AV Magazine AV Magazine 
While virtual reality creates entirely computer-generated environments and augmented reality overlays computer-generated imagery onto the real world, mixed reality (MR) has the power to blend the physical and digital worlds together. Immersive content studio, REWIND has been incorporating MR into a variety of projects including their collaboration with Red Bull Air Race which saw the team conceive the idea of Flight Deck.
“This MR experience for Microsoft HoloLens takes the excitement of the Red Bull Air Race to a whole new level,” says Oliver Kibblewhite, head of special projects at REWIND. “The user learns the rules of one of the fastest sports in the world, from the start gates to how to take a chicane; watches a live race with TV feeds and witnesses more than one plane fly head-to-head; plus stands next to a 1:1 scale Edge 540 plane. It is the future of live sport.”
Kibblewhite leads REWIND’s technical innovations across the globe, delivering pioneering projects for brands including Castrol, Jaguar and Infiniti. His background – rooted in complex IT, theatre production and esoteric crafts – has proven useful, allowing him to apply in-depth knowledge of bleeding-edge technology and science to bespoke technical set-ups and solutions.
As MR is an entirely new medium, best practices are far from being defined. With this in mind, Kibblewhite believes the secret to creating a successful mixed reality experience is having an open mind and not being afraid to experiment.
“Well designed experiences only show the information that’s needed, where it’s needed, when it’s needed. MR should not be about useless information or intrusive advertising. It’s all about contextual computing and enhancing daily life - whether it’s a simple application or a complex experience, it must blend into the user’s physical space,” he says.
“Experiences that maximise the visual capabilities of MR can create moments that surpass anything in another medium. If there is a way you can create real delight, you have a great experience. Mixed reality is, after all, about adding a bit of magic to our world.”
The mixed reality toolkit
REWIND is software and hardware agnostic and works with the latest trends to create the seemingly impossible. When Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality headset became available, the REWIND team made sure they were first in the country to start experimenting with it.
“We were later accepted onto the Mixed Reality Partner Program and received the stamp of approval from Microsoft to develop for the HoloLens,” says Kibblewhite. “Hardware-wise, the HoloLens runs with either native code or engine-based experiences. However, if we’re developing for Spectator View we use a high-end DSLR for the live video feed. Unity is our software of choice - it’s easily expandable, supports rapid prototyping, and has a streamlined process for deploying to the device. We also use Visual Studio to produce our code.”
But mixed reality technology still has some limitations. For example, there are no publicly available MR consumer hardware, Microsoft’s HoloLens is still only available as a development kit and and Magic Leap’s hardware is yet to be released.
“For MR to be able to take off, it needs to be publicly available, in form and pricing factors that will ensure people buy into it in the right way. Without that, it’s just a tool for developers and will never make it into the mainstream,” he adds.
Once these issues have been resolved Kibblewhite believes mixed reality will become a genuinely transformational technology: “Microsoft’s HoloLens is the best example of MR to date, but Magic Leap’s offering will help further define the category. Put simply, it’s the future. MR will add new interactions, apps, games, and experiences we have yet to imagine to our world. Our everyday reality will be transformed in numerous ways to enhance learning, communication and play.”
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