KDDI, a Japanese communication solution provider, will offer ‘SYNC TRAVEL,’ remote overseas travel service by virtual reality (VR), at a special venue in Omotesando on November 3 and 4 2016. A viewer can experience real-time local sightseeing guiding on the VR vision with a VR goggle in Japan and a 360 degrees camera in a local tourist spot connected.
It is possible for a local guide and a virtual traveler to see faces each other and to enjoy dialog each other. The real-time and interactive VR communication is the Japan’s first trial, according to KDDI.
The remote travel will be offered for London, Bangkok and Sydney for two days, and only 28 couples will be selected. If you like particular landscapes on the VR vision, you can take pictures of those through the VR goggle. Also, if you can find what you like in a local shop or market, a local guide can buy and deliver it to you.
Experience time is 15 minutes. Price is 1,980 JPY for a couple. NAVITIME Travel plays a role of front desk for applications on a special website.
The remote travel service is just a demonstration. KDDI said that they have no particular plan to sell the service as commodity at this moment, though they intend to commercialize the service in the future. SYNC TRAVEL is one of the SYNC Projects that connect minds or thoughts in remote areas with the KDDI’s communication technologies. In December last year, KDDI performed ‘Christmas Dinner’ connecting a remote dinner venue with a restaurant, and the success encouraged KDDI to extend the service to travel.
One of the issues for the SYNC Projects is to ensure communication standard of higher than 4G to deliver clear and real-time VR vision, according to KDDI.
In Japanese
