In William Gibson’s 2007 novel Spook Country, artist/programmers create massive virtual art exhibits tied to real-world locations. These “installments” are only visible through GPS-enabled visors that access the data via the Internet and then display the information to the wearer. One artist places virtual bodies at sites where historical figures were murdered or committed suicide; another creates virtual fields of wildflowers where none exist; a third uses his talents to create a 90 foot floating giant squid.
While Gibson’s novel appears to be set in the near-future, the technology he describes is widely available today. “Augmented reality” has found its way to video games, product marketing, and social media applications. And while no companies have ponied up to market a dedicated visor for viewing AR, most of us have a device with a camera and an Internet connection that makes viewing AR possible. Camera-equipped laptops and game consoles are responsible for introducing most consumers to the possibilities of AR, but the latest generation of camera and GPS-enabled mobile phones will really enable this technology to become both ubiquitous and useful.
Here are five applications of AR that will make you re-think the way you perceive the world around you.
AHhrrr – AR zombie shooter
AHhrrr is a tech demo for NVIDIA hardware that uses its screen and camera to create a fully three-dimensional shooting game that requires players to move around in “real space” to access different parts of the tabletop city before them.
Layar Reality Browser
Layar is a browser for Android-powered mobile phones that enables users to view “layers” that show points of interest using information from services like Wikipedia, Yelp, Twitter and more.
Canon “Mixed Reality” Aquarium
Canon is using some specialized visors that users can wear to view interesting virtual graphics around them – in this case, users have the impression of being in the middle of an aquarium, complete with fish, sharks and sea turtles. Even cooler, they’re using this technology to bring virtual dinosaurs to “life.”
Transformers 2 Movie Promotion – “We Are Autobots”
This promotion for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen allowed users to (virtually) replace their head with that of Autobots leader Optimus Prime.
Topps 3D Live Baseball Cards
Hold a Topps 3D Live baseball card up to your computer’s camera and a model of the player on the card springs forth. The player moves with the card, and users can even interact with the 3D model to play games.
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