Two Bit Circus, creators of the world’s first Micro-Amusement Park™,
today announced a limited engagement with immersive VR-wellness
experience, EmbodyMove. EmbodyMove is an official selection of New
Frontier Sundance 2019, created in partnership with MAP Design Lab and
lululemon Whitespace. Embody leverages emerging technologies to create
an approachable and inspiring take on traditional mindful practices. The
collection of Embody experiences tie together themes of physical and
emotional recovery – using sensors and interactivity to unlock new ways
for guests to be proactive in this essential practice. The VR experience
takes two players on a shared journey, inspired by the practices of
aikido, yoga, and dance movement traditions. This experience brings a
new genre of social play to Two Bit Circus.
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Beta Night games are free to play and Two Bit Circus is always free to enter. (Photo: Business Wire)
EmbodyMove will debut at Two Bit Circus’ Beta
Night, held at the Micro-Amusement Park in downtown Los Angeles on
Tuesday, April 9th, where it will be free to playtest among other Beta
games. No reservations are required, however it is recommended that
attendees arrive early to secure their spots. After Beta Night,
EmbodyMove will take over one of the four private cabanas at Two Bit
Circus and remain available for at least one month.
Within the private cabana, this peaceful VR experience takes each pair
of participants on a journey through nature while they trade and
transform avatars. EmbodyMove’s holographic guide takes users through
movements, allowing them to see their bodies as flexible tools. By using
only a headset, players are free to focus on creating fluid motions, and
pilot the entire experience with their bodies. Pressure-sensing yoga
mats track users’ weight distributions, while a camera monitors pose
position. The greater accuracy the player completes the pose with, the
more the virtual environment changes and evolves around them.
“EmbodyMove utilizes spatial computing to immerse players in an
experience centered on movement, wellness, and connectivity to others,”
said Melissa Painter, founder of MAP Design Lab. “We’re excited to share
Embody with Two Bit Circus’ park goers, and allow the players to connect
with one another in new ways through the use of VR technology.”
EmbodyMove is driven entirely by the users’ interactions. Players prompt
each other through conversation, mirroring, and environmental
channeling, and step together through physical sequences designed to
center, balance, extend, and strengthen.
“Following their immersion in EmbodyMove, people feel more connected to
their own bodies and the ways they interact with each other in a virtual
space,” said Aaron Pulkka, Head of Attractions and Production at Two Bit
Circus. “VR is not just about immersing people in battlezones. At Two
Bit Circus, we believe that technology can enhance our ability to
connect and play together, elbow-to-elbow. EmbodyMove is a great example
of how VR/AR/XR can be used in different ways.”
EmbodyMove will be available in the park beginning on April 9th, when
Two Bit Circus will be hosting a Beta Night. For more information on
upcoming Beta Nights, sign up to receive the Two Bit Circus newsletter
or visit https://twobitcircus.com/latest-news/.
For more information on the EMBODY experience and other Two Bit Circus
immersive entertainment offerings, visit www.twobitcircus.com.
About MAP Design Lab
Melissa Painter and her MAP Design Lab team are one of the most revered
augmented and virtual reality creators, pioneering experiences that have
shaped the industry. MAP Design Lab invents and incubates mixed reality
experiences and products that inspire human potential through
technology. With a particular focus on health, lifelong learning and
personal growth their mission is to utilize cutting-edge immersive
technology to provide unique experiences that expand the appeal of AR/VR
across genders and generations in ways that can improve the user’s
overall wellness and brain chemistry.
MAP Design Lab premiered Heroes at New Frontiers in 2017, MOVE Studio in
at Future of Storytelling 2017, and In Orbit, built in partnership with
NASA and Microsoft, at The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens,
ongoing. MAP’s work has also been featured at Siggraph, Cannes, CES,
SXSW, as well as on Microsoft Hololens, Magic Leap, Gear VR Oculus
store, Steam, and Windows Mixed Reality.
About lululemon Whitespace
The originator brand for technical yoga apparel, lululemon is a
design-led, lifestyle brand focused on unlocking human potential and
elevating the world through its products and experiences. lululemon’s
Whitespace R&D team is the catalyst for innovation across all aspects of
their business, from the creation of new fabrics and technologies to
building lululemon’s future guest experience through the discovery and
application of industry-shifting initiatives. Created in partnership
with MAP Design Lab, Embody is lululemon’s latest venture into applying
virtual reality as a tool to support building mindful practices by
strengthening mind-body connections in order to unlock new feelings of
potential and new access points.
About Two Bit Circus
Two Bit Circus is a band of entertainment and technology enthusiasts
searching for the future of fun. Known for fusing the latest immersive
tech with the wonder and spectacle of classic circus and carnival, the
company is opening the world’s first chain of micro-amusement parks.
Filled with a variety of social entertainment that aims to bring people
together, elbow-to-elbow, to play, the company combines their love of
experiential with a new platform to showcase best-in-class immersive
entertainment from all over the globe.
Two Bit Circus’ nonprofit educational organization, Two Bit Circus
Foundation, is on a mission to cultivate the next generation of
inventors, advance environmental stewardship, and spur community
engagement by providing schools and youths of all means with access to
STEAM education and hands-on learning.
For more information, visit www.twobitcircus.com
or follow @TwoBitCircus and #twobitcircus.
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