THE COVID DIARIES – PART TWO: Factory 42 ‘Dinosaurs and Robots’

May 25, 2021

As the Covid-19 lockdown continued, existing Audience of the Future Challenge award-holders launched their projects, to work within the limits presented by lockdown. 

The second part of this video series reveals how these projects survived and thrived, to launch new experiences that had been adapted to changing audience behaviours in the face of Covid-19.

In part two of this three part video diary series, hear from Stephen Stewart (CTO), Sucharita Ghosh (XR Producer) and Niccolo Temporanza (3D Artist) at Factory 42, as they share how the launch of ‘Dinosaurs and Robots’ in lockdown went.

LAUNCHED: Free Cutting-Edge Apps for Children, in Innovative Response to Coronavirus

Having pivoted due to the pandemic, leading immersive content studio Factory 42, launched two augmented reality mobile apps that give access to fun science-based learning about dinosaurs and robots from home.  

Two of the UK’s most iconic museum groups joined forces with Factory 42,  to support the launch of the new fun science-based learning apps as they explore how science and culture could also be accessed digitally during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The My Dino Mission AR and My Robot Mission AR apps were created by 42 Kids, a newly launched children’s and learning division of  Factory 42 in partnership with the Science Museum Group, Natural History Museum, Sky and Almeida Theatre. The apps used cutting-edge AR technology and graphics enabling children to use their own reasoning to interact with, identify and care for a dinosaur species; and to create their own robots suited for different terrains and challenges.

The collaboration was funded by UKRI, and explored new types of digital, home based cultural and learning experiences. 

Read more about the Dinosaurs & Robots/Lost Origin demonstrator project at: https://audienceofthefuture.live/dinosaurs-and-robots/

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THE COVID DIARIES

In part one of the Dinosaurs & Robots/Lost Origin video series, the project team revealed how they found new ways to work, adjusting their projects to plan new experiences that worked in a Covid world. 

In the first edition of the series, we heard how the creators behind the projects originally due to launch through the pandemic, pivoted amidst the extreme limits presented by lockdown.

This video diary is part of a project consisting of a 3 part visual diary filmed and recorded with each of the four Audience of the Future demonstrators (funded by UK Research and Innovation), to document their journeys in meeting the new challenges brought about by the impact of Covid19.

All of the demonstrator project teams were asked to record their progress as ‘video diaries’ to comply with Covid 19 restrictions. 

All video diaries in this series can be seen in The Covid Diaries playlist on YouTube and to stay up to date on the latest from each project – sign up to the Audience of the Future newsletter