Crickets In The Holoroom

April 29, 2015 by Dave Haynes

I did not realize the whiz-bang Lowes Holoroom augmented reality design thingie that is being tested in some Canadian stores was just up the road from me at the local DIY palace. But I bumped into it this weekend in my quest for other home repair stuff.

Lotsa PR buzz. No people.

It was high noon on a sunny Saturday – what I would assume is rush hour in the DIY home improvement business – and the room was empty, and no one in sight to talk to about imagineering my kitchen reno via augmented reality.

I was skeptical about the applicability of this thing, and seeing it up close certainly hasn’t changed my point of view. AR stuff gets a lot of tech media attention, but I’m just not convinced people want to imagine a larger space through the lens of 10-inch tablet screen.

Or why they need a larger dolled-up room to see 3D renderings and a 360 view you could just flat do on a tablet or a larger flat panel.