March 22, 2017

AOI Pro. releases a beta version of WONDERFUL WORLD - VR Private Tour™
Guided walking tours of fantastic places—all in virtual reality!
Japan’s first-ever VR-based immersion system creates a wonderful world of wanderlustTOKYO-- AOI Pro. Inc. has released a beta version of WONDERFUL WORLD - VR Private Tour™, acollection of VR content that gives users guided walking tours of fantastic places in Japan and aroundthe world.
▶Website https://www.aoivr.jp/▶Watch a video of the system in action https://youtu.be/w7kKV-0Ca-A◼About WONDERFUL WORLD - VR Private Tour™
Full of thrilling ambience and enticing, inspiring views that awaken an impulse for adventure,
WONDERFUL WORLD - VR Private Tour™ takes users on guided walking tours of the mostspectacular sights in Japan and across the globe. The content puts sensory stimulation front andcenter, using 360-degree live-action video and stereophonic sound to create incredible realism,“walking” operations to put users in actual motion, a guide avatar with a “hand” for users to hold, andvarious atmospheric elements—wind and mist, for example—to round out the immersive, fullysynchronized experience. The beta version features a location in the Kanto area, with a female guideleading the user around.
* The content is designed for users ages 13 and up, as exposure to 3D images may have negative
effects on developing visual systems.

◼Japan’s first-ever VR-based immersion system to synchronize video with sensory perception
Although several VR walking systems have already madetheir way into the market, the WONDERFUL WORLD team
was looking for a more natural walking experience than what
the existing equipment could provide. To get thatfunctionality, the team developed its content using the“TorusTreadmill mini”* walking system on loan from
Professor Hiroo Iwata in the Faculty of Engineering,
Information and Systems at the University of Tsukuba. Thetechnology allows the user to hold the guide’s “hand” (aninduction actuator), creating a stable walking environment
and eliminating the need for any harnesses or safety rails.
Integrating the induction actuator, sensory equipment, andwalking equipment to synchronize the experience with video
content, the WONDERFUL WORLD VR immersion systemis the first of its kind in Japan (patent pending).
The team also benefited from a wide variety of collaborative arrangements. Prototype Inc. helped
develop and program-control the sensory equipment for generating the system’s hand, wind, andmist textures, for example, while Digital Garden Inc. (a Group company) assisted with theimplementation of the system’s video footage and stereophonic sound. Through that joint effort, theteam successfully synchronized the visual experience with the other sensory elements in a sleek,
seamless fashion.
The 360-degree photography was another cooperative effort, with international VR/AR production
studio NOMA supervising shooting duties and TYO Technical Ranch Inc. providing technical support
for the shooting, editing, and everything in between. The collaboration thus united video specialists
and expert technicians, enhancing the overall development process.
* A walking system that recreates movement in all directions—forward, backward, side to side, andat various angles—via an array of conveyor belts◼Tracking user behavior, monitoring user reactions, and testing usage
To create the system’s head-mounted display, the team used FOVE—a device capable of tracking
user eye movements. FOVE, Inc., the company behind the technology, also got on board during theinitial development stage to help monitor user behaviors and reactions to the experiences. TheWONDERFUL WORLD system boasts potential applications in a wide variety of settings, includingcommercial facilities, travel agencies, airlines (both domestic and international), foreign tourism
bureaus in Japan, tourism associations, and local specialty shops throughout Japan. Gearing up for
full-scale implementation, the development team plans to use experiential tests and data resources
to determine how well the system can stimulate the desire for experiencing never-before-seen worlds.
◼Developing immersion content that “reaches the heart”
WONDERFUL WORLD - VR Private Tour™ is AOI Pro.’s second package of VR content, coming on
the heels of VR Dream Match™ Baseball—a platform for realistic baseball experiences that cameout in September 2016.

AOI Pro. has spent years honing its ability to create video content that “reaches the heart.” Working
to incorporate that expertise, AOI Pro. will continue to fuse video and technology into immersion
content that truly inspires.
▶Related news http://www.aoi-pro.com/files/news_20170314_en.pdf◼Company profiles
About AOI Pro.
Since its establishment in 1963, AOI Pro. has established an industry-top level position in Japan forvideo productions centering on TV commercials. In addition to more than 600 commercial
productions every year, AOI Pro. has been proactively working on feature films and dramas in recentyears. As a 100% subsidiary of AOI TYO Holdings, the Group has the resources required foreverything from planning to direction, production, 3DCG works, and the latest equipment.
▶Website

http://www.aoi-pro.com/en/

About Professor Hiroo Iwata in the Faculty of Engineering, Information and Systems at theUniversity of Tsukuba
Since 1986, Prof. Hiroo Iwata has been researching virtual reality, particularly in the field of recreating
human sensations such as haptics and mobility senses. In 2015, he founded Empowerment Informatics
with the goal to supplement and extend human functions as well as enabling technology to work inharmony with people. Empowerment Studio was created as a working environment for this program.
▶Virtual Reality Laboratory Website

http://intron.kz.tsukuba.ac.jp/wp-vrlab/▶Empowerment Informatics Website

http://www.emp.tsukuba.ac.jp/english/

About Prototype
Prototype is a creative studio that covers an extensive range of activities, offering everything from solution
proposals to design, development, spatial design, and production. In addition to boasting a sterling
reputation for its interactive content and video production, the company also provides environmental control
via device integration (for lighting and projection videos, etc.) and develops installation products.
▶Website

http://proto-type.jp/About Digital Garden
Part of the AOI TYO Holdings Group, Digital Garden is a post-production studio that not only edits
and color-grades video content (primarily for TV commercials) but also plans and produces 3DCG
and interactive content. Recent years have seen Digital Garden get involved in the filming phase ofvideo production, too, as the company continues to establish an effective workflow and expand its
scope of business outside the post-production realm.
▶Website

http://www.dgi.co.jp/

About NOMA
NOMA is an international video studio featuring members from Japan, the United States, Russia,
and other countries around the world. The company formed in April 2016, with founder Taichi

(director, producer, CEO of EDLEAD Inc. [California, United States]) spearheading the effort, andthen announced its official launch of operations on October 1 of the same year. As a wide-ranging
collection of directors, producers, actors, cinematographers, composers, and other professionals,
NOMA handles the full scope of the video production process—from planning development toadministration—on an in-house basis. The organization also benefits from a diverse mix of engineers,
researchers, creators, artists, and entrepreneurs, who help propel the company forward with a
cutting-edge, progressive vision of what video is all about. NOMA’s core competency is live-action
VR video production.
▶Websitehttps://www.noma-film.com/

About TYO Technical RanchTYO Technical Ranch, an AOI TYO Holdings Group company, combines its workforce of camera
operators, gaffers, and other technical staff with an arsenal of photographic equipment and lighting
resources to create teams of specialists capable of handling virtually any production task—including
editing. The company offers one-stop solutions for the entire video-production process.
▶Websitehttps://www.ttr-inc.co.jp/

About FOVE
Specializing in the development, production, and marketing of wearable hardware and software for
VR-related applications, FOVE developed the world’s first technology for eye movement-basedoperations in VR space using infrared cameras to follow user sightlines. The company continues todo advanced development on its “Eye Tracking” feature and core technologies.
▶Websitehttps://www.getfove.com/◼Contact details
For the content

VR/AR Project TeamE-mail: info_vr@aoi-pro.co.jp

For press coverage

Corporate Communication Department
TEL: +81-3-3779-8006