Dinosaurs and Robots/Lost Origin

First-of-its-kind mixed reality group experiences exploring the future of visitor experience through a combination of storytelling and cutting-edge technology.

Under the co-creative direction of The Almeida and Factory 42, Lost Origins is the culmination of an ambition to combine the latest mixed reality technology from Magic Leap with immersive theatre to create a unique experience within a truly interactive world.

Original project: Dinosaurs & Robots
Lost Origin evolved from an earlier project, Dinosaurs and Robots, with immersive pioneers Factory 42 working in partnership with The Science Museum Group, Natural History Museum and Sky. Two different adventure games, Dimension X: Dinosaurs and Dimension X: Robots resulted, mixed reality experiences designed to explore how museums could engage audiences beyond their buildings. These used Magic Leap headset technology to superimpose computer-generated graphics in a specially designed space, with players working in teams to control the two different worlds.

The experiences had just been tested on audiences in the Metrocentre shopping centre in Gateshead when the pandemic hit. A radical rethink led to the project teams reshaping the experiences to become My Dino Mission and My Robot Mission. These were two augmented reality mobile apps for children aged 10-12 providing fun, science-based learning at home.

Download the My Dino Mission AR and My Robot Mission AR apps at the Apple Store and watch the trailers for both experiences below.

The Final Project: Lost Origin
During 2021, Factory 42 worked with the Almeida Theatre and Sky to return to the original plan to explore the boundaries of future in-person experiences. Lost Origin is a unique immersive, multi-sensory and interactive adventure that fuses technology and performance, theatre and audience interaction, and physical and digital worlds.

The experience opened to the public between 21 November and 4 December 2021, at Hoxton Docks, London and received strong reviews. In groups of six, guests weaved their way through differently-themed rooms working as undercover investigators who needed to crack a mystery set in an illegal dark web marketplace. Lost Origin featured unchartered uses of technology, for example integrating set design and code within Magic Leap so that the headset can trigger associated physical actions, such as objects dropping in time with the AR narrative, and interfaces that allow gestural control and triggering of sounds work in sync with stunning lighting to create a truly interactive and multi-sensory experience.

Watch the trailer for Lost Origin. You can also read about how the original Dinosaurs and Robots project adapted when faced with the challenges of the pandemic in the Covid Video Diaries.