A001 / Democratization of Expertise
Holoroom Test Drive
Honored at the 2018 Augmented World Expo
Selected as the Best Enterprise Solution at the 2018 Auggie Awards
Democratization of Expertise
A virtual backyard for in-store power tool demos
For novice DIYers, picking up a power tool for the first time can be intimidating.
Back in 2018, the Lowe’s Innovation Labs team set out to explore how an immersive, virtual reality experience could help make a customer more comfortable using a power tool and potentially even influence their buying decision.
What it is
Holoroom Test Drive was a fully-immersive, multi-sensory experience that utilized visuals, haptics and sound to let customers try power equipment in a safe, virtual space.
Everything we do at Lowe's Innovation Labs is designed to solve a human need.
Pushing "try before you buy" farther than ever
Building on our past Holoroom How To work, we created an experience – complete with custom controller and HTC Vive hardware set-up – that enabled customers to safely test a Kobalt hedge trimmer in an in-store, virtual backyard.
Customers stepped into a virtual garage and backyard setting to test drive a power tool, in this case a Kobalt 24V hedge trimmer.
In this virtual environment, customers used a custom controller that mimicked the weight and feel of the actual tool, complete with realistic haptics, visuals, and sounds.
Digital trackers on users' hands enabled the platform to monitor how customers handle the virtual tool and offered interactive training to enhance their proficiency and confidence while using the product.
The limited in-store test was rolled out to select Lowe's stores in 2018. While this experience has since been retired, its legacy lives on in explorations like Infinite Kitchen Touch.
