Honda delivers ‘The Ultimate Get-Well Card’ to sick kids via augmented reality

By Lulu Chang Published October 10, 2019

Santa Claus isn’t the only one bringing gifts and well wishes this holiday season. Honda is reprising its Happy Honda Days celebration, and this year, is leveraging augmented reality to deliver what it calls the “Ultimate Get-Well Card” to the little ones at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). The AR holiday card features crowdsourced messages from well-wishers around the country for children battling illnesses.

As part of its initiative, Honda took over a CHOC hospital room, turning it into an “augmented reality winter wonderland” that featured messages from folks across the United States, all of whom sent their love and best wishes to the brave patients. Messages could be viewed through an iPad held in place by a specially designed holder that triggered a wintry AR experience.

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“Sending warm wishes to others is one of the best traditions of the holiday season and through a little Honda innovation we’re using augmented reality to send messages that will brighten the lives of young patients at Children’s Hospital of Orange County,” said Susie Rossick, assistant vice president of Honda marketing.

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Honda has been collecting messages since September, when the company first sent out a holiday video inviting its large network to leave their best wishes via Facebook and Instagram. Hundreds of messages were sent in over the course of the last few months, and Honda selected the best few to load onto the virtual card alongside personalized videos from hospital staff.

Each child saw their name on the front of the AR card, which then opened to reveal contents on “paper” that then danced to life, filling the entire room. Children could interact with the card, which featured both text and embedded video, and of course, moving images.

And even if you weren’t around to help send a get well wish to the kiddos before, you can now help by liking or loving the video on Facebook — for each social media interaction, Honda is promising to donate $1 for up to $100,000 to both CHOC and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF). So if you’re looking for a way to spread some holiday cheer, this just may be your chance.

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