''TheBlu'' is a digital media franchise that utilizes

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...

technology to create 3D-rendered, interactive simulations of underwater environments in the world's oceans. Iterations of ''TheBlu'' have appeared as

applications Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

for the

Samsung Gear VR The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality headset developed by Samsung Electronics, in collaboration with Oculus VR, and manufactured by Samsung. The headset was released on November 27, 2015. When in use, a compatible Samsung Galaxy device acts ...

and

HTC Vive VIVE, sometimes referred to as HTC Vive, is a virtual reality brand of HTC Corporation. It consists of hardware like its titular virtual reality headsets and accessories, virtual reality software and services, and initiatives that promote appl ...

headsets Headset may refer to: * Headset (audio), audio headphone(s), particularly with an attached microphone * Head Set (band), an American alternative rock band * Headset (bicycle part), a bicycle part that connects the fork to the frame * Head-mounted ...

and on the

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

and

Oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...

stores. In 2018, the most recent project in the franchise (''TheBlu: Deep Rescue'') was launched using the

Dreamscape Immersive Dreamscape Immersive is an American entertainment and technology company. It creates story-based full-roam virtual reality (VR) experiences which allow up to six people to simultaneously explore a virtual 3D environment, seeing fully rendered avat ...

platform, allowing up to six users to engage in a location-based experience. ''TheBlu'' was initially released as an interactive web application and screensaver by Wevr in 2011.

History

''TheBlu'' was originally conceived in 2010 by Neville Spiteri and Scott Yara, co-founders of Wemo Media (now known as Wevr). It was launched as a web application and interactive screensaver in 2011. The application allowed users to explore a virtual ocean that contained thousands of species of fish and other aquatic animals. In May 2012, a version of ''TheBlu'' was featured on the large

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

and

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

screens in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. With ''TheBlu''s companion mobile app, visitors could see fish swim from the screens to their phones. The creators of TheBlu won the 2012 SXSW Accelerator Award for best entertainment startup. In 2014, Wevr developed a virtual reality version of ''TheBlu'' app known as ''TheBluVR''. It was among the first apps made available at the product launch of the Samsung Gear VR headset. ''TheBluVR'' won the Proto Award for Best Educational VR Experience in 2015. In March 2015, a new virtual reality experience known as ''TheBlu: Encounter'', which was co-created and directed by Jake Rowell'','' was unveiled at the

Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Exclusive to the HTC Vive headset at the time, ''TheBlu: Encounter'' allowed users to explore a shipwreck and eventually encounter a

blue whale The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...

. ''TheBlu: Encounter'' experience was a 2016 Sundance New Frontier selection. It was later renamed ''TheBlu: Whale Encounter'' and packaged as part of a three-episode collection known as ''TheBlu: Season 1'' in 2016. ''Season 1'' was awarded the Proto Award for Most Transportive Experience. In 2017, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA) opened its first virtual reality program featuring TheBlu: An Underwater VR Experience. In 2018, Wevr partnered with

on its first story and location-based virtual reality experience known as ''TheBlu: Deep Rescue''. First made available at the

Westfield Century City Westfield Century City (formerly known as the Century Square Shopping Center) is a two-level, 1.3 million-square-foot outdoor shopping mall in the Century City commercial district in Los Angeles, California. A property of the Westfield Corporatio ...

mall in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in December 2018, ''Deep Rescue'' allows up to six participants to engage in a 10-minute rescue mission to retrieve a baby whale.

Education, Conservation, and Science

TheBlu has been recognized as a platform for ocean education and conservation and earned collaborations with organizations includin
Mission Blue
Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer and Time Magazine’s Hero of the Planet, joined TheBlu advisory board in 2011. At th
Wild Aid
2012 annual gala a single virtual 3D blue whale from TheBlu was auctioned for $10,000 with proceeds going towards raising awareness for ocean conservation. Dr. Luana Colloca of the University of Maryland conducts research on pain perception in the brain using virtual reality and TheBlu as a platform.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Official websiteWevr official website
Virtual reality companies 2010 establishments in the United States