Charity using AR to offer first-hand war experience

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a new AR app to bring the reality of war closer to home for iOS app users.

‘Enter the room’ is an augmented reality narrative told through the eyes of a child. The free app provides a first-person experience of war at a family’s doorstep.

Users enter through a portal on the screen of their device to see the impact of years of fighting in accelerated time as the virtual room transforms from a normal home to a dwelling of suffering and sadness.

Director of communications and information management at the ICRC, Charlotte Lindsey-Curtet, said while Pokemon Go and Snapchat have already introduced the world to augmented reality, this is the first time AR has been used to tell the story of the impact of urban conflict.

“With augmented reality, we can create immersive experiences that showcase the humanitarian situation in a new and deeply moving way,” she said.

ICRC president, Peter Maurer, said 65 million people are fleeing conflict today, 75 per cent of whom live in cities, where battles are increasingly being waged.

“Conflict has devastating impacts on communities, and especially on children. We hope the story told through this immersive app will give people new insights into the realities of war,” he said. “It is a vivid reminder of how urban warfare destroys children’s bedrooms, their homes, and their lives."

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