Augmented Reality in Everday Life

Future Visions

A short futuristic film by Eran May-raz and Daniel Lazo.


General Motors is working with a number of universities on a windshield that could be the next generation augmented reality display. Called the Enhanced Vision System the windshield uses GPS, night vision sensors, infra red sensors, radar and cameras that gather information about current surroundings. The cameras use information from the driver and the road ahead to enhance vision. For example, if a driver were driving in fog, information gathered from the driver's position and the road could be brought together to enhance the view. A line may show how the road ahead curves.

General Motors Augmented Reality Windshield

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0xn1BA4mQc

Want to decorate your home, but really want to know how things will look in your environment? Well augmented reality applications may be able to show you how things will look. Want to change a colour of an item? It's as simple as the click of a mouse. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2blhZ14Dib4 4th Wall Technologies: Augmented Reality Decorating]

What about if you want to know which make-up suits you? No problem, try the special AR Mirror. See [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5zZ5qZP5Ok Augmented Reality Cosmetic Mirror - CScout Japan]

One of the downfalls of buying wearable products over the internet has always been that buyers do not know how products will look on them. With AR apps, buyers soon will be able to try on various products with a few simple mouse clicks. In the following video a young man is able to try on eye glasses with the 3D Virtual Mirror [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=628ruDBA6Jg Wearable Augmented Reality from Glasses Direct 3D Virtual Mirror]

If you are in the US and want to ship a package at priority flat mail rate, you'll need to know if what you want to send fits the post office criteria. Instead of going into the post office, now you can use the post office's augmented reality '''Virtual Box Simulator'''. All you have to do is print their eagle marker graphic, turn on your web cam and hold the printed eagle icon in front of it until a box appears and compare how each box measures up to your shipment.[https://www.prioritymail.com/simulator.asp] See the Virtual Box Simulator [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpS3LeCiCtc AKQA Augmented Reality for USPS]

Augmented Reality Stamp Canada Post

Job Search

Looking for a job or want to promote your credentials to the world? TAT Augmented ID app supposedly being developed by Polar Rose claims to scan a person using face recognition. After the scan, contact information and professional profiles will appear. See it here

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb0pMeg1UN0 TAT Augmented ID]

NEC has created Tele Scouter Glasses that project images onto the wearer’s retina. Originally created for business use, the glasses allow sales people to see information about customers during a call. The prediction is that by 2011, these glasses will be used to provide instant language translation. An attached microphone could pick up what another person says and instantly translate and project that to the wearer's retina.[http://gimundo.com/news/article/new-tele-scouter-glasses-could-provide-instant-translations/]

Most people when thinking of search go to google to find information, now with an android phone and the use of application Google Googles users can search visually.

Google Googles

Keiichi Matsuda, a Masters student at the Bartlett School of Architecture created a short film "Augmented (hyper) Reality: Domestic Robocop showing what an augmented future could be. Here's a clip

Corning's A Day Made of Glass from 2011

Learn more about Corning's vision of the future explaining A day Made of Glass in this Feb 3, 2012 video A Day Made of Glass 2 Unpacked: The Story Behind Corining's Vision
https://youtu.be/X-GXO_urMow


April 29, 2010 Yahoo updated a US patent called
"Reconfiguring Reality Using a Reality Overlay device."] Virtual images would be overlayed on a non transparent region of the proposed glasses. Suggested uses are simulators for training, googles to enhance games like the wii, and to overlay advertisements at live sporting events.
[http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=127325&nid=113891]

Google Project Glass

Google Glasses

A Visit to the Doctor's

MITK pille - mobile medical augmented reality App

April 28, 2010, Nnamdi Anyanwu, Alexander Budin, Josh Cartagena, Jeff Easthope and David Guerraro uploaded a YouTube video (user Jeffeasthope) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3aMHtwQIoA Social Informatics Video Project -Augmented Reality]. The team investigated how well the AR app Yelp was at finding locations in New York City. They were easily able to locate and find a specific Bank of America. Their walking trip was interrupted though by an incoming phone call and they were not allowed to have the camera view of the iphone on in the bank. Next they wanted to test finding a specific Korean restaurant. To locate the restaurant all they had to do was keep the iphone up as they walked in the direction of the restaurant. They found it difficult to follow because the compass kept switching. One user says,"It would be easier to use a map." Just getting the location was easier but the google map even had compass interference probably due to the buildings. Eventually they found a Korean restaurant but even while they were there the yelp app located it across the street and it was not the Korean Restaurant they had asked for. Next they looked for directions to a subway station. The users conclude that it is good for finding a general location but that databases need to be updated. They suggest that as more users download and use apps like Yelp, the more accurate they may become.

When Hallmark jumps on the bandwagon, you know the technology is mainstream. See Hallmarks Augmented Reality Card

Next Up: Augmented Reality and Social Networks