A Field Trip to Mars

Everyone is obsessed with VR. Yet few have created truly immersive experiences that blow the mind and test the senses

Merrill and Game of Thrones have indeed done a remarkable job in the past by combining the virtual with the real to scare the living daylights out of us but they are still in essence just gaming. Add to this, wearing the headset is cumbersome and expensive, means few are prepared to get involved (just look at the poor sales figures of the much awaited Oculus Rift)

There is another that paves the way though. One that really explores how to take away the barrier to VR and make it a complete experience. Oh, and one that does not result in you having to buy something afterwards!

A Field Trip to Mars was one of the highlights of Most Contagious 2016. This experiential event was created to open school children’s minds to the thought of space travel.

The local school bus picked up the children and unbeknown to them, was about to take them in to outer space and place them on the red planet. Watch the video to see how they did it and the pure joy on the kids faces.

Seeing this for the first time was bitter sweet. Back in 2008 TYC were appointed by Eurostar to design the restaurant carriage for the new trains. Part of our research exposed the tunnel effect: when entering the Channel Tunnel, the conversations stop and sales become almost zero. Primarily this is because of the fear of claustrophobia, the fact you’re under the sea and the windows become black mirrors.

Our proposal to overcome this was to apply a film to the glass and use an acute projectors to simulate the British landscape 5 minutes prior to entry. Perhaps a bit ahead of its time, it never saw the light of day, mainly down to safety laws, but a good idea nevertheless.

What we love about A Field Trip to Mars is that not only its use of technology, but what it signifies. A future of VR experiences that don’t rely on headsets and sales. As the tech becomes ever more accessible, the more we’ll see it in our day to day surroundings.