augmented reality...interesting
Welcome, a long overdue post for readers on augmented reality.
New developments in technology happen every day, but one which is around corner from being at our door step is that of augmented reality. Augmented reality continues our desire for increasing interaction with reality through mobile devices. It has been described as a 'sixth sense' by varying commentators due to augmented reality allowing the user to see live video images from the from a mobile phone camera which are tagged with relevant data.
It is becoming an increasingly available application for phones that have GPS enabled technology. Chetan Damani, the co-founder of an AR application firm called Acrossair reveals how the advances in mobile phone technology have allowed manufacturers to add digital compasses into devices which has given rise to AR applications.
The digital compass has allowed the device to understand where the user is pointing to as he/she moves the device left to right. This understanding then allows the device to overlay the movements with data accordingly. Such data includes 'geotagging' a new terms used to describe the tagging of geographic information to places, pictures or items based on where the device user is located.
A variety of software companies and mobile device programmers have taken on the concept as seen in the global release of a significantly expanded version of an AR application known as Layer, it is known as a augmented reality browser (possibly the first ever). The application uses the same concept of the digital compass with the GPS to establish the location of where the device user is.
Information relevant to the location is then retrieved form a server and displayed in real time for the user to see as they scan the area. Such information includes houses up for sale, restaurants, bars or tourist style entries. It is immediately clear that such aspects can be used by businesses as ways to advertise and market products. The server also includes photographs in various locations that other people have tagged or I should now say; geotagged.
An iPhone application developed in Japan is being used to help visitors navigate through a museum and to find data on the various exhibitions. The application is known as SekaiCamera. The early developments as mentioned above do seem to lack in practicality. However, application developers have picked up on this and some quite useful applications have been developed or are being made as we speak. For example, as we can see in the video above, Acrossair have developed an application which allows commuters to find their nearest underground station.
The combination of GPS and the digital compasses becoming increasingly available on handsets we all use, the development of such applications will only increase and improve. Such developments are already being seen with walking navigation above but here below as possible applications which could soon be at our disposal. Robert Winters (fellow blogger) proposes how the same concept of using the GPS and digital compass could allow for augnav (augmented navigation). Such ideas have been developed by Mobilizy GmbH:
This is a preview of a fully functional mobile AR navigation system available for the Android platform. The possibilities are vast and ever increasing. Wikitude Drive developed by Mobilizy Research & Development group in Salzburg, Austria, allows real-time navigation with mobile augmented reality. As seen in the video, the device overlays point-to-point directions on a camera-view, without the need for maps. The possible enhancements for the mobile handset with augmented reality is endless.
