Oddly enough, IKEA has managed to be one of the company’s you’ll probably think of when you hear about augmented reality (AR) since their IKEA Place augmented reality (AR) app that allows users to test IKEA’s products in real time has been popular.
IKEA has collaborated with Space10, a research lab on a mission to “create a better everyday life for people and the planet” to show off their latest series of experiments called “Everyday Experiments” or EE for short. Together, they are showcasing ideas and tools that help and educate people to find a better balance with technology.
In this particular experiment, Nicole He who is an independent game developer and creative technologist along with Eran Hilleli whose a 3D artist and an animator @hornet collaborated on this project named “Invisible Roommates”.
Invisible Roommates is an augmented reality (AR) app that illustrates how devices communicate with each via a network by characterizing the devices as little cute AR 3D avatars. The application would first detect all of the different devices connected to your network; this would include the more obvious ones like computers or phones, as well as other things, like TVs, speakers, game consoles, vacuums or washing machines. It would also obtain manufacturing data that the device is advertising , the use that to construct a little character.
Each character’s design would hint at the device it represents while remaining playful and open to interpretation (e.g. a character that resembles a TV portraying your TV).
By giving our devices attribute human characteristics and making their activity visible, the experiment offers an opportunity to be more conscious of the amount of data that swirls about our homes.