Augmented Reality (AR): Will It Change Your Life? Tech World Says "Yes"

Augmented Reality sounds like a sissy description of drug use, but it's the latest and greatest concept in computer-enhanced living.  And has a lot of the same effects: seeing things that aren't there, an increased awareness of your place in the universe, even being able to "really, like, tell what somebody truly is" by looking at them - and it's this last that The Amazing Tribe (TAT, a Swedish technology firm) are working on.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the information age overlaid on the real world.  The idea is that if you know where a billboard is, and what it says, and what direction it's facing, then there's no need to bother with the actual object: you can just call up the information whenever you're in the area.  Until recently AR required specialist gear, which meant it was never going to happen - such as system needs society-wide use before the databases will be updated enough to be useful.

This problem was solved by the surge in smartphones - now everyone who might be interested in AR has (or can get) a portable, population-wide standardized combination of computer, camera and digital display: the perfect tools for AR.  There are already elementary AR apps (like locating a train station in London, superimposing location and direction over your screen), and TAT are extending it to people.  With augmented ID, your set your status, services and whatever else you want on your phone - and anyone who views you through another sees this data hovering around you.  You really have to watch the video (linked below) to appreciate how cool the concept is.

Unfortunately it is only a concept so far, but not for long.  The technological basis (smartphones, facial recognition, and wireless communication) is already here, and it's only a matter time before you start hearing of silly status messages left on during important business meetings.  A very short time, we'd wager, so get ready to know more than before about anyone you want.  And after that - remember how much insane, unimaginable and incredible stuff emerged from the internet?  And that's when we were just connecting computers together - AR can affect everywhere else.

Luke McKinney

TAT Augmented ID concept

Comments

[John Davis]

Wow, dude that is MAJOR cool!

RT
www.anonymize.tk

[Nick Taylor]

It's not going to change my life until it can be used for porn in some way.

Just kidding. What I'm seeing so far is a way of superimposing hyperlinks and thought-bubbles over real objects... and games.

On the other hand, there are massive security/privacy/fascistic implications with linking biometric information with personal information... as Vinay Gupta has said, "anyone who thinks this is a good idea, just isn't thinking".

And this is what face-recognition software coupled with a database of personal information is. It's dangerous. Being able to see someone's twitter address by photographing their face is the harmless, playful side of a technology that is a police-state's wet dream.

[jaysin9]

reminds me of the short story "To Hie from Far Cilenia" by Karl Schroeder from the METAtropolis book.

in the book augmented reality devices lead to the development of "reality overlays" for the purpose of work, play, and economy.

[dean collins]

If you dont think AR is useful yet - check out this video of an early attempt at AR for a business card.

http://deancollinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/augmented-reality-business-card.html

Now that is crazy cool.

[Matthew Szymczyk]

Augmented Reality + Social Media + Motion Capture + Online Shopping = The Webcam Social Shopper - http://weareorganizedchaos.com/index.php/2009/06/23/zugara-launches-online-shopping-app-utilizing-augmented-reality-and-motion-capture/

[Chris Grayson]

Here's an Augmented Reality piece I wrote last month.
http://tinturl.com/AR-overview

It's all moving very fast, but none of this will take off on the iPhone until Apple makes the live video feed API public. That is all that is keep those apps out of the app store. They have to access an unpublished API to use the live video feed, and that violates Apple's approval terms for getting into the app store. Apple says they plan to do so soon, but nobody in the dev community seems to understand what the hold-up is. Other priorities I guess. There are apps on the market for the Android platform, but that just don't yet have the kind of smartphone market-share that the iPhone has.

[Chris Grayson]

URL CORRECTION (Unless the blog owner wants to correct the link in my previous post):

http://tinyurl.com/AR-overview

(That would be "tiny" not "tint")

.

[EvilCosmicMonkeyfrom Knoxville]

Any technology in the information Age has great potential to be misused. Just look at Identity Theft. 20 - 25 years ago, a lot of identity theft wouldn't have happened. Now all that's needed is the last 4 digits of your social security #, & maybe an e - mail address & your life can be hacked into.
Just an example.

[EvilCosmicMonkeyfrom Knoxville]

dean collins -

Saw your blog about the AR business card. WOW.

Looks like holography. Philip K. Dick would be proud !!

[sean Lee]

http://augmentedr3pt0.wordpress.com/framework/