Chocolate Touch at Cadbury World

Chocolate Touch uses augmented reality technology to create an interactive exhibit at Cadbury World’s Purple Planet exhibition where you not only turn objects to chocolate in front of your eyes, you can also play with them.

As you face a projected image of yourself on a large display, a series of six cards set out in front of you appear on-screen as intriguing objects. Be prepared for amazement when you pick up the simple card bearing a symbol, then see it transformed on the display using a beautiful 3D chocolate effect developed by HMC.

There’s a top hat, a pair of Groucho Marx-style glasses, not to mention the chocolate teapot. The Groucho glasses are complete with nose and moustache which not only turn to chocolate, but also give the appearance of being worn when held up to the face. Lifting an object higher makes it grow to comic proportions.

The simplicity of the human interface of Chocolate Touch is central to its success. A wide-angle camera mounted in the top of the screen streams live video to the central processor but the camera is discreetly hidden as you play the game.

Three robust metal posts hold the marker cards making the interface not only accessible to young, old and disabled — it is also able to cope with large groups of eager children wanting to play with the exhibit at any one time.

HMC Interactive and Newangle worked seamlessly to bring this idea to fruition. Newangle took the creative lead, working with HMC to develop ideas that would bring the Chocolate Touch environment to life.

HMC employed state of the art augmented reality software to create the tactile experience and adjusted it to create the “feel” of lifting the objects. They also created the amazing 3D chocolate effect that is paramount to the success of the experience.

Exhibition design: Event Communications Design & production: Newangle Software programming: HMC Interactive