The Next Frontier in Urban Engagement: City-Wide XR and Spatial Computing at AWE 2024

‍

‍

At the AWE EU 2024 in Vienna last week - The world’s biggest spatial computer expo - industry leaders, developers, and creators gathered to showcase the latest XR experiences, AR technology, and applications.

Large-scale city-wide XR activations have for many years been part of our R&D pipeline, and AWE is usually the place to see the latest developments, technical evolution, and near-future potential in action.

I’m using the term “city-wide XR” here as an umbrella term for all the technologies, software and hardware ecosystems that makes it possible to overlay/augment interactive, geo-anchored content onto real-world locations on a large scale, turning entire cities into immersive playgrounds and interactive canvases.

As Cultural Masterplanners and Immersive Placemakers, part of our job is to look towards the future and envision city-scale experiences with relevant, location-specific content. For XR deployment at scale, however, some key technical and practical hurdles hold back wide-spread adaptation. As showcased at the AWE this year, improvements are coming faster and faster, and the combination of spatial computing and AI is starting to change the game. With the (generally) improved high-speed connectivity in urbanised areas, we can now get smoother spatial computing processing and more accurate interactions with digital elements mapped to the physical world.

At AWE EU, the three platforms sharing developments worth exploring were Niantic, Inc. with 8th Wall Wall, Immersal in collaboration with Zappar, and Tropos AR powered by Unity. Each party shared big improvements in how their AR ecosystems could transform urban spaces, laying the groundwork for experiences that could be as engaging as they are transformative.

Niantic, known for its success with Pokémon Go, had one of the opening keynotes, and it’s clear that it continues to be a market leader. Since acquiring 8th-Wall in 2022, Niantic has focused on making AR more accessible by removing one of the biggest barriers: the need for an app. 8th-Wall’s WebAR platform lets users interact with AR experiences directly through smartphone browsers. This “no app needed” approach is transformative for city-wide AR activations, as it opens up AR experiences to anyone with a smartphone, removing the friction of app downloads and making AR an easy, on-the-go experience.

The new partnership between Immersal and Zappar announced at the event is very interesting as it creates a turnkey solution for creators that is on par with Niantic’s offering. Together, they have made strides in spatial mapping and persistence, which are essential for creating accurate, location-specific AR content. Immersal’s VPS (Virtual Positioning System) technology has improved the ability for digital content to “stick” to real-world places, so experiences stay in place even if a user leaves and returns later. This persistent mapping now enables city planners, advertisers, and event organisers to create AR content positioned precisely within an environment, like a landmark or park, and to keep it there for long-term experiences. This capability is a game-changer for tourism, art, and public engagement in cities.

Tropos AR platform powered by Unity focuses on visual quality and immersion and produces detailed, lifelike AR activations. Unity’s advanced game engine enables the potential of rich 3D graphics, animations, and lighting effects, making digital elements look and feel more “real” within their physical environments. Tropos AR leverages Unity’s power to create city-wide AR experiences that are well-integrated into urban landscapes, showcasing its potential in situ by developing a customised AR journey through Vienna during the AWE event.

As users grow comfortable with immersive technologies, they’ll likely explore more XR-native experiences, creating demand for innovative AR applications across cities.

Conclusion

In 2024, city-wide AR is emerging as a powerful public engagement tool, thanks to the innovations of Niantic with 8th Wall, Immersal with Zappar, and Tropos AR with Unity. These companies are reshaping how we interact with our cities, making immersive, more precise, and visually interesting experiences accessible to more people.

While the opportunities for city-wide XR are exciting, several challenges remain. For one, these experiences require robust (mobile) infrastructure to handle high data demand, such as 5G networks, which support both speed and location precision. Saying that, as XR technology continues to advance and connectivity improves, city-wide AR activations will likely become a regular feature of urban life, creating cities that are not just navigable but interactive.

In this new reality, digital and physical worlds blend, turning cities into dynamic, living canvases for shared human experiences. At Immersive International, placemaking and cultural master planning incorporate AR as a key element in our designs - a commitment we've maintained over the past five years. We’re now advancing our approach with an AI-accelerated process led by our Chief Creative Technologist and EAD, ANTON KONONOV, and following our strict design methodology to ensure future-proof experiences. This enables us to harness AR in key cultural and commercial activations, shaping cities as dynamic, interactive spaces. We’re looking forward to sharing more on this development soon.

‍