Queensland-based tech company tagSpace has unveiled the world’s first augmented reality (AR) app that promises to provide a unique experience for people exploring the city and key places of interest.
The app has been in the works since 2015 and was initially made available in 2020 to enterprise businesses such as the Queensland Government, Telstra, Deutsche Telekom, and several Australian sports clubs.
Brisbane was selected to be the first city to be featured on tagSpace for the public launch, allowing consumers to explore the city’s CBD and its various entertainment and leisure precincts.
“tagSpace uses Augmented Reality technology to transform the city into a Mixed Reality Metaverse in which anyone can explore, create, capture and share location-based experiences,” tagSpace CEO Paul Martin said. “We’ve mapped the entire CBD and overlaid AR ‘tags’ and 3D animations at key locations including entertainment, food and dining, transport, public amenity and more.
“These ‘tags’ act as mini web pages, revealing further information about each location including video and images – allowing users to discover real locations, in real time, adding a fourth dimension to city exploration,” Martin added. “It’s the Internet, brought to life in the real world, and in the future, this will become the primary way that we consume Internet content.”
tagSpace also enables users to create their own custom experiences and for businesses or influencers the opportunity to monetise these experiences.
The tagSpace app features a number of location-enabled ‘zones’, where users can interact with their physical surroundings in mixed reality as part of themed experiences such as walking tours, fitness activities, and augmented reality concerts. The app has partnered with Queensland Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, specifically to create a number of interactive outdoor workout zones.
“This is essentially an enhanced version of the real physical world,” Martin said. “The difference between tagSpace and other metaverse offerings is that it truly keeps users in the real world and offers an enhanced view of it. There’s no need for headsets or avatars – simply put yourself in the picture, and enjoy entertainment and information right here, right now. Everywhere!”
tagSpace also allows users to discover and interact with animating 3D objects or entire cinematic scenes. “Users will also enjoy 3D animations literally everywhere, that appear to be a part of the real world, similar to holograms,” Martin explained. “They will be able to interact with them as well as capture and share them with friends as videos or images. Using our Shared Reality technology, all users will see the same scenes, at the same time, from their own viewpoint – regardless of which device they are using.”
tagSpace plans to add more cities to the experience later this year, including Sydney and Melbourne. The app is free to download with no registration required.
