Posts tagged Augmented reality
Could Dekko be the killer app for Google Glass?
Dekko claims to turn the real world into an operating system, bringing images, information, and animations into the world using augmented reality through Google Glass.
It’s hard to explain exactly, so check out the video!
Video: iOptik contact lens display.
More info on Innovega’s wearable augmented reality display system, being shown at CES this week. Their contact lenses allow the eye to focus on the contact lens itself (normally you can’t focus on something that close), and a pair of glasses projects images or media on to the contact lens display.
NASA’s Augmented reality ‘Spacecraft 3D’ app available now.
The free app lets you use the camera on your iPhone or iPad to show a NASA rover rolling around ‘in the real world’. The current range of rovers available includes Curiosity - which is due to land on Mars in just over two weeks. The range of rovers will be expanded with future updates.
Check out the app here at the iTunes store.
I’ve been enjoying this augmented reality driving app I came across a few days ago, called iOnRoad. The website describes it best:
iOnRoad improves driving in real-time using the power of advanced smartphones. The app uses the smartphone’s native camera and sensors to detect vehicles in front of the vehicle, alerting drivers when they are in danger. iOnRoad’s VisualRadar, maps objects in front of the driver in real time, calculating the user’s current speed using native sensors. As the vehicle approaches danger, an audio-visual warning pops up to warn the driver of a possible collision, allowing them to brake in time.
It’s great to see an augmented reality app which finally works well and is useful, after finding disappointing results with Layar which should be useful but just doesn’t seem to work well or have enough information to make it worthwhile. The only downside with the system is the worry that when the phone beeps to alert you of an upcoming collision, you turn to look at the phone instead of looking at the road!
If you’re on Android you can check out the free download here, with iPhone users having to wait for their version a while longer as the iPhone 4S is missing the “advanced power and multi-tasking capabilities of high-end Android handsets”, according to the company. Take that Apple fanboys!
XAPPR gun turns your smartphone into a… gun?
I’m not sure if this will be exciting or not, but it sure makes me want to play laser tag.
The ZAPPR is said to be a “gaming peripheral for smartphones”. The device allows you to play augmented reality shooting games, such as AR Invaders. Of course you don’t need the gun to play that game, but it does look kind of cool.
While most handsets should fit the device, games are only available for Android and iOS at this stage. The ZAPPR costs $30 plus shipping - you can pre-order now for a June release.
Innovega to release contact lens displays.
Innovega Inc has developed contact lenses capable of presenting high resolution images for entertainment or augmented reality applications.
“Conventional mobile device screens are too small to read and certainly too small to enjoy. Over the past months we have demonstrated contact lens enabled eyewear for mobile devices including smartphones, portable game devices and media players that deliver panoramic, high-resolution experiences for entertainment and planned Augmented Reality (AR)* applications”, said Steve Willey, Innovega CEO. “During this same period, we collaborated with partners to finalize initial specifications of launch platforms which include a screen size that is equivalent to a 240 inch television (viewed at a usual distance of 10 feet)”.
The lens uses ‘micro components’ which are so small that, when switched off, the user is able to focus normally on everyday objects. When switched on, it allows light from the display to pass through the center of the pupil, and light from the surrounding environment to pass through the outer portion of the pupil. Each of these sets of light rays produces an image on the retina simultaneously with the other set. They are superimposed to form a single integrated image.
While a consumer release of the product is likely 2-3 years away, the company is also working with DARPA for a military version of the device.
Video of the day: Second generation augmented reality from Sony.
This video shows the progress Sony is making in bringing augmented reality to its devices. Normally, AR requires a special marker to recognise before generating a graphic around it, but the new technology scans for everyday objects such as a cup or a book to start the process.
There’s some moderately interesting stuff after the first minute, but for the best bits, skip straight to 2:37.
A contact lens that can monitor diabetes might also have uses as an augmented reality contact lens.
The original lens has been developed at the University of Washington, and can monitor glucose levels in people with diabetes, by using a tiny array of LEDs on the lens. It works because glucose levels in tear fluid correspond directly to those found in the blood, making continuous measurement possible without the need for thumb pricks.
This type of technology could also be useful for making a contact lens that could also show information to the wearer - kind of an ‘in-eye’ computer screen. Like an RFID tag, these lenses can be powered by a nearby loop antenna. In trials these have been taped to a person’s face, but they could possibly be built into glasses or other headwear.
Augmented reality glasses shown off at CES.
From Technology Review:
Augmented Reality (AR), which overlays virtual information on top of the real world, is a tantalizing concept, but the technology is still a bit complicated. To see virtual directions float in front of you, you have to either look at the world through the screen of a smart phone, or don a pair of bulky, goofy video goggles. Many experts have questioned whether AR will ever catch on in the consumer market. At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas hardware company Vuzix has revealed the first clear AR glasses for consumers. The glasses, called Raptyr, use holographic optics instead of video screens to make digital objects appear in mid-air. The approach is challenging, not least the interface has to compensate for (or compete with) natural light. For this reason the lenses can electronically darken to compensate for brighter or darker environments. The Raptyr glasses, which have won a CES Innovation Award, feature a 6-megapixel camera, a microphone, headphones and a motion tracking system. They could be plugged into a PC, smart phone, or gaming system.
