The wonderful world of Augmented Reality
Imagine wearing glasses that display data, information and computer-generated content whenever you look at buildings, shops and even the people around you. You could be walking down the street when you spot a restaurant; your glasses would then display customer reviews and prices just by looking at it.
This scenario may sound like something out of a sci-fi film, but Augmented Reality (AR) makes it a real possibility. Augmented Reality has already started to change the way we look at the world, by overlaying what you see through your mobile’s camera with a wide range of content.
What is Augmented Reality and how does it work?
Augmented Reality is the process of overlaying an image or picture you’re viewing through a device, like your mobile, with data, information, content or graphics. It can show you reviews of a restaurant, if a person is tweeting nearby and the cost of a flat that’s for sale.
Augmented Reality isn’t really that new – it’s been about since the early 90s and is used a lot on TV, especially sport programmes. When football pundits put arrows on the screen to track a player’s run or show you where he should’ve been standing – that’s Augmented Reality in its simplest form. AR applications are really taking off now, making the most of the enhanced technology in the latest generation of smartphones.
By using your smartphone’s camera, GPS, compass and accelerometer you can use Augmented Reality to direct you to the nearest tube, find friends that are nearby or play games that incorporate your surroundings into the onscreen action.
How big is Augmented Reality going to be?
Augmented Reality could become massive, especially on mobile phones. OSes from Apple and Google have opened the gates for developers to create new applications, and the signs are that they’re taking full advantage.
Augmented Reality goes hand-in-hand with mobile social networking, by using your phone’s GPS to locate where your friends are. You just have to hold your phone up to see which friends are close enough to meet up with. Twitter has arguably made the best use of Augmented Reality, with apps like Twitter 360 and Twitter AR showing you who’s tweeting nearby, by overlaying content onto your screen when you hold up your phone.
Continued...
What are the best Augmented Reality apps?
New Augmented Reality applications are popping up all the time, but a few have already cemented their status as essential apps. Perhaps the best app for showing off Augmented Reality’s capabilities is Layar, which you can get on the Android OS.
Layar works by putting content over what you’re viewing through your mobile’s camera. By simply viewing your surroundings through your phone’s camera, Layar will give you information on everything from the job vacancies in the area to which houses are up for sale. You can even specify the distance that Layar searches, so for instance, it could give you information on hotels, bars and restaurants that are too far away to see. Wikitude is another great app, which works in a similar way to Layar.
If you can’t find the tube station in London, the Nearest Tube application will help you find it, using Augmented Reality. By simply holding up your phone the app will overlay arrows directing you to the surrounding tube stations. It also tells you how far away they are and which lines run from each station.
Twitter 360 is one of the best Augmented Reality apps available for social networking. It locates other twitterers using your phone’s GPS system and displays information on how far away they are on your screen. Twitter 360 also geo-tags your tweets, so, if you want, people can see where you are.
Augmented Reality and gaming
Gaming and AR are a natural fit. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year an AR game generated a lot of interest. Using your handset as a remote control, you control a drone, which you can fly up to 50 metres away. The drone’s viewpoint is then relayed to your phone, so as you’re manoeuvring it you’ll have to blast computer-generated baddies that pop-up on your phone’s screen.
Some games have already made use of Augmented Reality. The multi-player game, Parallel Kingdom – Age of Emergence, uses GPS to locate other players in close proximity to you. This information is then incorporated into the gameplay, so you can team up with, or fight against, other players who are just a few streets away. Nokia’s Ovi OS is releasing a similar game based on the same principles. Ovi Maps Racing uses your phone’s GPS to take real roads and incorporate them into the game play, so you can race cars down the street you live on, in the game.
Continued...
The mobile game, AR Ghost Hunter, lets you blast ghosts and ghouls to smithereens as they appear over the view on your screen. Fire Fighter 360 works in the same way, filling the streets, or whatever you’re looking at, with computer-generated flames on your mobile’s screen.
Games of cops and robbers are much more fun with Augmented Reality too. The game, Gunman, puts a crosshair over whatever you see through your phone’s camera, so you can use your mobile as a virtual gun to shoot other players. When they get hit their phone will vibrate; so no more arguments about whether your shot hit or missed by inches. This type of interactive gaming is set to become much more common as developers come up with new AR games.
It’s fair to say that Augmented Reality is still in its infancy, but it can be used for whatever imaginative developers dream up. The possibilities are endless.
What’s the future for Augmented Reality apps?
Expect AR marketing apps to take off too. Stella Artois and Tiger Beer already have AR apps which give you directions and user reviews of pubs and bars serving their drinks.
You may not have to look at your screen to experience AR, either. If you’d rather hear the content than see it, like you do with Layar and Wikitude, you can download Toozla. This is an audio AR app that provides a commentary whenever you look at points of interest, such as historical buildings, through your phone’s camera -essentially working like a tour guide.
Soon you could be able to use AR at live sports events too. You’d only have to point your phone at your favourite player and an AR app would display stats and info about them onto your screen. So say goodbye to arguments with your mates about who’s the best player.
What about an AR app that plays Cupid? In the future, Augmented Reality apps could help you find love. We’re likely to see an app soon, which uses your phone’s GPS to search for matches in your local area. What’s not to love about Augmented Reality?