AppCamp Gdansk Finals A Virtual Reality Showdown
Date posted
27 June 2014
Reading time
5 Minutes
AppCamp Gdansk Finals A Virtual Reality Showdown
The 3rd edition of Kainos AppCamp Gdansk has drawn to a close following long hours and months of hard work from the AppCamp finalists. This edition of AppCamp was arguably the most challenging yet; while previous AppCamps were focused on iOS app development, this year's focus shifted to developing apps for the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality head-mounted display.
Thankfully our AppCampers love a challenge, which is at the core of the AppCamp experience. It's a competition at the end of the day, but we always encourage innovation and knowledge sharing amongst the AppCampers, and our overall aim is to teach them the technologies that can make their app ideas a (virtual) reality. As always, the finalists approached the competition with incredible energy and a subtle appetite to win!
Crowning the AppCamp winner
We held an event in the Olivia SkyClub in Gdansk, which offered beautiful views of the city, to crown the winner of the competition. A host of people from business and academia were invited and given the chance to experience the finalists' apps first hand, and were asked to vote for their favourite. Voting included choosing the app that was best developed and designed.
The atmosphere was electric, and there was a real sense that what each finalist had achieved in just 2 months of development was astounding, and it was. I should stress that most of the participants had little to no previous knowledge of virtual reality technology before the AppCamp workshops.
In both categories the same project won Drunk Driver, which was coded by Michal Lobacz and designed by Damian Karczewski. This driving simulator allows the user to experience what it's like to drive under the influence of alcohol, with their vision becoming more blurred and their reaction times more delayed as the alcohol level is increased. The developers added to the realism of the app by providing a car seat, steering wheel and pedals for the user. The winning team won a top of the range projector and a license for Unity Pro, a cross-platform game engine not bad!
They were up against stiff competition, which included the following apps:
Arachnophobia This app helps you conquer your fears by coming face to face with the ultimate creepy crawly spiders!
An Interactive Journey Through the Westerplatte This educational app takes the user to the peninsula where a battle took place that marked the start of WWII.
inVEINsion A simple game detailing the interior of the human vein.
What excited me about this edition of AppCamp is that each app was really unique and showed off different aspects of the Oculus Rift technology. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to see where the finalists take their apps next, as each has expressed interest in continuing to develop them.
Have you been inspired by any of the apps from this year's edition of AppCamp Gdansk? Let us know in the comments below!
Thankfully our AppCampers love a challenge, which is at the core of the AppCamp experience. It's a competition at the end of the day, but we always encourage innovation and knowledge sharing amongst the AppCampers, and our overall aim is to teach them the technologies that can make their app ideas a (virtual) reality. As always, the finalists approached the competition with incredible energy and a subtle appetite to win!
Crowning the AppCamp winner
We held an event in the Olivia SkyClub in Gdansk, which offered beautiful views of the city, to crown the winner of the competition. A host of people from business and academia were invited and given the chance to experience the finalists' apps first hand, and were asked to vote for their favourite. Voting included choosing the app that was best developed and designed.
The atmosphere was electric, and there was a real sense that what each finalist had achieved in just 2 months of development was astounding, and it was. I should stress that most of the participants had little to no previous knowledge of virtual reality technology before the AppCamp workshops.
In both categories the same project won Drunk Driver, which was coded by Michal Lobacz and designed by Damian Karczewski. This driving simulator allows the user to experience what it's like to drive under the influence of alcohol, with their vision becoming more blurred and their reaction times more delayed as the alcohol level is increased. The developers added to the realism of the app by providing a car seat, steering wheel and pedals for the user. The winning team won a top of the range projector and a license for Unity Pro, a cross-platform game engine not bad!
They were up against stiff competition, which included the following apps:
Arachnophobia This app helps you conquer your fears by coming face to face with the ultimate creepy crawly spiders!
An Interactive Journey Through the Westerplatte This educational app takes the user to the peninsula where a battle took place that marked the start of WWII.
inVEINsion A simple game detailing the interior of the human vein.
What excited me about this edition of AppCamp is that each app was really unique and showed off different aspects of the Oculus Rift technology. The possibilities are endless, and I can't wait to see where the finalists take their apps next, as each has expressed interest in continuing to develop them.
Have you been inspired by any of the apps from this year's edition of AppCamp Gdansk? Let us know in the comments below!