State of the AR
For the weekend a few pieces of news to enjoy. Kicking off with state of the AR from the Netherlands. Somehow I missed documenting on it in November and stumbled upon their video again. The short youtube impressions sums up their ar(t) event. The AR+RFID Lab (from now on ARLAB) focusses on AR and new technologies like RFID to develop innovative applications of emerging ubiquitous computing technologies in the field of art and design. It’s a collaboration initiative of the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and local companies. The exhibition has been curated by Joachim Rotteveel. Worth a glance for sure. I dig the huge black and white crates installation the most. :D
The second video today show us how playing good old battleships can bring even more fun with AR throwing the cannon ball onto the grid. Well, actually it could bring more fun. But the players obviously don’t see the augmentation. Damn! We need those HMDs now! A not-so-great video for a great AR idea. The principle of an AR view could be pushed even more: don’t hide the other’s grid, but just augment a different view. This could support a lot of AR games like battleships, stratego or any other board / table top game where you hold secret information:
Metaio meanwhile augments the superbowl with a 360° view app: “the viewer finds himself right in the middle of the Cowboys Stadium enjoying a 360 degree view as he moves the camera around his own position. Clicking on the screen allows the user to jump to where the players enter the stadium, down into the locker rooms or even to view some of the famous murals of contemporary art located in the interior of this fabulous stadium.”
The press release and their blog quotes CTO Peter Meier: “This cooperation between USA TODAY and junaio is another great example of our vision of the ‘Augmented City’ and how augmented reality is able to bring additional value to everyday life. Just as junaio lets the viewer look inside the Cowboys Stadium, it can also assist buyers, looking for office space on the real estate market, to get a first glimpse of a vacant office by simply clicking on the building. And the second example of the 3D game play animation demonstrates how print editorials and even news can be augmented with digital displays, thereby enriching the reader’s experience.”
T-Immersion (through ARDoor) also continues to enhance their AR experience. This demo is not in the mobile area, but rather for a work space combined with a multitouch table and Vuzix goggles. The next best thing to holographic displays for cool futuristic headquarters! We can’t really tell how it feels like when looking through the HMD, but the markerless tracking sure looks rock solid:
Last but not least…
At the same time, Argon explains us their Virtual Tour Guide and Le Sketch, the free mini-comic with sketches from top-notch contemporary cartoonists and illustrators, give us their latest edition as an AR paper: www.lesketch.com
Enjoy the weekend!