Selling Boats with Virtual Reality

From 6-9th of September  Baltic Workboats was visiting the most important event of maritime industry – SMM 2016 in Hamburg, a trade fair with the focus on digitalization and alternative propulsion technologies. The fair had altogether 2,200 exhibitors from 66 countries in a 3500 m2 hall and was fully booked.  Baltic Workboats were at the fair to introduce a new 45 m boat using Frost FX production hologram and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies.

For The Hologram experience first time ever Dreamoc XL3 was used at the SMM in Hamburg. Dreamoc is a new way to showcase a product. It is a mixed-reality display designed to present products or artefacts in combination with free floating holographic video elements. For this specific product - 45 m boat - moving images were created and projected in the device as holograms.

Virtual reality is a computer technology that uses software-generated realistic images to replicate a real environment or an imaginary setting, and simulates a user's physical presence in this environment to enable the user to interact with this space. How photos and videos differ from VR is that after leaving VR you will have the feeling like you have already been in the specific room which was created digitally- VR offers possibility for a client to visit a house/room/ship before it exists in matter and allows to build something digitally. Most decisions concerning design can be done using virtual reality.

Heiki Luts: ‘We used Virtual Reality to sell a boat, which has not been built yet. Virtual reality offers a possibility to see surrounding in stereoscopic manner to give exact understanding of the scale- you can see how high is the ceiling, how narrow / wide are corridors and how you could fit under the shower. This leads to new possibilities of making design decisions while using Virtual Reality for building ships.’

"Baltic Workboats is very grateful for the service provided by Frost FX.  They are absolute professionals and know their production and make sure that the outcome is the best possible ever.  FrostFX designed installations were exceptional and were getting the attention even more than it was expected!” said Joel Rang, sales/marketing manager from Baltic Workboats.

This specific VR experience created for Baltic Workboats starts with standing in a wheelhouse where you can actually feel that you are present. Main feature of the wheelhouse is 360 degree all around visibility: with a click on the remote you are teleported outside of the wheelhouse near a firefighting device; one more click and you can see a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) leaving the ship and at the same time the crane movement is detected as well. Baltic Workboats 45m ship is really good for the RIB for quick launching and approaching while vessel is in movement. For the final move you are teleported into the sea close to the rescue recess- easily accessible recess on both sides for boarding and SAR missions.

The whole fair experience was exciting for both Frost and Baltic Workboats since the hologram itself attracted a lot of curious people around the booth. After getting acquainted with the hologram there was a perfect chance to also pull customers in to the VR experience. Both technologies are a great way to advertise, project images, introduce spaces without creating them physically. This is definitely a way for the future to sell products in a convenient way.