Augmented Reality Check

The LuminAR allows for the overlaying of digital information in all sorts of environments. Workplace applications may include going over engineering plans for a building, drawing animations, or video conferencing with other employees. The LuminAR exhibits immense opportunity for innovation. Instead of being limited to the finite space of a computer monitor users of the LuminAR will be able to innovate where they project their digital information and what function that information will serve.   

In addition to its innovative possibilities, its familiar lamp like architecture makes it easy to incorporate into a multitude of workplace environments. This can serve as a big plus if/when this tech hits consumer markets.

Docomo, a mobile communications company, shows off its hands-free videophone prototype. The technology is designed to capture the users face and backdrop; it achieves this by situating cameras (w. fish eye lenses) on the front part of the device and a camera on the back of the device. Of course it wouldn't be a phone without a component to capture the users voice. To do this they run a mic from the rear end of the device to the users mouth. Both the video and audio are then configured for dispatch and sent to the person on the other end of the call.

The person on the other end of the call though it not seeing the person for who they really are. Seeing as the cameras on the front of the device cannot capture the bottom half of the users face accurately, Docomo has designed the tech to incorporate a preconfigured CG-based model of the users face into the images being sent. This approach produces a inaccurate representation of the user and thus inaccurate expectations of what the user will look like. In a cultural and social context this approach becomes worrisome.

Aurasma Augmented Reality technology is being used by Elizabeth Arden in an attempt to increase sales for a fragrance endorsed by Taylor Swift. They are doing this by incorporating Augmented Reality into their mailing campaigns. The recipients of the mail will receive a download link to the Aurasma app, once downloaded, it will allow them to access hidden video content featuring Taylor Swift. 

Augmented Reality technology, thanks to MIT, now has the ability to assist those that are blind. The tech may not be refined yet, but the concept is there. I do hope they continue their work. 

For those wondering what the significance of the technology is, read on. Blind people can  use the AR tech to relay information that they would usually perceive if they could see to their ears. For example... which fruit they are touching at the grocery store... what they are walking on... how far/close a object is to them... etc. There are a multitude of applications for this device.

Goggles... headgear... contacts... glasses... implants... these are all mediums that we as consumers can use or will use to augment our realities. Question is which one will we choose and for what reasons? 

I can only begin to think of the various unique features each medium will be equipped with. For example Google' Glasses... boasts a built in microphone and webcam... while Canon' Headgear boasts mixed reality technology... and iOptiks by Innovega boast rear projection glasses accompanied with contact lenses that allow the projections to be visible to the human eye. 

All the unique qualities that each tech possesses will give it some sort of competitive edge over the other. For starters, Google seems to be after the average joe, Innovega after the military, and Canon after industrial designers. I drew these conclusion based on previous news reports in case you were wondering, they can be found on our twitter page. 

Augmented Reality has made its way into into a fine arts exhibit called Project Paperclip. The creator, a portuguese creative by the name of Nuno Serrao uses AR to bridge the gap between our real environments and digital environments; a concept that will grow provided our hunger for digital content persists.

Steve Mann, a professor at the University of Toronto was recently assaulted at a  McDonalds by a McDonalds employee + others. This particular McDonalds was located on Avenue Champs Elysees in Paris. It was suggested that Mann was assaulted because he was wearing a wearable computing device with the ability to take photos. Turns out the McDonalds employee was not a fan of the function as it meant he could take photos of the menu. Why they were concerned enough to assault him is beyond me... 

Nevertheless, on a more positive note, the publicity he has received since the event has been fantastic. Its great to see Mann getting propelled into the public eye. I only wish it was for better reasons, like perhaps his wearable-computing gear. Want to read up on it?  Check out his wikipedia page. Although the wiki does not explicitly mention that Mann has worked on Augmented Reality, it does mention that Mann "works in the fields of computer-mediated reality". Which reminds me of some critical points gathered by Wired from a first post report. One in particular being... 

*In fact a lot of the contemporary apps that produce AR revenue really ARE “consumer computer-vision,” in the formal sense that they never register in a three-dimensional space in real-time. They’re commercial spinoffs from AR research that do useful things — services that are rather more modest than “augmenting” anybody’s “reality.” 

Considering the above point and that Manns' wiki does not explicitly acknowledge Augmented Reality, it really begs the question... have marketers chosen to exploit the term Augmented Reality to gain public attention? Well, it does make sense. More attention = more sales, at least most of the time. And which firms primary goal is not to be profitable? I should hope none, otherwise i'd imagine their lives would be pretty rough. 

That said, marketers would have to consider the meaning that the term Augmented Reality has garnered for itself in the science fiction communities and beyond before attaching it to their consumer products. Why? Because despite whatever value it may possess as a marketing tool, marketing their products as something that they are not could prove futile for their business. Anyways, their choice speaks for itself, especially when one considers the exciting public attention that Augmented Reality has been receiving. Bottom line is, the Augmented reality industry is growing, i'm happy.              

Source(s): 

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/16/augmented-reality-explorer-steve-mann-assaulted-at-parisian-mcdonalds/ 

http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2012/06/augmented-reality-past-the-trough-and-into-the-boring-plateau/ 

http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Augmented+reality+goes+mainstream/6957012/story.html

Metaio's software has been taken to a consumer marketplaces. A Tokyo toy company has used Metaio's Augmented Reality software to encourage consumer interactivity with their products. This is great because it allows for a enhanced consumer experience (who doesn't want that?), and because it is popularizing Augmented Reality Technology by being in a high traffic area. 

Ready to have a wealth of knowledge at your finger tips that is related to the environment around you? Well "the Hong Kong Tourism Board has announced that it is developing an augmented reality application that is designed to help travellers tour". 

Just the thought of having a virtual tour guide navigate me through the streets of Hong Kong sends chills down my spine. The possibilities seem endless. Just for starters...  

Don't speak Mandarin? Have your virtual tour guide (vtg) translate what others are saying for you. Lost? Ask your vtg where to go. Interested in some local cuisine? Ask your vtg to check the social media pages of the local restaurants for positive reviews and comments to insure you go to an awesome spot.  Want to know more about the cities architecture? Ask your vtg about the buildings. 

Ill keep you guys posted on any more advancements, I can't wait to hear more!

Many credible news sources have been reporting on the very interesting Augmented Reality app called ROM Ultimate Dinosaur; used by the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, to make no so lively exhibits come to life.

But what happens when museum goers can utilize a similar Augmented Reality app in their homes to experience the same exhibit? Will the museum goers still be as eager to visit?

My personal response would be... no, seeing as I could experience the same thing at home for a fraction of the cost and time. 

Anyway, its a lot to speculate about. But I think it is something to seriously consider once/if Augmented Reality becomes a main attraction for museums. 

Augment, a new start-up based in Paris, France, has dished out a Augmented Reality app to help both consumers and suppliers visualize what their products will look like in reality.

Jennifer Hicks of Forbes writes, "usefulness is relative and until a technology helps make our lives easier or supports a lifestyle we are part of, it won’t be widely adopted, implemented or commericalized. Reference Bluetooth."

So what part of our lifestyle will Augment support? Shopping.

Augment has the potential to address most if not all of our shopping concerns. I wonder how this table would look in my dining room... I wonder if this vase would look good in the kitchen... hmm... that poster looks nice, what about putting it on my wall? Its potential uses from a designers perspective seem to be endless. Time will tell what other creative uses the app can be used for.