A new app developed by Disney utilizes the technological advancement of augmented reality to make their coloring books pop-up to life in three dimensional interface.
The app works like the traditional coloring activity while offering a magical digital overlay that enhances engagement.
A child will color the character in the coloring book normally while the tablet or smartphone running with the app will monitor the drawing. The magic happens in real time, as the child fills out the colors missing in the drawing, the app will also fill-in the colors of an animated 3D version of the character that can be seen on the device's screen and integrated in the video.
According to Gracious Column, a user-testing was done by the Disney Research team which had help from adults during the early stages of the study. The researchers found out that the 3D app worked as a motivation for the user to finish drawing the coloring book. About 80 percent of the participants also said that the app helped them to have a connection with the characters they are coloring.
Robert W. Sumner, a principal research scientist who leads the group on animation and interactive graphics at Disney Research, said that the technology behind augmented reality holds a unique and promising potential to fill the gap between real-world activities and digital experiences, allowing the users to engage in their imagination and boost-up their creativity.
Sumner also stated that they are thrilled to exploit the use of technological advancement and are happy to make the product available to public, thanks to the efforts given by Disney Publishing.
The developed app is a part of a greater initiative that focuses on using augmented reality to enhance creative play called 'Augmented Creativity.'
The augmented reality was presented by researchers from Disney, ETH Zurich and the Swiss university EPFL during the EEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2015) in Fukuoka, Japan.
