PROJECT OVERVIEW.
ICO date: 25th October to 22nd November.
The ARToken is a new decentralized platform for AR/VR content generation. The project is the brainchild of Cappasity, who have made 3D digitization of real objects available to everyone. The company has also made efforts to make it easier to embed 3D content to virtual galleries and websites more easily, while also creating tools for mobile devices and AR/VR apps. The Cappasity SDK is open to developers to build their own apps based on the platform.
Now, Cappasity is introducing yet another innovation to the AR/VR space–a global ecosystem for 3D content creation and delivery. Using Cappasity’s AR/VR tool kits, anyone can submit 3D models to the blockchain-secured content base. Because the content base is stored in the blockchain, creators can safely protect and transfer their copyrights.
BACKGROUND.
The rise of augmented and virtual reality has already been huge, many people believe it will become more and more popular in the near future. Massive companies such as Google, Apple and Facebook are all competing to become leaders in the industry.
Many people believe virtual and augmented reality to be the same but that’s not the case:
- Virtual reality: VR uses goggles to cover the users whole face and create an illusion that the user is somewhere in a virtual reality.
- Augmented reality: AR doesn’t aim to move reality but instead creates digital objects in the real world, allowing the user to be in reality but still interact with virtual objects.
These technologies are often used in making movies, games, paintings, and even used in marketing a product. According to International Data Corporation (IDC) analytics published earlier in August this year, the worldwide AR/VR revenue is expected to be $11.4 bln in 2017. The IDC forecasts it will jump as high as $215 bln by 2021, achieving 113.2% CAGR along the way.
Nevertheless, the lack of compelling AR/VR/3D content, its labor intensive production and imperfect quality hinder the evolution of AR/VR industry and AR/VR mass adoption. Additionally, the disunity of competing platforms creates a lack of compatibility that can only limits creators. Plus, a potential oligopoly of marketplaces essentially acting as middlemen impose large fees on assets that lead to costumers getting less value for their money.
ARToken seeks to address those issues, all while taking advantage of the blockchain’s immutable and trustless tech to protect intellectual property. Based on the vision of AR token’s developers, a more direct approach to content distribution, by cutting out the middleman under a decentralized market has the potential to reduce costs while also increasing compatibility, as participants would all be working under the hood of the same mutually beneficial ecosystem.
Any hardware supporting AR rendering will be able to support AR content from the Cappasity Platform Repository. For instance, The Cappasity iPhone app will be released soon. This will enable content to be created from the device. The device, and whatever AR features it supports, will be able to be used to render that content compliant with the device.
HOW IT WORKS.
All purchases and transactions will be regulated by smart contracts, and all content exchange details will be immutably stored on the EOS blockchain. The blockchain is built to protect the ecosystem and ensure the secure transaction of copyrights.
The blockchain is used by ecosystem stakeholders, including content creators, app developers, businesses, and end users, to ensure that copyrights are protected. The EOS blockchain can facilitate millions of transactions per second, according to the official ARToken.io website.
The platform will also utilize an “upvote” ranking system to promote good content and contributors, computer vision algorithms to find potential copyright infringement and manual moderation in addition to automatic curation.
Developers and active community contributors are to be supported through dedicated AR Funds: decentralized storage providers will be rewarded via a Storage Fund to which a percentage of every sale (~2%) will be funneled, while developers, moderators, and other active contributors will be rewarded via a Daily Fund, also built on fees from transactions (unclear amount, ~8%).
USE CASES.
Video Game Development – Cappasity Platform and Ecosystem.
A team of video game developers is looking for 3D content compatible with different VR hardware for their VR game. To stun and engage gamers, the team plans to create real-world industrial holograms and 3D models. To speed up the game’s release, a designer goes to the Ecosystem Marketplace and searches for relevant content. They pay for a subscription and buy a bunch of industrial 3D holograms, generated with the open source Cappasity 3D capture module for drones. Also they choose a 3D model and test it in the sandbox area via the link.
During the test period the designer uses the plugin to display the model on different devices. Once tested, they complete the purchase, using an AR utility Token. As a result, the developer gets the opportunity to download the purchased model in the relevant format and use it in their development framework.
The smart contract protocol allocates the revenue among the 3D hologram makers and transfers the funds to the 3D model makers. The developers obtain the files with the model and holograms. The video game is ready and released.
Manufacturing industry.
AR/VR tools and devices are designed to improve existing digital engineering technologies (production process automatization, automated design engineering). Engineers can test new products in virtual reality before mass production, thus reducing costs. Revenues in this industry are expected to reach $1.5 bln by 2020. AR/VR will facilitate engineering operations on the projects of different parameters and complexity. If necessary, a user will be able to study the smallest parts of a mechanism or launch test procedures. Several specialists will work on one project simultaneously. Designers, engineers, manufacturers, clients and customers can all experience a product as if it were literally in front of them. It gives a sense of proportion and scale that simply cannot be matched when rendering on a desktop monitor.
E-commerce.
Today commerce is actively moving into virtual space. E-commerce volume is increasing and the number of online stores is growing, with their management on an active search for new ways to attract buyers’ attention. To sell merchandise, large online stores are starting to implement 3D images into their websites more and more actively, as well as use augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies.
ART USES.
Spend ARTs On:
– Subscriptions to 3D content creators.
– 3D content purchases from content creators (the price is dictated by the seller).
– 3D content rentals for commercial purposes.
Receive ARTs For:
– Uploading unique 3D content.
– Verifying and moderating content.
– Selling or renting self-created 3D content.
ROADMAP.
HOW ADVANCED IS IT?
The ARToken platform is being designed by Cappasity. Founded in 2013, the company introduced its patent-pending Easy 3D Scan software in 2015, launched its platform in January 2017, and has raised $1.8 million from VC funds and angel investors.
Cappasity’s software, which is free to download, enables users to capture 3D views using standard photography equipment or even their smartphones, and export them directly into online stores, websites, social networks and apps. On the company’s website, users can find sample 3D images, guidelines for creating them, subscription plans for storage and distribution, and even a partner network for professional 3D product imaging services.
SIMILAR PROJECTS.
Vibehub.
VIBEhub will be a VR and augmented reality marketplace and hub. Their dream is to be possible to interact in VR with other people around the globe. The Project is on Ethereum(ERC20 Standard); transactions will run of course on Ethereum Blockchain.
Voxelus is an overarching virtual reality content and gaming system that is powered by its own internal currency called the Voxel. The Voxelus system allows users to create, purchase and sell content on the Voxelus market place where all the items are priced in VOX.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER PROJECTS IN THE SPACE?
The main competitive advantage of Cappasity is its wider capabilities - the platform was designed to be open to other developers using Unity, Unreal Engine and Apple ARKit technologies
USER REVIEWS.
[A few years to scale and to be adopted in the market.]
[If you’re a ‘shopaholic’ a change is coming that will ensure more of your hard earned cash will be gone to online e-commerce. Cappasity is revolutionizing the e-commerce marketplace with their 3D image enabling platform. This technology leads to 82% of page visits resulting in activation of 3D image and a 34% increase in conversion from ‘lookers’ to ‘buyers.’]
[It’s hard to imagine the size of the opportunity that awaits the ‘mass adoption’ of 3D technology. Recently 3 big names in technology have ‘entered the AR/VR and 3D fray.’ Facebook via Oculus Rift, Google via Cardboard kit and Microsoft via Hololens have identified the market size but not a way to capture it. Cappasity believes content: its creation, commercialization, monetization and communalization is the key to building a new 3D marketplace ecosystem and have set out to do just that!]
[If I understood right, you’re gonna have 7bn ART, looks like a lot. Why so many?]
[I believe Cappasity’s business model is software development in service of AR/VR and3D market acceleration and further become a Platform as a Service (PaaS) provider offering not only a platform but extending pass the platform to build an entire ecosystem. I do not believe Cappasity have plans to get involved in Hardware production, in its pure sense.]
[AR has the full potential to be a major element of e-commerce and m-commerce. Nevertheless, there are many other fields ready for AR/VR disruption. Goldman Sachs expects the AR/VR software market to achieve $35bn by 2025 with 60% of AR/VR software revenue driven by the consumer.
Tim Cook – Apple CEO says – “I regard AR as a big idea like the smartphone. The smartphone is for everyone, we don’t have to think the iPhone is about a certain demographic, or country or vertical market: it’s for everyone. I think AR is that big, it’s huge. I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives. And be entertaining.”
Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook CEO – “There’s always a richer, more immersive medium to experience the world, and after video, the next logical step is fully immersive virtual reality.”]
[Why do you need blockchain?]
[We are creating a decentralized platform for all 3D and AR/VR content creators and users to exchange and purchase the myriad content objects with ease and comfort. Due to our belief in the better future, we put all our effort to make this ecosystem open, transparent and useful for everyone.]
[I see in Q1/2018 Cappasity will support free mobile 3D capturing SDK – isn’t there some hardware requirements around the mobile devices for this to occur?]
[Is this token a security??]
[is there a demo? dear ART team. I want the product demo, or video, such as to have a look…..]
[The company has already presented several prototypes and will continue working on it. All the funds will go for further development that will continue no matter what. If the hard cap is not reaches, the development of some advanced platform features may be postponed.]
[Do the 3D content buyers and creators need to subscribe to Cappasity (which costs $14-99/month) in order to participate in your ecosystem?]
[I saw this project and the more I read into it the more it grew in me. The market it’s still in early stages and it just makes sense that it will continue to grow so much the following years. And it’s nice to see something where there is real value behind it, that already has a product working and that is so clear on its plans into the future. Plus a great team behind it. That’s why I decided for the first time get into an ICO, and I look at this long term.
Congratulations on the Cappasity team and really excited about your project and how it will develop through the years.]
