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Cluster and Toyota's Breakthrough in Augmented Reality

Cluster Inc., a leading technology firm, has achieved a remarkable milestone by collaborating with Toyota Motor Corporation to create the Portable LBE Edition of the Bakusō Club, which has been chosen as a finalist in the Best Location-Based Entertainment category for the prestigious 2026 Auggie Awards. The announcement came ahead of the grand ceremony scheduled to take place during the Augmented World Expo (AWE) USA 2026 in Long Beach, California, where the winners will be revealed on June 17, 2026.

The Bakusō Club Experience

Launched in 2023, the Bakusō Club is a unique metaverse game developed on the Cluster platform. It allows players to design, customize, and race their own virtual cars, providing a fresh perspective on the relationship between people and automobiles. This innovative gaming experience has been taken to the next level in 2025, when Cluster and Toyota developed a robust location-based XR system. This system uniquely integrates three key components—VR goggles, a commercial racing wheel controller, and a cockpit enclosure that rotates 360 degrees in real-time—synchronizing them with the virtual car's movements to create an unparalleled immersive experience.

The initiative has exhibited at various motorsport events across Japan, including the renowned Suzuka Circuit, where it engaged approximately 69,200 attendees, and the Fuji Speedway, where about 800 participants interacted with the experience. Over 1,800 individuals have experienced the Portable LBE Edition, with a significant majority—approximately 80%—being children. This intuitively enjoyable user experience has garnered praise from multiple generations, emphasizing the accessible nature of the technology.

Global Aspirations

The Portable LBE Edition is designed to allow real-time sharing of the virtual experience between participants at the venue and remote users on tablets or PCs. This opens up opportunities for deployment across various global sites, including theme parks, schools, and museums, showcasing the potential for widespread adaptation of XR technology.

The Auggie Awards

The Auggie Awards have been conducted annually since 2010 as part of the AWE, celebrating excellence in AR, VR, and MR across the globe. This year marks the 17th iteration of the awards, which has attracted record-high nominations. The award winners will be decided after reviews by expert judges and community voting. The 2026 edition is noteworthy for its unprecedented number of nominees.

About Cluster Inc.

Cluster Inc. aims to create an open space that connects people, objects, and technologies, and continues to develop one of Japan's leading metaverse platforms. Their proprietary large-scale connection infrastructure enables the fusion of real and virtual environments. The platform has been adopted across various sectors, including manufacturing, construction, education, and entertainment, and supports multiple devices including smartphones, PCs, and VR headsets. Their scalable B2B platform caters to commercial use while achieving a high level of reliability and adaptability, facilitating real-time virtual environments that can accommodate up to 100,000 simultaneous users.

Their in-house research lab actively promotes R&D in user behavior analysis, virtual AI agents, and automated 3D production, collaborating with external research organizations and universities to innovate metaverse technologies. By blending creativity with technology, Cluster is committed to shaping the future of virtual experiences and creating the next generation of social infrastructure.

For further insights into Cluster's corporate initiatives, visit their business-focused media outlet at metaversebiznews.cluster.mu.