We have already provided a sneak preview of some of the demos.
Here are 2 research results, to be introduced at ISMAR, from one of the most prolific AR labs in the world: HIT Labs NZ, courtesy of Mark Billinghurst:
Embedded AR
We have been developing AR software for the Beagle Board OMAP3 development kit. This allows you to run a whole AR system on a $150 piece of embedded hardware and use Linux for development. The OMAP 3 chip is the same that is in many new smart phones so it is a great way to do some benchmarking and prototyping for mobile phone AR applications.
If EmbeddedAR will have similar adoption to the open source Artoolkit, then we’ll soon see AR-enabled devices popping up like mushrooms after the rain. Potentially very cool.
Android AR
We have been developing our own mobile outdoor AR platform based on the Android operating system. We are using GPS and compass information to overlay 3D virtual models on the real world outdoors. Unlike some other systems we support full 3D model loading and also model manipulation, plus rendering effects such as shadows etc.
That’s not as new. Rouli would categorize it as a YAARB™ (Yet Another AR Browser…)
Wikitude and Layar (as well as other browsers) have similar capabilities (or will soon have), and are already open and accessible to many developers.
Want to learn more about it? Check out Android AR.
***
Just 2 more reasons to go to ISMAR 2009. It is going to be HUGE!
They gave you wings, extreme sports races, and Flugtag – and now they want to save print magazines with the bold concept: Print 2.0.
Guess which one of these is a true fact?
1) In 2006, more than 3 billion cans of Red Bull were sold in over 130 countries
2) Red Bull publishes a printed magazine (2 million copies per issue)
3) Red Bull is an Austrian company
Answer: all of the above!
Can’t say which fact is more shocking, but they certainly explain why Red Bull decided to partner with Imagination (an Austrian company) to create a webcam augmented reality experience where:
This magazine sings, dances, flies and even scores a touchdown…
The cover and multiple pages (any page with the Bull’s eye) can be activated by pointing to a webcam thanks to Imagination’s natural feature tracking software.
If you don’t have the printed magazine – don’t worry – you can download and print at home.
Or just watch it here…
The magazine editor dives into more autophilia:
PRINT GOES LIVE
It’s not often that a magazine can call itself revolutionary, but we’re delighted to say this one can.
This very issue of The Red Bulletin takes us from print to Print 2.0, thanks to the incorporation of some nifty software known as ‘augmented reality’…the fun stuff is this: simply by holding the mag up to a computer you can take it ‘beyond the page’ and into the world-wide web. So, for example…[the cover] will link through to a video package explaining exactly how augmented reality can enhance your reading experience in a way you almost certainly never imagined, with music, film, animations and more.
Then turn to page 5 and Red Bull Air Race ace Paul Bonhomme will give you an ‘as live’ introduction to the magazine and the world of augmented reality. Head to our Now and Next pages, find the story about Black Gold on page 20 and do the same again with the mag. Lo, you’ll
find the band’s latest video on the website. Clever, eh?
Further in, you can read about Burcu Cetinkaya and Cicek Güney – the girls putting the glam into rallying – then link to exclusive interviews with them and videos of them driving flat-out… and crashing!
And we’re not done yet, no way. Our Reggie Bush cover story, on page 48, combines with an exclusive mini-movie of Reggie at home, as he talks to correspondent Jan Cremer, while page 62 will take you right into the pocket-rocket world of the Red Bull Rookie motorbike racers.
No other magazine has ever tried anything like this, and we have plenty more ideas for the future. But for now, just get your magazine and computer primed and prepare to be amazed…
…And Daniel Wagner certainly shows his skills in the video above…
So, Mobilizy just released a new update for Wikitude, one that allows you to point your phone at ground zero and see a 3d virtual version of the Twin Towers on the phone’s screen.
First we should congratulate Mobilizy for intergrating 3d objects into Wikitude. That’s only two weeks after Layar made a similar move. If I understand correctly, Wikitude doesn’t let folks upload their own 3d models yet, but that’s surely not that difficult.
We should also congratulate Mobilizy for a smart marketing move. Yes, it’s very respectful, and I actually think that there should be such a virtual memorial. However, one cannot deny that such videos as the above create buzz, something that Wikitude’s competitors usually excel at. I can only imagine the impact of such application if they had released it last month, for 9/11.
I’m fascianted by how the AR illusion is completly destroyed at around 00:18, when the buildings look very small just because there’s a tree in the background. That’s not Wikitude’s fault, but it just shows us how much there’s still to be done to make AR look good.
As usual, here’s a bunch of links to augmented reality related news bits that have accumulated in my inbox during the week:
There’s no end to the augmented reality browsers phenomenon. Cyclopedia is yet another browser that is based on Wikipedia, Bradesco is helping you find your way around Brazil, and AugmentThis! lets you upload kml files and share them with others.
Peak.ar on the other hand is a specialized browser from Salzburg Research that only lets you see the names of mountain tops around the world.
While Wikitude is finally available for the iPhone (but you wouldn’t know that if you had visited www.wikitude.org as to the writing of this post).
So, with so many AR browser available, how are they all doing, buisness wise? Gene Becker collected some appstore statistics, that shows that AcrossAir’s applications are leading in terms of downloads among the non-free applications available on the American appstore.
What’s that augmented reality that I mention so much? I guess most of this blog’s patrons already know, but here’s Scientific American explantion, though I think YDreams’ post is far better.
This week’s video is a lovely tour de force from Oxford’s Active Vision Labratory’s Robert Castle. Although Ori posted a sneak peak to ISMAR 09, he somehow missed this video. It shows an extension to the PTAMM system that allows “multiple objects to be recognized and localized within multiple maps.”
(Before you comment, “Et tu” has the same meaning in French as it has in Latin).
The Citroën DS3 joins the ranks of cars that get an augmented reality campaign, thanks to Total Immersion.
Yes, it’s not as lame as other cars AR campaigns, with its little racing game. However, it won’t be spared from becoming the latest addition to my growing petition to stop using AR to promote cars.
However, futuristic concepts still excite me. Check out Matthew Buckland’s latest post. With the help of designer Philip Langley, Buckland has conjured a series of illustrations giving us a peak into social network turbo-charged with augmented reality. Below is one such illustration, showing you what’s going on in the neighborhood.
Can be quite useful when looking for a new home. You can find the other illustrations (and this one in far higher resolution) here.
Another interesting concept that popped today is PlayboxAR, which is a glimpse to what can become the future of augmented reality games:
This is actually a new video of a rather old concept by one Soho Marky.
The disparity between these concepts and reality reminds us that we are still at the very beginning of a long road. Maybe AR is hot right now, but in the future it’s going to be fabulous.
Today we have received confirmation from Vuzix CEO Paul Travers that the highly anticipated Vuzix Wrap 920, previously known as the AV920 Wrap, will not, in fact, be a see-through head-mounted display (HMD). It will instead be a “see-around” model. This means that the LCD viewing elements will be opaque, as in previous models, but will be suspended behind a sunglasses-style lens without obstructing the peripheral view around the display.
Paul Travers can only say:
There is a pile of reasons that the Wrap series will be using this rather than “see thru”.
When using the iPhone (or similar mobile device) for an augmented reality experience, the interaction is pretty straight forward – hold your hands up with your iPhone pointing to your target. Want more options? Touch the screen. Had enough – tuck it back in your pocket.
How do you interact with augmented reality (AR) when it’s constantly in your field of view – overlaid on your glasses?
Interacting with Augmented reality
Are we going to operate knobs on the glasses?
Pete touched a stud on his spex, pulled down a glowing menu,and adjusted his visual take on the outside world. (Taklamakan, short story by Bruce Sterling)
-probably not beyond pressing the “on” button…
Are we going to be surrounded by rings?
Vodpod videos no longer available.
-Ringo looks cool, but we’re looking for a new metaphor. The traditional keyboard (albeit arched and projected on the ground) might not the most intuitive way.
Tinmith?
-Visionary, but touching thumbs instead of using a mouse? (oh, and can I lose the backpack?)
Eye gaze tracking
– that’s pretty good for point and click. But what about more complex gestures?
(by the way, this could be great for Tennis)
Interactive clothing?
-Absolutely. This will probably be available to the public as an intuitive interaction with AR displays in 5-10 years
So is there anything that could be used for an intuitive interaction with augmented reality Today?
Are there any contemporary options?
Logitech Glove Controller (P5)
The P5 was an inexpensive, good looking glove-like, that tracks finger movement – so why did it flop?
Probably because of accuracy (or lack thereof) and that fact it requires an external reference (IR base similar to the Wii.) Others may contend it never found a really good use. You can still try it for yourself for under $75!
Accelaglove
The Accelaglove has the right price (<$500) and the technology is promising – but currently focusing on translating hand movements of sign language.
Peregrine Power Glove
The Peregrine Power Glove was a huge promise at E3 2009. It was also my biggest disappointment: Using your thumb to touch your fingers to feed the computer with various commands…on a good day it could replace the keyboard when playing a real-time strategy game.
There is a bunch of other gloves that may be good at certain tasks – but not suited for intuitive-affordable AR.
It’s a low-cost, motion and position capturing, data glove for 3D interaction with virtual objects in augmented reality (AR) environments.
Watch the latest iteration of the prototype in this video.
It won’t replace computers and mouses as 3D designer tool anytime soon, but for scenarios where there is no access to mouse or PC it could offer a truly intuitive interaction – at an affordable price. One glaring example is the following: architect and client on location discussing interior design plan. This scenario is about conveying impressions and enabling rough changes (what if scenarios) – which do not require high accuracy. There are other interfaces probably more suited for VR. But when it comes to AR – this is as good as it gets.
This week’s quote comes from Blair’s post I’ve mentioned above (and yes, I took it out of context, because I’m a blogger!):
Now that the time is here, now that the promised AR apps can be published in the iTunes store, will they be able to live up to their claims, or will they (and their claims) fade away? I suspect things will die down for a little while. At least, I hope things die down for a while
And this week’s video comes from YDreams, and you have probably seen it before. It’s called Flyar, and it’s an interactive screen saver that shows you Twitter updates with birds that respond to your hand-gestures, a la EyeToy. Yeah, the video makes it clearer:
Games Alfresco 