October 6, 2021 – Blippar, a provider of augmented reality (AR) products and services for brands, has this week launched its WebAR SDK technology. The toolkit will empower AR creators to build their own immersive WebAR experiences from the ground up using HTML and Java coding.
Until now, Blippar’s WebAR technology has only been available through its AR creation and publishing platform, BlippBuilder; a no code platform which enables AR rendering in a web browser through simultaneous location and mapping (SLAM). However, now thanks to its new WebAR SDK platform, creators will be able to develop immersive WebAR experiences that can be accessed and shared across platforms including browsers, Facebook, TikTok, WeChat, and WhatsApp. Furthermore, according to Blippar, the platform will be entirely free to use, create, and publish from during its beta phase.
Blippar stated that its WebAR SDK includes its most advanced implementation of SLAM to date, boasting 99% accuracy on tracking when locked, with less than a 1% margin of error in angular accuracy. SLAM is a set of computer vision technologies that allows AR developers to build more interactive, immersive, and realistic AR experiences by using a device’s camera to create a mesh of the user’s surroundings that includes floors, walls, ceilings, and other objects. This allows the SDK to track the user’s environment and make everything in it an interactive element, as well as locking AR elements in place relative to the environment.
Blippar CEO, Faisal Galaria, commented: “We believe the world is a better place with more creators. Blippar is focused on making AR widely accessible, and putting the most powerful AR creation tools in the hands of brands, agencies, and developers. With our new WebAR SDK we’re enabling creatives and developers to build and publish their own WebAR experiences from scratch, anchored with our most advanced SLAM technology to date. Not only have we made WebAR SDK easy to use, but we’ve made the pricing intuitive and accessible. We’re excited to see how our users push the boundaries of AR even further.”
Charlie Fink, XR Consultant, columnist, and author, commented: “We are in the early days of understanding what the metaverse will be, but what we do know is that developers will need fully featured, web-based cross platform AR content creation platforms for it to become reality. A free WebAR SDK like Blippar, which combines SLAM, tracking and computer vision, is sure to grab the attention of developers.”
Pete Lau, CEO and co-founder of Oneplus, said: “Every brand wants to get closer to their consumers, and AR is the perfect way to do so. Blippar’s new WebAR SDK technology will transform our marketing – we’ll be able to rethink digital marketing, product launches, and the entire purchase experience.”
Blippar noted that in the last twelve months global brands including OnePlus, Corona, and T-Mobile have delivered immersive AR experiences through its in-house creative capability, StudioB. In March, the company announced a pre-Series A funding round, which has been used to further develop the company’s technology to give creators greater access to AR design technology, such as WebAR SDK.
For more information on Blippar and its new, free WebAR SDK, please visit the company’s website.
Image credit: Blippar
About the author
Sam Sprigg
Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.
