NEW YORK CITY – July 19, 2018 – Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today launched “A Moon for All Mankind” (AMFAM), an immersive, consumer-focused 4D lunar gravity virtual reality (VR) experience. With the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Samsung Gear VRpowered by Oculus, consumers immerse themselves in a visual and physical VR experience that accurately recreates a fictional moon mission, allowing consumers to know what it’s like in lunar gravity. The AMFAM experience will be open to the public starting today through July 2019 at Samsung 837 in New York City’s Meatpacking District.
To develop this realistic lunar experience, Samsung’s rig design team collaborated with the team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston behind the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) to create a VR experience which mapped to the actual partial gravity experience of walking on the Moon. ARGOS is used to train astronauts to operate in low gravity environments.
“At Samsung, we are driven to push the boundaries of innovation and inspire consumers to do what they can’t,” said Zach Overton, Vice President of Consumer Experience & General Manager of Samsung 837 and Galaxy Studios. “We are proud to bring to consumers the combination of our powerful mobile VR headset and our innovative work with NASA to launch this lunar experience and bring the sensation of walking on the Moon to life.”
“Starting this year, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen Americans on the Moon,” said Sean Carter, Strategic Partnerships at NASA Johnson Space Center. “With VR experiences like the one Samsung has developed, we are working to make lunar missions accessible to the public and are excited to inspire the next generation of astronauts.”
At the AMFAM experience at Samsung 837, consumers will experience a full space mission including a briefing and details about how astronauts move on the Moon. Then, they will step into a flight suit and harness, wearing a Gear VR headset, to experience the lunar mission in the gravity offload rig, feeling what it’s like to walk on the Moon. The market-leading Gear VR headset provides users an untethered, ultra-fast, smooth and immersive VR experience. By leveraging the power of Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the high quality of its Super AMOLED displays, the Gear VR headset uses dedicated sensors and a wide field of view to help consumers fully immerse themselves in the experience of walking on the Moon.
For more information about AMFAM and to schedule a mission, consumers can go to www.837gearVR.com. More information on Gear VR can be found here. The AMFAM VR content was produced by Samsung together with creative agency, Iris, and award-winning creative studio Framestore.
