At the WIRED Business Conference today, augmented reality technology specialist Magic Leap and Lucasfilm’s ILMxLab have announced a “collaboration lab” to be used to work together on immersive experiences using Magic Leap’s technology.
In a surprise move, Magic Leap’s founder Roni Abovitz revealed a collaboration a year in the making to be centred around what was referred to as a “collaboration lab”.
“Lucasfilm has created some of the most iconic characters of our time. Ones that dare us to dream, unlock our imagination and excite us to go on a journey with them,” said Magic Leap Founder, President, and CEO Rony Abovitz. “Magic Leap is creating a whole new medium: Mixed Reality Lightfields, designed to harness the power of your imagination and take you to places you never thought possible. Collaboration between our two companies is a perfect fit, and I can’t wait to share the results with the world.”
ILMxLab’s John Gaeta said “Reality is our canvas, there’s a lot of hardcore advanced technology focused on the integration of fantasy into your real life”
The news was announced by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, stating, “the future of Mixed Reality and immersive entertainment holds incredible promise, and we are honored to work with Magic Leap to shape that future. At Lucasfilm and ILM, innovation has always been in our DNA; through this collaboration, ILMxLAB further propels our legacy of exploration and leadership on this new platform for experiential storytelling.”
Magic Leap and ILMxLab released a fitting video demonstration to highlight this incredibly promising collaboration, a ‘through the visor’ look at a digital R2D2 and C3PO projected into reality along with some hugely impressive tracking and occlusion.