Singtel ad replaces driver's eyes with VR goggles in spectacular stunt drifting demo

Mobile networks aren't typically recommended for setups where you need real-time access to data, but a new commercial shot for Singapore mobile operator Singtel aims to prove that the company's network is robust enough to replace your eyes.

For the film, agency Ogilvy & Mather strapped virtual reality goggles on a stunt driver, fencer and kid playing an arcade game, and tried to see if they could function normally with the headsets.

Ogilvy made the VR goggles by putting two Samsung smartphones together, one filming and transmitting a live stream to the other, viewed by the wearer.

Via Giphy

The idea was to show that the mobile network could handle use cases that required very low latency — if the video feed lagged at all, it would cause the wearer to feel carsick. In the case of the stunt driver, the consequences could be way more dire.

The ad is visually spectacular in the fencing scene, as the athlete slices through tubes of fluorescent lighting, but the stunt scene is where it truly comes to life.

Shot on an empty road and in a container port, the car is seen drifting and swerving through the lanes of containers.

Via Giphy

Melvyn Lim, executive creative director at OgilvyOne Singapore, told Mashable the rain was unexpected, but the driver adjusted his tires for the situation and they stuck to the shot, which ended up looking a lot more dramatic because of the rain glistening in the floodlights.

The scenes were shot late at night, when there would be less load on Singtel's network.

Lim said some 40 people were on scene during the filming, which included paramedics along with the crew, but no one got carsick from wearing the VR goggles — a common reaction from people wearing these goggles, due to lag in the video stream feeling unnatural.

The ad was shot to promote Singtel's latest boost to its mobile network. Your mileage will probably vary in the day, when people are awake and using their phones, but the film is certainly impressive.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.