Due to continue growth we are looking to fill two positions here at our rather cool Bristol office.

Tired of churning out the same old code, dream of getting your hands on cutting edge tech and creating fun and engaging experiences for some of the worlds largest brands?

Kudan Limited is a digital marketing technology company based in Bristol, UK, but our roots are planted in Japanese soil. This brings us a fresh and different perspective on the western market. We work with app creation and focus on augmented reality on mobile, delivering to some of the larger brands and agencies on the market.

Most our solutions are native to iOS and Android and we are looking to strengthen our team on both sides. A knowledge of web, networking and CMS systems is also a plus.

For iOS, you are excited about making apps and you know you way around iOS and Xcode, UI development methodology as well as general app structure and process, and are keen to learn new things. Most importantly – you are ready to deliver quality code for live projects.

For Android, you are experienced in working on the fragmented market of Android handsets, you are committed to the Android platform and you know your way around it’s quirks. You know how to get what you want from the Android development tools, you test and confirm your solutions, and you are always keeping track of new developments.

If this sounds like you or you know someone who may be suited please get in touch.

Just hanging out with my new mate Spidey

New year is often regarded as a good time to make a change and this year, I’ve done exactly that. My name is David Gibson and I am the newest member of staff at Bristol-based mobile augmented reality agency, Kudan. Coming from an audio technology background, I have worked as a producer, writer and teacher, but during the last few years my focus has been drawn away from the audio and closer to the technology; mobile technology specifically. Initially, I was interested by the new possibilities that mobile music-production software offered, so I developed an app.

Beyond music, I found myself more and more interested in mobile technology. It’s an exciting time, mobile is progressing so quickly now that the overambitious pipe dreams of yesterday soon become a reality. At the moment, this seems more relevant for AR than it does for most other emerging technologies. In my first few weeks at Kudan, I’ve already worked towards an impressive range of AR projects: animated 3D overlays, music control devices, immersive environments, interactive AR experiences and so on. It’s great to be a part of such a forward thinking company and industry, particularly as I get to spend a significant portion of my working hours on R&D.

What’s the future? I’m not yet sure, I’m still getting up to speed with the present. Needless to say, whatever the future of AR is, I look forward to playing a part in it’s realisation.

Kudan partnered with Gyro to develop an iOS and Android application on behalf of the BBC, with the goal of showcasing the new BBC World’s Newsroom in all its glory to the media industry.

A pop up DM piece was sent to media representatives across the world and once scanned with the ‘’Engage More’’ app, the users were immersed in a 360 degree panoramic. By exploring the image, they discovered the entrance to the new building with links to an introductory video.

You can download the app and marker here

‘Will Pearson’ at eyerevolution supplied the 360 photography for this project.

Over what was the UK’s busiest online shopping weekend ever, eBay Social Shopping — the UK’s first interactive, socially powered shopping experience — landed in London’s Covent Garden.

Harnessing the influencing power of social media, eBay Social Shopping brought together product recommendations from social networks including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with eBay’s own unrivalled search data, to provide a live pulse of what the nations really wanted this Christmas.

Kudan developed an enterprise app for the event that allowed visitors the ability to discover the results of the UK’s most desirable toys this Christmas, by utilizing Kudan’s technology the empty freight container was brought to life with a selection of magical AR experiences.

A web shooting Spiderman, 360 Furby, a present filled Christmas panorama and a spell casting Monster High Doll.

Read more..

Lunchtime Talks are a series of informal presentations at Watershed’s Pervasive Media Studio. They normally take place at 13:00 on a Friday, are free and are open to everybody who is interested in what they do. Come along, bring a sandwich, and get to know more about the Studio community, current and up-coming projects, or residents’ work.

Augmented Reality – AR – enhances or augments your real-life surroundings through the use of technology such as cameras or GPS. It is starting to be found in many contexts but what is it really for?

Coming from the world of web design and software, Jan Warnstam as been working with Kudan in Bristol for two years, seeing the early days of augmented reality turn from research area into a busy business. As hardware technology increases in capability, and the algorithms increase their complexity, the things we can do with mobile devices are now staggering. But why should someone use this new technology, what is the user benefit, and what is the purpose? After many projects in the field Jan thinks he might have a clue.

More…

Our exciting new interactive hanger technology is helping high street retailers up-the-ante in their fight for sales against online channels. The technology that triggers customised in-store video content when items are removed from POS hangers creates a new level of in-store engagement, driving footfall and ultimately increased sales.

Retailers are constantly looking for innovative ways of increasing in-store engagement as well as demonstrating a wider product range (as with online sales) despite the constraints of a limited high-street storage capacity. Not only is space an issue, presenting a full range of clothing in all variables beyond traditional mannequin technology!

Our interactive hanger technology places an in-built sensor within clothes hangers. Once a customer removes it form the rack, videos of the product being modelled along with further information on available colours and sizes are displayed on surrounding screens.

In addition to the obvious benefits of increased ‘virtual product range’ in-store giving consumers a wider range of choices, the technology also provides an excellent insight into in-store interaction and interest levels. This insight can help determine store lay out, interest in particular products and ultimately, help optimise stock and display levels.

The first implementation of the ”Interactive Hanger” in Japan was July 2010 and the technology has been successfully deployed in stores including Coordination, Frapbois, Reebok, Cross Company, Anayi, Earth music and ecology, Amo’s Style, Vanquish, Ravijour and Zozocolle.

Kudan are proud to be partnering with Japanese creative powerhouse Teamlab to bring retail focussed products such as the Interactive Hanger

The Brief:

To help customer engagement agency Indicia activate a direct mail campaign
for Very, one of the UK’s leading online and mail order retailers. We were tasked with delivering exclusive video content that linked directly to Very’s online store, allowing customers to get a taste of winter’s fashion and make purchases.

Read the rest of the case study here