June 25th, 2020

Located in Palo Alto, California, 8th Wall is a cross-platform development solution for building AR experiences that run on the mobile web and iOS/Android applications.

The company was founded in 2016 by Erik Murphy-Chutorian with the mission of breaking the wall between the digital and physical world.

The company increases the reach of augmented reality (AR) content with its developer platform, which makes it easy to build interactive AR experiences that run on all smartphones. Creators and developers can choose to deploy their content as a native app to both iOS and Android devices, or as a web experience.

“So much of the technology required for mobile augmented reality was being discussed in academia, but few commercial apps were taking advantage of it,” said Erik in an interview with TIA, explaining the start of 8th Wall. “Few developers had the tools to integrate the required computer vision technologies into their apps.”

As described by its founder, 8th Wall is the only all-in-one platform to create, collaborate and publish interactive AR and VR projects to the web, or what’s known as WebAR and WebVR. The platform allows developers to combine our AR engine with the power and freedom of the open web.

This gives developers complete control of their WebAR project including when and where it is launched, what content will maximize value for their audience and what external libraries they may wish to include such as their own preferred analytics system. They can instantly publish their work to any website.

“Our partners are typically looking for a way for their end users to engage with a brand in a way that’s meaningful and experiential,” said Murphy-Chutorian. This is where 8th Wall can help, offering WebAR: the ability to instantly experience interactive AR content online instead of installing an app.

The company has a long trajectory of success stories over the years. One of their latest, was the use of 8th Wall to develop a WebAR promotion for the release of Pink Floyd’s The Later Years box set. The creative agency behind the promotion was Draw & Code and in just a week, tens of thousands of users in 140 countries tried the WebAR experience.

Constantly innovating, the company now seeks to continue improving its products to meet the needs of agencies, developers, designers, students and educators, with new tools and resources – always following the motto of making augmented reality accessible to everyone. 8th Wall recently announced the launch of their latest product, Face Effects, allowing developers to create interactive, real-time WebAR face filters that work across all devices.

“The web is changing and the next big thing in the industry is seeing augmented reality content live alongside other rich media – everywhere,” said Erik. “Our Inline AR feature allows brands and organizations to embed WebAR inside their main website increasing discovery and engagement of the AR experience as well as the overall dwell time on the site.“

8th WallARAugmented RealitydevelopersErik Murphy-ChutorianMobile App DevelopmentWeb DevelopmentWebAr