The XR sports device ICAROS in action. / Photo: ICAROS
Virtual Experiences – 9 Innovative XR Projects From Bavaria
By Joely Rosa Krabel
Taking people to new places, connecting them with each other, entertaining them or even calming them down: it's easier than ever thanks to XR. Extended reality technologies are used for numerous projects, apps and art installations in Bavaria to create impressive experiences. But XR applications also have benefits in education and medicine. We present nine innovative Bavarian projects.
WiLDNiS AR
Lisa Eder's app creates an awareness of nature in a playful way. Users use the camera function on their smartphone or tablet to see how a digital forest grows in front of them. Animals and plants then appear directly in the office, classroom or living room. 3D animations, short films and audio recordings provide context and explain what they are seeing. The app is designed to educate young users in particular about Bavarian forest life. It offers unique insights: an X-ray view into the breeding cavity of a great spotted woodpecker, for example, enables observations that are not possible in nature.
Who/Where? WiLDNiS AR, funded by the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, was developed by Passau documentary filmmaker Lisa Eder in a team with Andrea Zimmermann, Rico Reitz and Björn Jensen with Punchin Pictures in Munich. The app is available to download free of charge from Google Play and the App Store.
Magic Horizons
Magic Horizons, founded in Neufahrn near Freising, is a program for relaxation, stress reduction and mental regeneration in virtual reality. The combination of detailed 360-degree environments in 3D, soothing binaural music (audible with both ears) and state-of-the-art virtual reality technology has been scientifically tested for its effectiveness. The software contains exercises à la “Dr. Kawashima's Brain Jogging” as well as numerous videos that allow users to virtually swim with dolphins in the water or go for walks on beaches. Thanks to its holistic concept, Magic Horizons is intended for use in medical settings such as retirement homes or hospitals to calm patients before treatment.
Who/Where? Giorgio and Martin Koppehele founded the company with an international team of experienced video and audio producers, designers and programmers. The VR glasses are available as a subscription model including the software applications, but you can also order just the virtual components if you already have a VR headset.
Munich Oktoberfest – The Official Game
In 2023, K5 Factory from Munich announced the official VR game for Oktoberfest. At the colorfully designed Oktoberfest, visitors will be able to try out well-known rides, meet up with other players and compete against each other in mini-games. It will also be possible to customize your own avatar, which you can use to move around the festival grounds - in traditional Bavarian costume, of course. To make the game as realistic as possible, exhibitors and festival hosts are also involved in the design. The game will be officially released in September 2024. Then it will be “O'zapft is” in the digital beer tent. In the meantime, interested parties can sign up for the newsletter and become part of the testing community.
Who/Where? K5 Factory is developing the game with the support of FilmFernsehFonds Bayern (FFF) and Oktoberfest Munich. It is not yet clear when and where it will be available, but there will be regular updates on the official Twitter and X-channel.
Screenshot from the WiLDNiS AR app
Application Dolphin Dream from Magic Horizons
Screenshot from the Insects & Us app
A postcard from the play “A Flannel Nightgown” in use
ICAROS Home set up in the XR Hub Munich
Insects & Us
The Insects & Us application with 3D animations from R5 Region Five Media GmbH in Nuremberg allows a virtual look at the world of insects. A natural landscape can be created on any surface with the tap of a finger. Users move freely around the room and discover butterflies or ants, for example. As they get closer, scientists explain everything about the characteristics of the different species. The creators want to highlight the importance of animals for us and our ecosystem. The special thing about it is that even insect-shy users won't feel put off by the creepy-crawlies thanks to the loving and artistic illustrations.
Who/Where? Insects & Us was developed by Kris Hofman and Abigail Addison in cooperation with renowned scientists from the fields of biology and zoology and is available for free in the Google Play and App Store. The project was funded by the FFF Bayern, among others.
Ein Flanellnachthemd
The surreal play “A Flannel Nightgown” (Ein Flanellnachthemd) by Leonora Carrington is being presented in augmented reality by the Staatstheater Augsburg in cooperation with the Stadttheater Ingolstadt: In both cities, QR codes can be found on six different posters and postcards - when scanned, a scene from the one-act play appears on your own cell phone or tablet. Piece by piece, the entire performance and the new, innovative way of visiting the theater unfolds. The municipal and state theaters already collaborated on a similar project in February 2023 to realize the virtual reality opera “Orfeo ed Euridice”.
Who/Where: “A Flannel Nightgown” was created under the project management of Tina Lorenz and is available free of charge. The postcards and posters will be available to everyone throughout the summer of 2023 at train stations, bus stops, pedestrian zones and the venues of both theaters.
#JulietToo AR Statue
The popular Juliet Capulet statue at Munich's Old Town Hall has become an AR installation for awareness in 2023. #JulietToo, an augmented reality monument by American digital artist Tamiko Thiel, was officially opened in July. It adds a QR code to the figure on her foot. When this is scanned, the monument can be seen surrounded by modified forms of itself. These show, for example, Julia as a fighter in war gear and with a bare chest to create body positivity and symbolize the strength of women. The project is a reaction to an outdated custom in Verona, in which visitors touch the statue's chest for good luck in love. The Munich statue is now to be given a new, positive meaning and make a statement.
Who/Where? The AR network ARORA (#MakeUsVisible) and the denkFEmale initiative have realized the #JulietToo project with Tamiko Thiel. The artwork was created for the exhibition #MakeUsVisible x denkFEmale and can be experienced at Marienplatz.
ICAROS
ICAROS Home is a sports device that uses virtual reality to transport users to different environments where they can “fly”. In a prone position and with raised hips, you move back and forth on the mount and steer yourself through the mountain landscape of Berchtesgaden, for example, where you float through a course of rings. This is not just for entertainment, but also for medical purposes: Flying on the ICAROS stimulates different muscle groups, promotes motor skills and trains the coordination of stroke patients, for example.
Who/Where? The company ICAROS from Martinsried near Munich designs and sells various versions of VR sports equipment including software for commercial and private use. One of the cheaper versions, ICAROS Cloud 360, is available for €790.
Marktredwitzer Krippen
Museum visitors in the district of Wunsiedel can immerse themselves in a nativity scene using virtual reality glasses and a controller. Traditionally handcrafted Marktredwitz figures from the Egerland Museum have been transferred into virtual space using 3D scanning to bring them to life in a new way and prevent damage to the real exhibits. The figures can be viewed up close and moved in all directions in a virtually staged mountain landscape. The special feature: Even the surface structure of the aged pieces is clearly visible in the program and everything is accompanied by appropriate sounds - for example, the sheep bleat and the baby Jesus laughs.
Who/Where? Stefan Frank, head of the mobile youth art school in Marktredwitz, started the project with the museum to introduce younger people to the region's traditional nativity scenes. The mobile installation is easy to set up and dismantle and can therefore also be used in classrooms for educational purposes.
HALF-CAB TS
Half-Cab TS is a space-based XR experience by Munich-based media artist Barbara Herold at Haus der Kunst. The Space-Engine simulation program uses a wall graphic in the exhibition space to make various abstract elements and geometric shapes appear in different colors. Visitors to the museum can use an app to immerse themselves in this metaspace and interact with the art in a new way. Once the software has been downloaded to a cell phone or tablet, all you have to do is scan the graphic on site and the AR elements appear on the screen.
Who/Where? Barbara Herold developed “Half-Cab TS” for the 6th Biennial of Artists at Haus der Kunst entitled “resetNOW!”. Museum visitors can test the XR experience for themselves until September 21, 2023. The app is available free of charge on Google Play and in the App Store.
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