Here’s something to wake you up from the drudgery of your daily commute. In certain bus shelters, you might find yourself under siege from marauding mutants, prowling tigers or giant robots – thanks to a technology called augmented reality.

Companies like Microsoft and Pepsi are using it to great effect. And it might be just the shock factor needed to get distracted commuters to look up from their phones and take in an advertising message.

To see it in action, check out Pepsi’s Unbelievable Bus Shelter in London. One second, commuters are looking down their city sidewalk (through a transparent digital screen). The next, life-like images of asteroids and UFOs (displayed through the same screen) are seemingly invading their world.

If only augmented reality could conjure up an even more surprising sight for weary commuters. The bus.