Gravity-defying game-changer for Lankan apparel industry
Remember Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in the Oscar-winning space epic Gravity? The 2013 Hollywood flick where the two astronauts are stranded in space after the mid-orbit destruction of their space shuttle and the subsequent attempts to return to Earth?
Well I’m not as good-looking as Clooney or as rich as Bullock - she earned US$70 million from that movie – but for a few seconds I was transported into that role make-believing I was one of them as I do a spacewalk trying desperately to avoid high-speed debris while grabbing the tools to fix the shuttle. And all this while the clock counts down.
Welcome to augmented reality, AR, and the Zero-Gravity T-shirts manufactured by Hela Clothing for British retailer Tesco which has targeted boys aged from six to 14 years with this game-breaking apparel this Christmas.
Space-walking
It is game-breaking in every sense. In the past a T-shirt would just be a T-shirt, something to wear and hopefully impress your peers. But now, with AR, it turns a smartphone into a magic window in the real world – the Zero-Gravity T-shirt is transformed into a game with the use of an app so that you are space-walking and trying to save your fellow-astronaut from the fate which befell Clooney.
The sky is the limit, literally, when it comes to ways this new technology can be used to turn simple clothing into a game which Tesco and Hela hope will rake in the dollars. The initial shipment of these tech T-shirts was small but if it proves to be a hit there is talk of it being manufactured in the millions. The retail price of a T-shirt in the UK is between 6 to 12 sterling punds.
“We are testing the waters with this product. We are the only Sri Lankan company to develop this at the moment having gone beyond the traditional product (T-shirt) and made it into a game,” says an excited Buddhi Paranamana, projects manager at Helavation, the innovation arm of the global apparel manufacturer.
Hela Clothing CIO Nissanga Warnapura adds: “We see augmented reality and virtual reality as exciting trends for the future. The Zero Gravity app will be a disruptor to the apparel space, by creating the first interactive gaming experience for children that is activated exclusively through clothing”.
It all began earlier this year when Helavation’s team of around a dozen engineers and designers was given the task of pushing the boundaries by incorporating technology into basic apparel.
“We pitched AR initially so that the T-shirt will come to life – you point your smartphone with this app at the T-shirt and it comes to life. But then we realised that in itself would not be exciting for today’s generation of children so we included a game activation element,” Buddhi explains.
There are a number of target-markers built into the print design on the T-shirt. The app on your phone recognizes them and activates the game. Even putting your T-shirt in the washing machine will not be a problem – as long as the print design remains.
“Augmented reality came into existence a few years ago but it is only now that camera phones are getting powerful and can process all the information. The graphics are also very clear,” Buddhi shows us.
Challenges
Initially the game was simple. Just one astronaut who has a simple task of retrieving a target. But after market research – a group of kids finished the task in seconds and were then “bored” – it was decided to add more challenging features like creating obstacles (space debris), introducing a second astronaut and so on.
“And because this is an app, you can always keep adding features and updating the app,” adds Buddhi reminding us that all this was built solely with local talent.
Boys were targeted initially – it was felt gamification was more a boy-thing - but there are plans in the pipeline to bring out T-shirts for girls too with the focus on story-telling, say a Princess coming to life on the T-shirt and going on an adventure.
If pushing boundaries was the purpose of this technology, then this is just a start for the next step in this would be to take the role-playing to another level by including a more social element. For instance, is it possible that I could become Thor, the god of Thunder, while my friend could be Iron Man, or what about becoming Game of Thrones (GOT) heartthrob Jon Snow?
Buddhi acknowledges this is possible and says his team is already pursuing these ideas – well they can’t copycat the Marvel heroes or GOT characters because of licensing and copyright laws – with the aim of bringing in a community appeal to apparel.
“Yes, we are already looking into the social aspect of gamification where you wear a T-shirt and play the role of a character while your buddy or buddies play other characters. The potential is limitless,” Buddhi points out. Indeed, just imagine the peer pressure, where parents will be forced to buy T-shirts just so that their children can blend in. A retailers’ dream.
US$80 billion industry
In August, Google launched its new augmented-reality camera platform for Android smartphones, as it battles with Apple and Facebook for a piece of the hot new app market which allows developers – like Tesco and Hela Clothing – to create games and experiences that place digital images and characters in the real world.
It is estimated that in the next few years, this AR-VR industry alone will top $80 billion. That is a lot of T-shirts. Hela Clothing must be drooling over these figures.
Gone are the days when we used to remove our T-shirts and play a game of cricket, soccer or rugby with our friends. Kids these days will need to be fully kitted as well as armed with a smartphone. Also gone are the days when we could imagine being Thor after reading a comic. Today, you can be Thor. Awesome.