Hidden Creative brings spider to life for Focus magazine
Manchester digital marketing agency Hidden Creative has created an augmented reality spider which comes to life in the new issue of BBC Worldwide's Focus magazine.
Readers who hold the July edition of Focus in front of their webcams will see the 3D spider appear on their computer screens and dart across the cover of their magazine.
The science and technology magazine commissioned the animation as part of a special feature on fears and phobias.
"My goal was to make the reader believe the spider was real, subsequently drop the magazine and be left scratching their heads," said Hidden Creative's technical director, Matt Trubow.
He said the augmented reality experience was inspired by Exposure Therapy, a popular treatment for phobias whereby the patient is gradually exposed to the source of their fear.
"It’s estimated that 50 per cent of women and 10 per cent of men suffer from a fear of spiders. The augmented reality aspect of the magazine is intended to help Focus readers challenge this well known fear.”
Hidden Creative worked on the Focus commission with its partner Total Immersion, which provided the augmented reality software needed to bring the spider to life.
Jheni Osman, editor of Focus, said: “Superimposing the virtual world on the real world with augmented reality looks set to become part of our everyday lives."