IMAX Takes the Giant Screen Learning Experience to a Whole New Technological Level with the Pandas Augmented Reality App

Imaginary friends aren’t so imaginary when they can actually answer your questions. IMAX’s new augmented reality (AR) project, launched to coincide with the giant screen documentary Pandas, has taken the concept of extending the learning experience beyond the theater to a whole new technological level. With the AR app, kids interact with a panda named Genius to learn more about the pandas they just saw in the theater. The free iOS app from Yakables (the Android version will be available soon) is IMAX’s first foray into AR and is a first-of-its-kind AR experience.  

The voice-activated app, developed in partnership with conversational technology company Conversive, allows kids to view Genius on a mobile phone or tablet screen and chat with her in a real-time, real-world setting. By overlaying an animated panda into the environment using input received from the phone’s camera, kids can interact with Genius in the car, in the park—anywhere they point the phone or tablet—and learn interesting facts about pandas. Genius guides users through some questions and then quizzes them on what they’ve just learned. Kids can also tap the screen rather than interact with Genius verbally. 

Watch the promotional video for the app below:

One of the earliest adopters of virtual reality, IMAX saw AR as a logical and organic progression. “It’s safe to say that over our 50-year history, IMAX has really continually been an innovator,” says IMAX Chief Marketing Officer JL Pomeroy, “and that spirit is always going to be alive at IMAX.” She adds that AR is a great opportunity to amplify the learning experience out to larger audiences.

“Kids love repetition, and if they love something, they want to see it again and again,” Pomeroy says. “So we looked at how we could extend the engagement of seeing an IMAX educational film like Pandas in an institutional theater and then give them a way to go home and talk about it. Kids fall in love with the subject matter and share that with their parents, siblings, and friends. The app takes that engagement and extends it.”

The Pandas app targets 3rd-5th graders, but IMAX is finding that older and younger kids use it and enjoy it as well. Pomeroy points out that kids are much more technologically advanced and comfortable with technology than most adults and easily swipe, speak to, and figure out the apps. “It’s a natural engagement for them,” she says. “It’s exciting to see kids interact with it. It makes education fun.”

Promotion for this pilot program has been grassroots, with no full-blown marketing campaign. IMAX has relied primarily on word-of-mouth to institutions, letting them know visitors can download it for free. While the company isn’t able to disclose usage data just yet, Pomeroy shares that downloads are modest for now because it’s a reined-in network, but engagement is high with the users who have downloaded it.

When asked if IMAX plans to develop AR applications for future documentary releases, Pomeroy enthusiastically replies, “100 percent. We’re working on things that will put IMAX front and center with AR going forward. We’re excited to lean into this opportunity to explore new ways to provide educational tools to kids who’ve enjoyed the film in the theater.”