Augmented Reality: An Innovative Tool for Environmental Awareness
Photo by Meggyn Pomerleau
At Augmented Island Studios, we are passionate about using immersive technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality to make the world a better place. We believe that augmented reality (AR) is a powerful tool for raising awareness about environmental issues and promoting solutions.
One of our recent AR experiences tells a story of hope in the face of environmental devastation. Large-scale solar panel fields can disrupt natural habitats and ecosystems, especially when they are built in areas with high biodiversity or sensitive species. They can also require a significant amount of land, which can result in the displacement of local communities and impact the availability of land for other uses, such as agriculture.
We built an augmented reality experience to show how solar fields can actually be a source of life and land improvement. The experience begins when the user scans a postcard with a beautiful honeycomb printed on it. Once they scan it, a barren solar panel field, hot and desolate with no signs of life appears. It’s a scene that’s all too familiar in our world today, as we grapple with the effects of climate change and environmental degradation.
But then, something remarkable happens. We prompt the user to plant digital seeds, and as they tap and the AR seeds are planted, the scene begins to change. Beautiful flowers and grasses grow, and bees and butterflies appear, populating the once-barren landscape with vibrant life.
The transformation is striking, and we are particularly proud of the beekeeper who appears in the experience :). As the plants grow and the bees begin to make honey, the beekeeper harvests the sweet nectar from the beehives. This feature helps us to teach people about the importance of buying products produced in sustainable photovoltaic fields, such as “solar honey” or goat milk products from goats that help manage vegetation, which in turns lowers the chance of a potential fire hazard, and support a more diverse range of plant and animal life. Not to mention, the economic benefits that come from local communities who can sell these products as a source of income.
We believe that stories like this are powerful motivators for change. By allowing people to see the effects of climate change and environmental degradation in a realistic way, AR can help to motivate people to take action. It can also be a tool for promoting solutions and inspiring hope.
We hope this experience will encourage more people to consider the impact of their everyday choices on the environment. It’s the small decisions we make every day that can make a big difference in creating a sustainable future.
At Augmented Island Studios, we’re passionate about using technology to make a positive impact on the world. We believe that by creating immersive and interactive experiences like this one, we can help raise awareness about environmental issues and encourage more sustainable practices. If you’re interested in using augmented reality to create meaningful experiences for your customers, we’d love to chat with you about how we can help.
