinVaders

Time to Save Face! (Literally!) As Aliens Invade Your Face
in The First Game to Bring Players Physically into the Game

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20, 2011 Total Immersion, the global leader in augmented reality, today released SkinVaders™, a fun game for all ages available as a free download for the iPhone®, iPad2® and iPod touch® at App Store(SM) at http://www.itunes.com/apps/skinvaders.

Created with Total Immersion’s D’Fusion® Studio Augmented Reality (AR) platform, SkinVaders is the first game to fully leverage AR literally bringing players into the game—by transforming their faces into game terrain over which alien invaders, known as SkinVaders, battle it out for total domination. To defeat the SkinVaders, players eradicate invading aliens by tapping on them and popping the eggs laid by the invaders.

With 9 levels and a variety of SkinVaders, all the action takes place on the face of the player.  Pictures are automatically snapped during the process incorporating the 3D graphics, making them fun to share with friends and family. The stakes are high:  It’s time for players to save face.

“SkinVaders demonstrates a world of possibility created by Total Immersion’s powerful augmented reality platform D’Fusion Studio,” said Bruno Uzzan, CEO of Total Immersion. “Players are literally brought into the game as they fight the invasion of SkinVaders intent on taking over their face. The markerless tracking and rendering are so sophisticated that players can suspend belief, deeply engaging in the most personal, realistic and real-time augmented reality experience on the market today.”

About Total Immersion

Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com) is the global leader in augmented reality. Through its patented D’Fusion® technology, Total Immersion blurs the line between the virtual world and the real world by integrating real time interactive 3D graphics into a live video stream. Leading the augmented reality category since 1999, the company maintains offices in Europe (France, Germany and UK), North America and Asia. Total Immersion supports the world’s largest AR Partner network, with a diversified portfolio of over 120 best of breed solution providers worldwide.

Since its inception, Total Immersion has led the industry in AR technology with over 1,000 executed augmented reality solutions for Fortune 500 name brands and organizations and partnerships with the world’s most prominent technology companies including Adobe®, Intel® and KDDI.

CONTACT:

Tiffany Spencer

Total Immersion (US)

TiffanyLynnSpencer@t-immersion.com

+1-310-795-1806

Businesslike and Total Immersion partnership as Cover Story in MarketingWeek Greece

Our partnership with Businesslike in Greece is the cover story in MarketingWeek magazine. Clic on image to read the report.

Watch Bruno Uzzan’s Augmented Reality Keynote @ Meshed#3 Social Media Conference

Have a look at Bruno Uzzan keynote @ Meshed#3 “Interactive video must be close to the client”. Bruno explains with Live Ipad2 Augmented Reality demos how tech evolutions change the rules in AR.

Augmented Reality visionary Bruno Uzzan and his France-based company Total Immersion are pioneers and world leaders in their field. With dependencies in Los Angeles, Paris, London, and Hong Kong, as well as 70 partners worldwide, Total Immersion creates groundbreaking visual applications for marketing, media and commerce.

Total Immersion Powers MyFlipbook with Selena Gomez

 Innovative Technology Leverages the Potential of Crowd-Sourcing to Create a Personalized and Collaborative Social Music Video Experience.

San Mateo, Calif. June 28, 2011 – Total Immersion, a global leader in augmented reality (AR), announced today that it has developed a new, ground-breaking Facebook application—MyFlipbook—to help music fans create a personalized and unique music video. Created for Hollywood Records, MyFlipbook offers fans and their friends the ability to insert their own photos into a personalized and collaborative music video experience. The application will be launched by Hollywood Records in support of the new single, “Who Says”, from platinum selling recording artist Selena Gomez & the Scene. The resulting user-generated video is Total Immersion’s latest success in marrying social media with innovative technology to deliver an exceptional, personalized and dynamic media experience to customers.

MyFlipbook is an intuitive Facebook application that individuals can use to create a completely unique and personalized music video with their friends. Selena fans upload a photo of themselves incorporating a randomly generated word from her song “Who Says”.  After moderation and approval, the users photos are then inserted into the appropriate spot within the lyrics and music bed of the MyFlipbook music video.  The video is then posted to their Facebook feed for their friends to see and a link to it is also emailed to the user letting them know it is ready to view on Facebook. One of the most exciting features of the application is the dynamic nature of the resulting video. As the users’ friends add their own photos to the application their Flipbook video is updated with the newly added images.  MyFlipbook creates a collaborative crowd-sourced experience where fans’ videos evolve on a daily or even hourly basis, depending upon their social network’s participation, ultimately resulting in an exciting, fun and personalized viral music video experience.

“We are constantly looking to create new, unique and engaging experiences for our musicians’ fans, and Total Immersion is an essential partner in achieving these goals,” said Brian Ressler, Director of Emerging Technologies at Hollywood Records. “MyFlipbook builds on the joint success Hollywood Records and Total Immersion had with ‘MyInterview with Selena Gomez’, leveraging social media to increase our fans’ interactions with our artists. We will continue to work with Total Immersion on delivering inventive technologies that greatly enhance fans’ experience with our artists and their music.”

MyFlipbook application is yet another milestone in Total Immersion’s efforts to provide technology that harnesses the power of social media to create a special and unique immersive experience for users. One of Total Immersion’s first forays into social media also involved Selena Gomez—‘MyInterview with Selena Gomez’. The application allows users to record themselves having a one-on-one video chat “interview” with Ms. Gomez; although the technology makes the interview look real, the content is based on video uploads from the user and stock video footage of Ms. Gomez. User can then share the interview with their friends on social media sites.

“Total Immersion understands the importance and influence of social networks on individuals’ lives, and we have the ability to create dynamic, unique and customized  experiences for our customers based on those networks,” said Bruno Uzzan, CEO of Total Immersion. “We were thrilled to have the chance to work with Hollywood Records to build an innovative experience that helped connect Selena Gomez with her fans, leveraging the power of social media. Total Immersion will continue to be at the forefront of delivering compelling solutions such as MyFlipbook”,

To create a personalized Selena Gomez MyFlipbook, visit http://bit.ly/sgflip

Total Immersion Solutions

Total Immersion proposes a complete software platform with D’Fusion®, allowing the development and deployment of Augmented Reality experiences on a wide variety of devices, including PCs, Macs, tablets and smartphones. The company recently added TryLive® vertical applications to the Total Immersion portfolio, the first being TryLive Glasses.

About Total Immersion

Leading the Augmented Reality industry since 1999, Total Immersion provides the world’s most widely used commercial Augmented Reality platform. Through its patented D’Fusion® software solution, Total Immersion blurs the line between the virtual world and the real world by integrating real time interactive 3D graphics into a live video stream. The company also marries social media with its technology to deliver a unique and personalized IT experience to customers. The company maintains offices in Europe, North America and Asia. Total Immersion supports the world’s largest Augmented Reality partner network, with a diversified portfolio of more than 120 best-of-breed solution providers worldwide.

Find the latest news about Total Immersion at: www.t-immersion.com/

Hollywood Records is part of the Disney Music Group.  Disney Music Group encompasses all of the Walt Disney Company’s recorded music and music publishing operations, including Walt Disney Records, Buena Vista Concerts and Walt Disney Music Publishing.

Meet and Greet @ meshed#3 Visual Talking Social Media Conference in Linz (June 22th – Austria)

Join us at meshed#3 Visual Talking and Social Media Conference taking place tomorrow in Linz and hosted by our Partner Netural Communication.

 

Bruno Uzzan, CEO of Total Immersion will animate a keynote “Interactive video must be close to the client”. Registration and more information on this conference on the Official Website.

Total Immersion Launches TryLive™, an Augmented Reality E-Commerce Platform that Increases Traffic and Conversion Rates While Reducing Returns

Total Immersion Also Announces ability to Integrate TryLive^TM with Adobe® Scene7®

 Los Angeles, Calif. June 14th, 2011 – Total Immersion, a global leader in Augmented Reality (AR), introduced today its groundbreaking AR platform for e-commerce, TryLive^TM, that delivers a unique digital brand and sales experience to consumers through a series of AR-based technology.

Total Immersion also announced it expanded the company’s partnership with Adobe to include the ability to integrate TryLive^TM with Adobe® Scene7®. This expanded agreement will allow joint clients to leverage media assets managed within the Scene7 hosted environment to deliver AR applications that allow online shoppers to virtually accessorize their style with eyewear, jewelry, watches and headphones – improving brand engagement and increasing purchase confidence.

The TryLive^TM platform is designed to increase traffic, engagement and sales conversion for retailers’ web sites, as well as reduce product returns. TryLive Eyewear will be the first solution available as part of the TryLive^TM platform. Adobe and Total Immersion will showcase this TryLive^TM product platform at the Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in San Diego on June 14 and 15 at Adobe booth #1425.

TryLive Eyewear employs markerless face recognition and tracking technology that enables consumers to virtually model eyeglass frames from any computer or smartphone. The easy-to-use solution allows customers to superimpose potential eyewear purchases onto their own faces in real-time video; hence, customers can virtually “try before they buy” with exceptional precision. The application even allows customers to solicit opinions from friends by posting pictures of themselves on Facebook or Twitter. Allowing customers to ‘try before they buy’ can increase sales and average purchase cards, improve buy conversion rates, and minimize negative experiences and product returns.

“For many of the world’s top retail brands, Adobe Scene7 dynamic media solutions are critical components of their online experience,” said Kevin Lindsay, group product marketing manager, Omniture Business Unit, Adobe. “Our expanded partnership with Total Immersion offers retailers new, compelling capabilities to extend the value of their Scene7 assets with engaging augmented-reality solutions that further their ability to optimize online conversions.”

“As a leader in AR solutions, Total Immersion’s exceptional product line and extensive partner network have helped numerous Fortune 100 companies develop and deliver unique brand experiences to its customers. TryLive^TM is the inevitable evolution of the company’s solution portfolio,” said Bruno Uzzan CEO of Total Immersion. “Our AR solutions make buyers the ‘stars’ of their virtual worlds, allowing them to try-on items like eyeglasses. By eliminating the unknown in purchasing decisions, buyers will feel secure in their purchases, thereby increasing sales for our customers, improving brand engagement and reducing product return rates. Thanks to the immersiveness of the AR experience, we also enable “social commerce” where consumers enlist their friends in their purchase selection through social networks like Facebook or Twitter.”

World’s Largest Network Dedicated to AR welcomes New Partner in the US : Greenback Advertising

Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com), the global leader in augmented reality (AR), today announced the addition of Greenback Advertising (www.GreenbackAd.com) to its North American Partner network, the world’s largest network dedicated to AR.

Greenback Advertising is an interactive media agency specializing in emerging technologies and brand marketing solutions.   With advertisers specializing in beauty, entertainment, real estate, ecommerce, and apparel, Greenback Advertising is uniquely qualified in the use of AR as a marketing and advertising tool.  Greenback is able to change the game for it’s advertisers and create ground breaking websites, creatives and Ad campaigns by blending TI’s leading AR technology with GB’s  unparalleled artistic and programming talent.

Since 2008, Total Immersion deployed some 850 projects in 50 countries, with more than 50 percent of the business completed through its Partner network. The company’s growth strategy outside North America has been driven in large measure through its Partners, each of whom brings specialized expertise and geographic reach that complement its overall sales and distribution effort.

“We feel that partnering up with Total Immersion will benefit our clients by providing them with the most advanced branding and marketing services available today.”  Tony Tommasi -CEO  Greenback Advertising

“Greenback Advertising, with their own skills & specialties, is joining our Partner network. We are amazed by their capacities to come up with new AR-concepts & ideas to achieve their marketing target” Bruno Uzzan – CEO Total Immersion

According to Gartner, Inc., augmented reality is one of the “top 10 disruptive technologies” of our time.  Total Immersion, the commercial pioneer in the space, brings more than a decade of experience on three continents, an extensive and proven support infrastructure, and a host of profit opportunities for participating Partners.  Total Immersion Partners help drive AR standards on a worldwide scale while benefiting from the largest AR team dedicated to supporting Partner businesses – from pre-sales and sales activity, to tech support, to lead sharing and co-marketing opportunities.

For information on the program, visit http://www.t-immersion.com/en,partners,37.html.

In North America, contact Nicolas Lecoz at (nicolas.lecoz@t-immersion.com); outside North America, contact Antoine Brachet (antoine.brachet@t-immersion.com).

First iPad 2 App “AR Magic Mirror” is Now Available for Free on iTunes!

The first AR application for the iPad 2 is now available for free on iTunes.

Thanks to the new iPad’s front camera, users can try on a selection of wacky virtual hairstyles, glasses and accessories. The back camera can also be used to try these crazy looks on others.

Users are filmed by the camera and 3D objects are added to the video in real time thanks to facial recognition.

At Total Immersion we are convinced that the new generation of tablets, led by the iPad 2, is a fantastic opportunity for developing new uses of Augmented Reality. As Bruno Uzzan, Co-founder and CEO of Total Immersion says, “With the portability, processing power and broad consumer adoption of the iPad 2, a simple face tracking app today could soon become an essential makeover tool with beauty products at retail.  Likewise a traditional game of online chess could become a massive, multiplayer game in the real world playing alongside vivid 3D characters and environments.”

Blog Review : Contagious Magazine presents Total Immersion Success Stories

Contagious Magazine presents in its last issue a company focus dedicated to Total Immersion and best case studies. Read complete article on Contagious Magazine.

Total Immersion / The AR bandwagon is currently heaving, but can you really blame those who have chosen not to jump on but rather to wai and se e which brave and rich new territories it rolls into? Leading the convoy by example is software specialis Total Immersion / By Will Sansom /

Let’s start with a stat, shall we? It is estimated that by 2012, between 150 and 200 million people worldwide will be using Augmented Reality (AR) applications on mobile devices, compared to just 600,000 in 2010 (Perey Research & Consulting, Montreux). As potentially mind-boggling as this
prediction is, there is no doubt that its validity will polarise opinion in much the same way as AR technology itself has so far – particularly in the world of
digital marketing where innovation and cold, hard ROI can at times seem unlikely bedfellow.

 
Indeed, since it first burst forth from our screens in all its angular 3D glory a few years ago, AR has resulted in some of the most ground-breaking and yet simultaneously fruitless digital marketing campaigns to have crossed Contagious’ radar. Too many, unfortunately, seem to have had AR elements bolted on for sheer novelty rather than for any tangible consumer benefit. James Hilton is co-founder and chief creative officer of global interactive agency, AKQA – itself responsible for some of the more productive applications of AR in marketing. He remains, however, cautious about how and where it should be used.

 
‘There’s always a danger of doing something stupid. Mum always said “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Although it’s fair to point out her wisdom wasn’t referring to AR, but to my potential premature career as a 15-year-old father. Luckily, back then, I listened. And so, as unwitting adolescents lurch from one ill-conceived (or un-conceived) idea to the next, so too do marketers. At least those who never listened to their mums do. Because whilst something is new and full of possibilities, it doesn’t necessarily follow that you should go anywhere near it. Until, that is, it’s a natural thing to do. The point is a great idea will find a relevant home without too much effort. Idea first, application second. Am I concerned there aren’t that many great applications for AR yet? Not at all, it’s just another answer waiting for the right question.

 
The increase in smartphone and tablet penetration is one reason to have faith in the growth of AR; UK-based Juniper Research has predicted that the number of ARcapable smartphones in the global market will more than double, from 91 million in 2010 to over 197 million in 2012. Furthermore, according to research performed by Gartner, by 2014 30% of mobile subscribers with data plans in mature markets will use AR at least once a
week. The reason for this will be the reduction in friction afforded by such devices, with users no longer tied to a desktop PC but plugged into the web via a series of more targeted, location-based applications. For brands and marketers, however, the challenge will ultimately remain the same – albeit with bigger audiences and higher stakes: how to use AR to meaningfully affect the user-experience in a way which is useful, relevant or entertaining.

 

D’Fusion line
There are, of course, examples which have defied even the most cynical amongst us (Topp’s AR baseball cards which brought each player to life in your hands being a particular Contagious favourite) and of these, a surprising number can be credited to software company Total Immersion – widely acknowledged as a world leader in AR solutions.

 
Founded in Paris in 1999, Total Immersion was the brainchild of Bruno Uzzan, formerly an auditing consultant at Pierre Henri Scacchi & Associates (Price Waterhouse Group), and defence software engineer Valentin Lefevre. It was Uzzan’s business vision combined with Lefevre’s applied knowledge of digital imaging which provided an appealing prospect for investors, as Total Immersion secured venture rounds in 2001 and again in 2006. Today, the company employs 70 staff across offices in Paris, Los Angeles, London
and Hong Kong. As a privately-owned business, Total Immersion does not publish any financial results; however, what they did reveal to Contagious was that revenue had increased by 34% from 2009 to 2010.

 
This rapid growth is also evident in the total number of projects undertaken: in 2008 Total Immersion worked on 100 different campaigns; by 2009 this had tripled to over 300 and at present, the company is involved in approximately 600 projects worldwide.

 
Bruno Uzzan, who acts as CEO, explains how the perception of AR technology has changed in the marketing industry in the past five years. ‘As the founder
of Total Immersion, I was one of the first individuals to pitch AR into various industries and the reaction was almost always the same: “Wow this is great but we have no idea how we would use it”. As a result, we had to spend many years evangelising the technology in what was essentially a non-mature market. However, in 2006 we realised that of all the areas we were looking into, there was by far the strongest interest amongst digital marketers – it was for these people that the concept of merging 3D products into a real environment seemed most appealing.

 
‘In the beginning we had to not just pitch augmented reality, but also to pitch an experience – how AR could be applied to the specific product or brand.

 

Read complete article on Contagious Magazine.

RCR Wireless CTIA Wrap Up : Can you really augment reality?

Have a look at this article : RCR Wireless

ORLANDO, Fla. – When it comes to augmented reality, while the sentiment may be that it’s cool, just how realistic is the technology in the real world? Representatives from Viewdle, Ogmento, Qualcomm, and Total Immersion gathered today at CTIA in Orlando to discuss the issue in a panel entitled “Can you really augment reality?”

[…]

Bruno Uzzan of Total Immersion added that augmented reality for shopping already exists, in so much as users can already place 3D furniture within an existing room without any heavy lifting. He also described a future case scenario whereby shoppers would be able to “try on” various glasses or shirts using their phone’s camera and augmented reality.

More