14 Feb 2017 | Ellen Hammett

DOOH start-up brings augmented reality ads to skyscrapers

It sounds like science fiction, but augmented reality adverts the size of skyscrapers could be on the digital out-of-home horizon.

New start-up Lightvert has created the technology that has the capacity to show giant adverts up to 200m high – and only in the individual viewer’s eye.

By placing a narrow strip of reflective material to the side of a building while a high-speed light scanner projects light off a reflector towards the viewer, ECHO can create large-scale images that are “captured for a brief moment in the viewer’s eye through a ‘persistence of vision’ effect.”

Images can be saved on mobile devices and shared on social media.

“Traditional billboards and large scale LED screens in built-up environments are expensive and it is increasingly challenging to leverage new real estate in crowded urban spaces such as New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus,” said Daniel Siden, Lightvert CEO.

“Using the persistence of vision effect, ECHO hardware has virtually no physical footprint. It introduces new audience behaviour and is a powerful opportunity for advertisers and property owners, which could dramatically change the game in terms of capital costs and planning permissions for premium outdoor media.”

Lightvert has already agreed a UK deal with out-of-home specialist Kinetic, running for 18 months from February 2017, which will give the start-up access to Kinetic’s client base.

Rosh Singh, director of digital innovation at Kinetic, said: “We at Kinetic believe that Lightvert and their ECHO product has the potential to be transformative within the DOOH market.

“The first phase will disrupt, opening up a new innovative advertising medium to the market, which will then scale to become a new channel in itself. Lightvert has already begun to wow clients and we look forward to working with them in the coming months to bring this innovation to market.”