Entertainment

Immersa-Dome: the future of entertainment (and the "now" of marketing)

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TEDBlog talked to Tom Milks of Aardvark Applications about Palm Springs’ exclusive demonstration of their incredible Immersa-Dome.

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As soon as the dome lowers over your head, you feel as though you’re about to be taken somewhere else. Then the hemispheric display turns on — with its synced-up surround sound, wind and scents — and you wonder how on Earth you’ve been suckered into paying $12 to watch feature films on a flat screen so many times.

It’s almost like a miniature holodeck that can fit in your walk-in closet.

But who’s going to use this technology? It’s a bit pricey yet, but Tom Milks thinks its first big step will be in the world of marketing. It firstly has the power to bring consumers into verging-on-real brand experiences. Already the military has been using the Immersa-Dome as a recruiting tool.

Down the road, as the technology becomes less expensive, Aardvark hopes to move the Immersa-Dome into the home entertainment market — not just for movies, but gaming too. The premise of the technology is the human passion for adventure.

(Tom’s favorite Immersa-Dome experience to date is one that puts the viewer into the perspective of a bee.)

Photo: TED / Michael Brands