Japanese VR enthusiast and social influencer オレンジ Orange (@orange_3134) builds tools allowing independent Vtubers and other people active in the metaverse to film high-quality videos and conduct live streaming in the social VR platform NeosVR. He also develops games and toys in VR.

One of his most highly anticipated projects in recent weeks has been an app allowing avatar users to walk around in the real world. Late last month, Orange had already shown previews of his app on his Twitter account while it was in development, offering exciting glimpses of what was in store:

The app is called おでかけAR odekake AR, the word おでかけ meaning "going out," with the implication that those who usually use avatars to express themselves can now go out into the real world.

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Features

Here are the main features:

Walking around smoothly in the real world

Not only can you walk around with your avatar, but if you use an iPhone or iPad with LiDAR technology (available on some models since 2020), the experience will be even smoother, incuding walking up and down stairs.

Face tracking

If your avatar supports the Perfect Sync standard, the mouth shape, eye movement, eyebrows, and other facial details will be reflected. Even if your avatar doesn't have Perfect Sync support, the opening and closing of the eyes and mouth will be synchronized.

Link with VRoid Hub

If your avatar is on VRoid Hub, you can easily link it and use it in the app.

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During the test phase, many VR enthusiasts were trying out the app. For example, George (@George_T_O), who graciously gave us permission to feature his test videos, took to the streets of Osaka at night with the app:

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Interview with Orange

We were curious to know more about the app and what inspired Orange to develop it, so he was kind enough to answer a few of our questions:

Q: What inspired you to develop "Odekake AR"?

When I've attended events in the real world, I've always wanted to post a video of it but I didn't want to show my face, so I wanted to be able to film it with my avatar. It's possible to do this by combining existing software, but it takes a lot of time and effort. I wanted a way to do it in one integrated system so I decided to make it myself.

Q: Who are the target users of the app?

People who are usually active in the metaverse and VR but want to enjoy real life as well!

Q: There have already been AR apps that display VRM models standing and posing in the real world. How is this one different?

The biggest difference is that it's specialized in taking videos of your avatar walking around. With Odekake AR, the avatar automatically walks when the user walks. You can take Vlog-like videos with your avatar as soon as you walk with your device.

Q: Can people who don't have a model use it too?

Yes, you can load avatars from VRoid Hub if their permission settings allow you to do so.

Q: Does the app natively support live streaming?

No, it doesn't. You can stream if you connect the HDMI output to a computer or streaming hardware.

Q: Do you have any plans to improve the app or add new features in the future?

Yes, I do. Specifically, I'd like to change the walking animation and add a native recording function.

Q: This is a little off topic, but do you think there's a way for individual Vtubers and metaverse users to meet each other (or people without avatars) in the real world without revealing who they are?

I think this is a possible future if AR-enabled HMDs become more advanced. I ended up releasing Odekake AR on iOS, but the first mockup was created on Quest Pro. I think it will become a common sight when AR-enabled HMDs are more affordable, have higher performance, and can be used outdoors.

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Link

おでかけAR (Odekake AR) is now available in the App Store for iPhones and iPads at the following link.