Augmented Reality Packaging & Kiosks Help Lego

Growing up, augmented-reality was something my brother and I could only dream about when shopping for new Lego kits. We saw it in movies and could imagine a world where you could fully see something in 3-demensions before spending your hard-earned allowance on it, but I don’t know that we thought anyone would ever be able to make that dream come true… until now.

Metaio has been in the process of developing an augmented-reality “digital box” for Lego for almost 2 years and they’re now being testing in retail stores, worldwide. The packaging helps the buyer to know what the actual contents will look like -once they’re built- before you buy it.

The idea is to hold up a box of Lego to a kiosk that consists of a webcam, a screen, and Metaio’s AR technology. Combining 3D animation with a live video feed, the assembled toy is projected on screen on top of the box the consumer is holding. It is then possible to view the finished toy on screen from all angles.

Metaio and Lego are confident that AR packaging will help sell more products in stores and will also drive traffic to the retail centers where this technology is available, because of the customers’ excitement about both technology and the product.

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