Ok, so I'm not really blogging on a bus, but this is definitely one of the things that I've been meaning to blog/write about.
So first off, what is augmented reality? With help from our good friends at Google and Wikipedia, we can easily find the answer.
Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or an indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input, such as sound or graphics. It is related to a more general concept calledmediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality)
Basically, augmented reality let's you see things that aren't there. Awesome. Using the camera on your phone and sometimes your GPS location, mobile phones are currently the most accessible form of augmented reality. Take for example Google Sky Map. For anyone interested in the stars or astronomy, this app will blow your mind. You take your mobile phone camera, point it at the night sky, and this app will tell you exactly where planets, stars, constellations, planetary bodies, comets, asteroids, galaxies, are located. Once again... awesome.
The fun doesn't stop there, though. An app called Layar (http://www.layar.com/) gives you the chance to try out different layers of AR (hence layAR, haha). My favorite and most commonly used layer is the Yelp layer. Point your phone in a general direction, and you'll be able to see what yelp-reviewed places are out there. Other cool layers integrate your location into a game. The game Conquar allows you to capture territories and fight with nearby armies. I personally haven't yet tried out this app, but it sounds like an interesting concept.
So, the future is here. Our lives will be so much easier and awesome with AR! Right? Hm, probably not. Here are the problems I see facing AR so far. First off, the most convenient form of AR is on mobile phones, and so you'll be limited by mobile phone hardware. At minimum AR requires an active internet connection and a camera. If you want to take full advantage of most of the AR applications, you'll also need GPS and a pretty decent CPU on your phone. Now if you have all those, all you have to worry about is having a phone that gets a decent and accurate GPS signal (I have the Epic 4G and its GPS is definitely lacking) and having a phone with decent enough battery that allows you to run a camera, GPS, and memory intensive program without destroying your battery life.
Secondly, the uses of AR are pretty limited. Right now most AR apps allow you to search for things, pretty cool in concept, but I'd rather just Yelp off my phone instead of pointing my camera phone to see where stuff is. Other uses include making yourself look fat (yay?). I definitely see a lot of marketing potential with the use of AR. For example, Engadget posted an article about a Panasonic AR application that allows you to visualize how your new TV will look (http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/29/panasonic-viera-ar-setup-simulator-app-augments-the-reality-of-y/). Again pretty cool, but nothing life changing. Which brings me to my final problem with AR...
No one uses it. AR would be awesome if a lot of people actually utilized it. Games like Conquar would be much more entertaining, and businesses would be able to add some flair to their marketing campaigns (imagine a scavenger hunt for prizes using AR to find objects). Of course, like all technology, AR will most likely take a while to adopt. Hardware and software limitations will likely be the biggest hindrances for AR, and the lack of current practical uses will most likely deter people from starting to use it all.
On a more optimistic note, however, I think AR has a lot of potential. With the rate of technology improvement, perhaps by the end of 2011 AR will be as common as yelping or emailing on your phone. Who knows? Regardless, it's a very interesting concept and fun to play around with if you have some spare time.
Anyway, the above is just my two cents. I haven't really done a TON of research into AR, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Comments, queries, questions, insults about my stupidity? All welcome in comments.
My favorite video of the day:
Zbo dagger over Tim Duncan
Yeah, I know it's old news, but wow, this is a whole new Zach Randolph we're talkin' about. He's no longer the toxic asset that no team wanted.
