2011.01.20

Iida Home Max Applied NTT Comware's AR Technology to Newspaper Insert Media for Video Streaming Advertisement

Iida Home Max Co., Ltd. (Head office: Musashino-shi, Tokyo; President: Masashi Kanei; below, Iida Home Max) and NTT Comware Corporation (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Michio Sugimoto; below, NTT Comware) starts demonstration tests of a new type of newspaper insert media with the IT solution on January 22, 2011. The advertisement uses the video streaming system with NTT Comware's AR (^*1) technologies.

1. Newspaper Insert for Demonstration Tests
   Advertisements as newspaper insert for the real estate and property information of Iida Home Max
   - Date: Newspaper Insert for the morning issue on January 22, 2011
   ** The newspaper insert is issued as required, to the end of March
   - Area: Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama Prefectures
2. Term of Demonstration Tests
   January 22 - March 31, 2011
3. Outline and Purpose of Demonstration Test
   The NTT Comware's IT solution provides the newspaper insert advertising with an AR application installed in smartphones. With the service, users would capture the images of a model house on the newspaper inserts by the smartphone camera. The images taken will then start moving to lead the video image of a seismic test with the model house and demonstration of I.D.S Method (^*2), the original seismic resistant construction method developed by Iida Home Max. The video streaming also leads the viewers to the website of Iida Home Max for further information about the company including real estate information for sales and various contents such as a process to buy properties. This demonstration test is to measure the effects of the AR-based event promotions to seek new business opportunities.
4. Background of the Demonstration Test
   Iida Home Max has been considering how to make a customer appeal of their highly reliable seismic performance of the houses for sales. Meanwhile, the newspaper insert is "a poplar advertising media that customers can reach every day". As NTT Comware has been pursuing SaaS (^{*2) of the AR based on the image recognition technology developed by their research department, they need to conduct the system demonstration tests to identify how to effectively use the technology and the business models of the system.
   The demonstration test will then verify an opportunity for attractive audience experiences using newspaper insert advertising as a popular advertising media for customers. This service will attract customers with a video streaming to appeal Iida's seismic technologies of the houses for sales as this is what expected customers would be keen to or a competitive advantage to other companies. NTT Comware also uses the SaaS-based SmartCloud for flexible extension and alteration of the system, subject to the access volume. This is also a new IT solution to meet the business needs for short-term services.}
5. Validation of Demonstration Test
   The demonstration test will measure customers' interests on Iida's newspaper insert or seismic construction method shown in the advertisement. It then validates the effects of promotions of the properties for sales. Such data will be used as a basic data for the future services.
6. Features of NTT Comware's AR Technology
   NTT Comware's AR Technology is based on the Image Capture Technology of NTT Comware Research and Development Department. Images captured by the AR application installed in Smartphone are scanned to find its related movies from the pre-registered contents to play in a format available for the captured images. This technology allows users to experience as if a photo image would be moving in the screen and obtain detailed information from the movie. (Patent Pending)
7. NTT Comware's Future Scenario
   NTT Comware aims to create various businesses, using the technology which would require no newly-developed markers (e.g. QR code), which allows the users to play movies from the existing images on the website. More functions will also be developed based on the results of the demonstration test. The current package services and new SaaS-based commercial services will be available in April 2011 and after.
8. Terminology
   
   1. ^*1AR:
      Augmented Reality. This is a technology for a live view of a physical real-world environment (may be a part) through a PC (AR device) to show digitally processed data such as texts, images and movies laid over the screen.
   2. ^*2I.D.S Method:
      The engineered wood frame wall panel system. This is a hybrid construction method to enable both flexibility in design of the wood frame system and high earthquake resistance of the wall panel system. The system unifies the exterior walls, floor frame of the first and second floors and the roof using the structural wood panel. It is a construction solution to achieve high seismic resistance performance.
   3. ^*3SaaS:
      Software as a Service. A simple service system to use on demand.