MSU J-School Partners with Augmented Reality Company Blippar

The MSU School of Journalism is excited to announce a new strategic partnership with Blippar, adding the London-based company to the School’s growing list of innovative initiatives. The partnership is part of the School of Journalism’s Immersive Journalism program to bring to our students cutting-edge industry platforms, storytelling skills and new experiences to students that redefine journalism in the 21st Century.

​Journalism students already are using the platform to design interactive, augmented reality experiences in Sports Journalism for the Smithsonian Latino Center and for an upcoming exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian this Fall in Washington, D.C..

​“We are excited about the possibilities with this new partnership,” said Dr. Lucinda Davenport, Director of the School of Journalism.

​MSU Journalism students will develop and produce interactive media content as well as provide feedback on Blippar’s AR creation tools, consisting of Blippbuilder, its powerful drag and drop AR creator, and the Blippar Augmented Reality API for developers, which aims to create advanced augmented reality experiences. Unlocked through scanning the students work with the Blippar app, the user receives interactive AR content in an entertaining and informing experience.

​“Blippar is the only visual discovery browser powered by augmented reality, artificial intelligence and computer vision which gives people more from the world they see: more information, more utility and more entertainment. It allows you to unlock from any physical object or image in the world by pointing your phone’s camera to it,” according to the Blippar Group.

​Augmented reality is the process by which media content is layered over objects, words and pictures (the physical view of the world) to augment viewers’ experience by using a smartphone, tablet or virtual reality device.

​For example, if you use the app to scan this page, added video content will augment this story.

​“Life is multi-layered, and Blippar lets our students bring out all those layers to tell important stories. Blippar is helping the next generation of Journalists tell stories in new ways,” said Professor Stacey Fox, who leads the School of Journalism’s innovative Immersive Journalism program.

​Download the Blippar App for iOS and Android: iOS:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id410604563?mt=8 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blippar.ar.android

  1. Open the Blippar App on your mobile device
  2. Go to the settings menu and select “Enter Code”
  3. Enter the Blipp code 23229
  4. Blipp the School of Journalism logo for information and t-shirt overlays
  5. Blipp the J-School’s MI First Election logo to get your own button pic