South Korea is set to open its first augmented reality (AR) zoo, bringing the immersive technology closer to the real-life environment.

Korea’s leading mobile carrier SK Telecom said the country’s first AR zoo would open Tuesday at Olympic Park and Yeoido Park in Seoul.

Users of all mobile operators can download the “Jump AR” app on their smartphones to summon house-sized giant cats and dragons as well as cute little red pandas and Welsh Corgi dogs in front of their very eyes.

The zoo app applies SK Telecom’s ultra-real rendering and environment rendering technologies to create cinematic visual effects. It also employs mobile optimization rendering techniques to achieve stunning high-quality graphics on mobile screens.

Graphic designers have combined hyperrealistic rendering technologies with simulation of animal fur and fluid dynamics to bring to life the thousands of fur strands of a giant cat running at full speed. They also incorporated environment rendering techniques to replicate the different hue, brightness and saturation of light at different times in different places.

SK Telecom said its T real technologies, when combined with AR and VR, could have far-ranging applications in education, advertising, gaming and entertainment.

The company plans to transform public parks in Seoul to AR hotspots and gradually expand the concept across the country, to Boramae Park in Daejeon, Duryu Park in Daegu and 5•18 Memorial Park in Gwangju.

By Lee Yong-ik and Kim Hyo-jin

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]