Healthy Boost and Augmented Reality in Puotila, Helsinki

As a part of our Healthy Boost pilot project, we tested some augmented reality (AR) tools as a part of marketing of the City's participatory budgeting OmaStadi. The webAR-based 3D model of the Puotilankenttä playing field in the Eastern part of the City illustrates the improvements voted to the execution by the city residents. 

Our partner flyAR Augmented Reality Studio Oy created a "living scale model" of the renovations which includes also useful information of the sports field such as exercise videos and a link to the City’s map services together with instructions how to get there via public transportation. The 3D model also contains info about the OmaStadi, inviting residents to participate in this process.

A video showing the use of the Puotila AR solution.

Frans and the rest of the flyAR crew also helped us put together another webAR solution last autumn for the kick-off of the new round of OmaStadi: a simple yet beautifully executed AR including a video of how to brainstorm new ideas to make the city more fun, comfortable, or safer. Here we were able to provide multilingual information with seven different languages within the same content without using a lot of space i.e. in a poster or an article - thanks to the AR and its nearly endless possibilities!

We chose to go with the web-based AR solutions, as we wanted the experience to be as user-friendly and inclusive as possible. No expensive XR glasses or other tools are needed for the experience but just your plain old phone and its browser. The view that opens through your phone further guides the user how to operate within the solution. The flyAR gang was on-board with this idea of inclusiveness from the beginning and truly worked to make it happen from a user-friendly point of view.