Zappar: A Sense of Wonder

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Make STEAM Work For You

"So much awesomeness out there," says Zappar CEO and Co-Founder Caspar Thykier. And he and his team are simultaneously adding to that awesomeness--and democratizing it. With their recent project, LEGO® Mythica, London-based augmented reality/creative studio Zappar was instrumental in creating the first amusement-park experience of its kind. Visitors to LEGOLAND® Windsor get to visit different "portals" through augmented reality. LEGO® statues come to life in augmented reality. Alicorns, hydra and chimera appear in an alternate world. Three new augmented-reality attractions take guests into a mystical realm. Central to the LEGO® Mythica experience is "Flight of the Sky Lion", the UK's first flying theatre ride. While Caspar has described LEGO® Mythica as a "dream project", Zappar has a number of additional milestones to celebrate. Recently, they celebrated their ten-year anniversary. Along the way, they've won multiple awards. But perhaps most excitingly, their mission of democratizing immersive technology continues with their brand-new six-degrees-of-freedom affordable headset, ZapBox. Recently fully funded on Kickstarter, ZapBox is now accepting pre-orders. The price? Listed at $40. Caspar says the next iteration of ZapBox is due out this upcoming October. Meanwhile, if you'd like to know more about creating your own augmented-reality experiences, Zappar also has a toolkit, ZapWorks. Caspar shared the story of Zappar, talked about his experiences with the LEGO® Mythica project, and offered a preview of what's next! On this edition of Over Coffee®, we cover: The serendipitous experience that led to augmented reality first capturing Caspar's creative imagination; The story of Zappar; A closer look at the LEGO® Mythica project; Some of the creative challenges involved in bringing the magic to life; What Caspar and his team experienced, just prior to the new experience opening; What he considers most magical about creating Mythica; Some of the keys to making AR work well, from Caspar's experience; Caspar's "Five C's" framework for success, in AR; A closer look at ZapWorks and ZapBox.