New technology will be introduced in six stores in Ohio and Colorado by Christmas 2015.
Lowe’s Innovation Labs have been working for the past two years to create state-of-the-art technologies to elevate the customer experience to a new, futuristic level, introducing retail service robots, science fiction prototyping, and now the 3-D Holoroom into select Lowe’s stores nationwide.
“Lowe’s is one of those amazing organizations on the planet, they have an executive team that really thinks about how to deploy new technologies in very courageous ways,” Rob Nail, associate founder and CEO, Singularity University said.
That bold thinking has now made 3-D remodeling a new tool for customers.
Together with virtual reality technology provider Oculus VR and Google, Lowe’s has upgraded its Holoroom feature, which allows customers to engage in virtual remodeling to see how they could utilize tools and materials sold in the store. Lowe’s describes it as “a home improvement simulator which applies 3-D and augmented reality technologies to provide homeowners an intuitive, immersive experience in the room of their dreams.”
The upgraded Holoroom technology was first launched in Canada last year at two Lowe’s stores in the Greater Toronto area region, equipped with thousands of products designed for bathroom remodels. Now the expanded virtual remodel experience is being rolled out to 6 select U.S. locations in Ohio and Colorado.
“The next-generation Holoroom continues to fulfill our long-term vision for how Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies can help customers have more confidence and more fun with home improvement,” Kyle Nel said. “We can’t wait to see what our customers create as they bring their imagination to life with these new tools.”
The new Holoroom allows users to create a kitchen or bathroom on an iPad and then experience the new design in 360-degree Virtual Reality via an Oculus DK2. The designs may also be exported to YouTube360 for easy sharing.
The Lowe’s Holoroom is powered by Marxent’s VisualCommerce™ solution, the virtual product platform for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality experiences used by leading retailers and manufacturers.
