Syfy preps VR, 3D printing and tech with Labs

NBCUniversal-owned cable net Syfy has launched a new multi-platform content and experience lab, from which it will launch several next-generation products and services hinged on its latest drama series.

Syfy Labs has partnered with 3D printing specialists MakerBot Partnership as well as immersive lighting apps firm Philips Hue, as well as expanding its virtual reality offering on the Samsung Gear VR platform.

Several of the new services and offerings will be linked to Syfy’s trio of core original dramas, The Expanse, The Magicians and 12 Monkeys.

MakerBot will launch 3D printable files of the spaceships from The Expanse. Syfy Labs will also release a VR app related to the series for Samsung Gear VR that will allow fans to explore ships and locations from the series. There is already an iOS and Android Google Cardboard VR app for the series.

Philips Hue, meanwhile, will create app-based lighting experiences for The Expanse, 12 Monkeys and Sharknado 4. The app syncs home lights, creating customised ‘lighting tracks’, so they complement viewing of films and series.

Syfy will unveil the initiatives during the CES show, which is taking place in Las Vegas this week.

“Syfy has a long history of using technology in innovative and unexpected ways to enhance our television programming,” said Matthew Chiavelli, senior VP, Syfy Digital. “The launch of Syfy Labs formalises our commitment to giving our viewers new ways to experience our rich content in a variety of exciting ways, on many different platforms.”