Blockchain and Augmented Reality are both exciting technologies. What kind of potential can we see when we combine the two?
You probably already have a basic understanding on the concept of “augmented reality” – overlaying digital items and interactions on top of a real environment. The use cases for this type of technology in a mobile device are exciting to imagine. We’ve already seen the impact Pokemon Go had on people.
So, imagine if you combined Pokémon Go with decentralized apps and/or tokenized digital assets (eg., game characters/items, currencies, and representations of physical/tangible items). Ownership of these various items could all be verified on a blockchain. Want to know something cool? We can already find examples of these concepts being built out in the form of mobile apps! In this article, we will look at two mobile apps that combine augmented reality and blockchain/crypto:
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Aircoins App (https://aircoins.co/)
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Captive App (https://captiveapp.com/)
Aircoins App
The Aircoins App is the reigning champ when it comes to Crypto AR apps. This mobile app allows users to interact with the world around them in an engaging and rewarding way. You can find nearby tokens on the map, then switch into AR mode to collect these tokens (with rewarding sound effects). You can also send, receive, and store your tokens all within the app.
The Aircoins App has a really nice looking UI and experience when using the app. I really like to see the spinning 3D coin when you first open the app. You are also able to withdraw your coins “to an external supported ERC20 wallet” (like Trust Wallet). There is a leaderboard if you are the competitive type.
There is also a strong and active community. Their Telegram group is full of fun and friendly people. While on your treasure hunts, you can snap funny pictures of tokens in interesting places, then you can share these pictures in the Telegram group. The Aircoins team has also been building out solid partnerships with groups like Dash and Apollo Currency.
The Aircoins team has built out a solid product and an exciting ecosystem. I believe it will continue to get better, and I am eager to see how they evolve going into the future. We have the ability to freely collect cryptocurrency while walking around or running errands? That makes the Aircoins App an awesome tool to support mass adoption – share this app with your friends!
Captive App
Similarly, the Captive App has a built-in wallet to store, send, and receive tokens. They have a map and an AR mode to collect tokens. You can also track your progress.
One difference that sets the Captive App apart from other crypto and AR apps is its built-in Marketplace where you can buy physical items (like clothes, music, gift cards, etc.). Captive App is also designed to be used across various sectors (eg., retail, travel and tourism, education, etc). This universality allows users and brands to get creative – let me show you…
Nike spent nearly $3.6 Billion dollars in 2018 for advertising and promotion costs. We can assume that part of their budget was used for things like billboard ads, commercials, and online ads (like the ones you see on YouTube). How effective do you think these ads were? Do you always watch YouTube ads all the way through, or do you skip after 4 seconds? I want to make the point that money spent by companies on these types of ads results in a low conversion. Not many people will engage with these ads or go out and by something just because they saw a commercial on TV. These ads are an inefficient way for brands to spend their money.
Now, imagine if they took that same budget (for TV commercials) and tokenized it. They could take those same dollars and drop it in various locations (like branches located in outlet malls) in the form of crypto. At these locations, maybe they could have a sales display or some other kind of interactive event. This means the dollar isn’t spent until someone goes to collect it – this is a win for the company. It is also a win for the customer too – but why? The customer now has a CHOICE to engage in the ad/collecting the token, rather than being force-fed YouTube ads. The customer also benefits monetarily by collecting these tokens. None of us get paid to watch YouTube ads, right?
Every party wins in a system like this. Companies will always find a way to advertise. Advertising continues to evolve. When we combine crypto and mobile AR apps we have an environment where both companies and consumers can benefit.
In closing, both of these apps offer a real and working product/prototype, and I imagine they will continue to receive regular updates. These are new concepts and new apps, so don’t just look at them for what they are at this very moment – give them a chance to grow into their full potentials. Please support your crypto community by supporting its developers, companies, ecosystems, content creators, and community members. Get involved and download the apps today!
Disclaimer: I have been growing more involved in my participation with the Captive App over the past few months, because I believe this is a solid concept, project, and team. I only want to be involved in things that I believe genuinely add value somewhere, and I like to share these good things with everyone. 🙂
