Robert Rice: The man shaking up industries by converging AR and VR with blockchain tech

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When emerging technologies collide, the effects are game changing. Those at the forefront of augmented and virtual reality have already transformed multiple industries. But what happens when you apply blockchain technology, putting both the 3D and real world on chain? It allows for unparalleled personalization of data and most importantly, profitability that anyone can build on, reaping their just rewards. 

Robert Rice is the founder and CEO of Transmira Inc. the developer of Omniscape, an XR platform seamlessly blending AR and VR. He also happened to coin the term XR, the umbrella term for mixing the two mixed reality technologies. I was pleased to bump into Robert at an investment summit in Dubai, where he was giving a presentation on how the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain allows him to augment smart cities in a way that is safe and secure. We sat down to record the latest episode of CoinGeek Conversations.

Having started out as a comic book store owner, Rice was the first to use PC components in arcade games and was noted as an Internet Gaming Pioneer by Advertising Age magazine in 1996. Flash forward to today, he explained Omniscape’s unparalleled advertising offer to brands. “Starbucks for example can do a campaign and geo-locate 3D Starbucks coffee cups all over the place.” Imagine Pokémon GO, but once you’ve found your coffee cup you can redeem it at the nearest Starbucks for an actual cup of coffee. So, what’s in it for Starbucks? By placing objects where their customers are, they are able to target audiences on an individual level, driving them straight into their stores.

“Imagine watching a Superbowl and a Doritos commercial comes on TV. Well, whip out your phone because there’s probably going to be a 3D bag of Doritos that you can grab.” Triggering content from live streamed TV, Robert explained the super impressive part. “Let’s say there’s three people sitting on a couch watching the football game and the Doritos commercial comes on TV, we can deliver a different experience to each one. Maybe I’m getting the free bag of Doritos, the guy next to me is getting an offer on Dr. Pepper… now that I can deliver it that way, I’m also getting data back.” He is taking targeted advertising to the next level by allowing for data to be broken down to each individual household member’s preferences, tracking and changing content in real time.

Another industry that Robert and his team are shaking up is global digital real estate. And he’s keen to see individuals having a fun experience which allows them to profit from ownership. “For 2 or 3 dollars, you can go onto Omniscape and buy a location somewhere. And that space is yours for 2 years, just like a Domain name.” You then have the power to trade your space for profit. And for those wanting to make a social impact, Robert is also hoping to create space. For example, by buying a piece of the ocean, Omniscape hopes to donate the profits to charities that are fighting to protect the world’s oceans.

Like the data offering for advertisers, the virtual real estate platform will exist on the blockchain. And Robert is adamant that this is only possible on BSV. “There really is no choice when you compare the technical pieces: the size, speed, scale, cost; you’d have to be an idiot in my industry to do something else that’s not Bitcoin SV.”

For Robert, it’s important to not only build things for the benefit of businesses and brands. But for individuals too. “I think that, if we can make it easy for anybody: business, brand, consumer, content creator to make things and monetize it quickly, I think we’ll destroy everybody else.”

Check out this week’s episode of CoinGeek Conversation to learn more about what Robert is doing in the space, his predictions for game changing industries over the next couple of decades and his comic character alter ego. Robert Rice. You’re a hero. 

Hear the whole of Robert Rice’s interview in this week’s CoinGeek Conversations podcast or catch up with other recent episodes:

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