This week’s video is a must see. Being in German, I can’t tell you much about it, but it seems to be a concept design for in car head up display done as a university assignment. It looks very realistic and compelling – I can’t wait to have such a display in my car:
As eBooks are slowly eroding the pricing structure of physical books, publishing houses are looking for ways to make the book as an object more appealing. The ideas of limited editions or signed copies are going to expand to gimmicks like augmented reality covers, or special content for hardcovers only.
The latest book in Jean Auel’s series about a woman surviving the time around the end of an ice age 30,000 years ago comes with a special sticker on the front that gives the buyer a special augmented reality experience. The main character Ayla will come alive on the computer screen by the power of AR.
Here’s the publisher’s description:
THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES concludes the story of Ayla, her mate Jondalar, and their little daughter, Jonayla, taking readers on a journey of discovery and adventure as Ayla struggles to find a balance between her duties as a new mother and her training to become a Zelandoni — one of the Ninth Cave community’s spiritual leaders and healers.
Once again, Jean Auel combines her brilliant narrative skills and appealing characters with a remarkable re-creation of the way life was lived thousands of years ago, rendering the terrain, dwelling places, longings, beliefs, creativity and daily lives of Ice Age Europeans as real to the reader as today’s news.
Will this AR add-on help convince a reader to purchase the hardcover rather than wait for a regular copy or download an e-version? Probably not. But it is another step in the expansion of my favorite new technology and for that, I cheer.
The results for the 2010 Qualcomm AR Developer Challenge are coming next week on February 15th. Qualcomm released this teaser video today:
Developers from around the world participated in Qualcomm’s 2010 Augmented Reality (AR) Developer Challenge and created rich AR experiences including interactive games, educational applications, and marketing concepts. These apps use Qualcomm’s AR platform, which includes the AR SDK for Android and the AR Extension for Unity.
I found this week’s video on Toby’s weekend “linkfest”. It’s one more example how augmented reality can upgrade almost any old board game, this time making “battleships” more interactive. As Toby rightfully states, there’s no need for two boards when AR is deployed, as the two players can be shown different views of the same board. Still, it’s a cool demo:
** Cool experience with the smartphone and seeing into another location. Would love to be able to walk around or zoom in. Next step is to offer a live feed from various locations of the Superbowl during the game. Maybe next year.
Steelers and Packers Magically Come to Life in USA TODAY
Super Bowl Coverage to Include Augmented Reality
SAN FRANCISCO, MUNICH, (February 3rd, 2011) – When the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers meet on Sunday at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to go head to head at this year’s Super Bowl, fans will be able to enrich their experience with augmented reality tidbits, courtesy of USA TODAY and junaio, the most advanced Augmented Reality browser. For smartphone users, the Friday, February 4th edition of USA TODAY will include a 360 degree tour of the Dallas Cowboys stadium, presented by Jerry Jones, stadium and Cowboys owner, along with interior and exterior highlights. The Monday, February 7th edition will give readers a 3D view of the “Play of the Game” in an animated sequence and an option to receive player stats. Pepsi and Papa John’s are sponsoring the two augmented reality experiences.
The new Cowboys Stadium, opened in May 2009, is the largest domed stadium in the world and a marvel of architecture and technology. How suiting of USA TODAY to employ the leading edge technology of Augmented Reality to allow the Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones to introduce his impressive sports palace to football fans nationwide. All that is required is to download the free app junaio from Apple’s iPhone App Store or the Android Market Place.
With the junaio channel “USATODAY 360 Stadium Tour”, 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 lets the user jump to where the players enter the stadium, down into the locker rooms or to view some of the famous murals of contemporary art decorating the interior of this fabulous stadium.
For people reading about the game in USA TODAY’s Monday February 7th edition, junaio’s image recognition technology brings to life the Super Bowl “Play of the Game” in the junaio channel “USATODAY SuperBowl Key Play”. This is presented not as a video, but as a 3D animation, created within hours of the game, whereby the viewer’s camera angle is determined by the smartphone’s position relative to the newspaper picture so that every player’s move can be studied from different angles.
“This cooperation between USA TODAY and junaio”, says Peter Meier, the developer of 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.”
About junaio®
junaio is the world’s most advanced mobile Augmented Reality browser and growing daily with interesting content relevant to a viewer’s location or triggered through images and objects the camera is pointing at. The unmatched ease of use, great choice of content and superior features make junaio everybody’s daily companion, an instant source of information about places, events, bargains or objects in the world around us. Features are: location based services using onboard GPS and compass, highly accurate positioning, even inside buildings or exhibition sites, object recognition and natural feature tracking useful for scaling and integrating graphic overlays or 3D models into the real world. Two-way interaction between the user and the displayed AR overlays allow gaming and other virtual experiences. And of course the full range of multimedia displays, including text, image, sound, video. junaio was created by metaio GmbH, the worldwide leader in Augmented Reality.
Robert Scoble, the interviewer of the geek-stars and employee of Rackspace, recorded this video at Metaio in Munich. The gang at Metaio shows off a virtual dragon clinging to a building and talks about their AR browser Junaio. If the only thing you want to know about is dragons invading your home, fast forward to 3:15 in the video to get your fix.
Augmented Reality is like music to my ears (couldn’t resist the pun…)
The music industry is known more for stifling technology innovation than adopting it (cough*Napster *cough) which makes it especially gratifying to see recent attempts to harness augmented reality for music lovers (and/or nerds).
Here are my Top 10 augmented reality projects created by the music industry:
10) StudioB, Adobe and John Mayer “AR video clip”
“Studio B teamed with Adobe and John Mayer to create the worlds first Augmented Reality music video. Studio B shot and keyed the green screen footage using the new Apple ProRes 444 codec. I’m holding up a piece of paper with the designated marker (in this case a broken heart), and the video of John Mayer follows it around the screen, and even tilts in 3D space!”
It’s impressive to see a major music figure dedicating his time for an AR app – but is this significantly more interesting than just watching this 3D video on your PC?
9) Video for German Band Saint Aside
Here’s a “me too” music video in Germany for the band Saint Aside:
“Germany’s first Augmented Reality music video of the band Saint Aside. Das erste deutsche Augmented Reality Musikvideo der Band Saint Aside. Powered by AUGMEDIA dem Virtual Reality Marketing Kreativ-Netzwerk aus Deutschland, Leipzig.”
Can’t really see the AR interaction in this video, but hearing Rihana say “Augmented Reality” is worth it.
“To view “Who’s That Chick” by Rihanna in full, simply buy a bag of Doritos Late Night and got to http://www.doritoslatenight.com
Using special packs of Doritos Late Night chips and a web cam, you can unlock an augmented reality experience with Rihanna.”
Triggering the experience from a consumer package is cool (no more printed markers!)
7) Kit-Kat and Scouting For Girls music
“Scouting For Girls – Augmented Reality with Kit Kat. If you open up a Kit Kat, do you see the augmented reality of Scouting for girls? Do the She’s So Lovely Stars really play in there? Join Scouting For Girls here to find out. Or, visit http://www.kitkat.co.uk/musicbreak“
Yet another music video triggered from a consumer package (Kit-Kat) – this time it’s more mindful to the new medium.
6) Eminem augmented reality competition by Polydor Records
“To take part all you need is a printer and a webcam – then, using the graffiti tools on the entry page, customize your very own 3D rotating Eminem “E” logo.”
“…enter the amazing Eminem augmented reality competition and you could win the trip of a lifetime to visit Em’s home town of Detroit”
Although not an AR music experience per se (more of a graffiti experience)- it’s definitely encouraging fans to interact with their idol in a new way. Talk about high profile motivation.
5) 10th Dimension create your own music video, TakingDog Studio
(Start watching at minute 2:03)
“Now you can create your own Augmented Reality real time interactive music videos for two of the songs from this project. Go to http://www.talkingdogstudios.com/10thdim to try it out for yourself.”
Anything that involves some creation beats “screen watching”.
4) Music mixer with 5Gum
“Truly interactive Augmented Reality Application. Log on to http://www.5gum.fr to record your mix.”
Making music with an augmented reality interface is a cause for celebration.
3) Aphex twin overlay on Audience faces
“At this weekend London Electronic Festival (LED) Aphex Twin used live facial recognition to map the audience and overlay images of his own, trademark distorted face. Mesmerising and disturbing in equal measure! “
This is one of these things that had to be done. And they did it – beautiful!
2) Lost Valentinos customizable video clip with AR
“Innovative Sydney band Lost Valentinos and label etcetc have pushed an emerging technology to the very limit by launching the world’s first truly interactive augmented reality music video project. The project allows fans to record their own customised music videos for the single ‘Nightmoves’ by capturing band members performing the track in the fan’s own world. From lead singer Nik performing the song atop a user’s shoulders, to the whole band playing the song at the base of the Eiffel Tower – it’s a project limited only by the imagination.”
Record your own video clip with AR? Can’t get much better than that!
1) Black Eyed Peas 360
The most impressive use of AR in the music industry so far and the reason behind this post:
“App review: The New ‘BEP360‘ App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch Takes Fans Inside ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’ with 360-Degree Motion Control and Augmented Reality app Developed by Peas Front Man will.i.am”
Edo Segal, from Futurity and a good friend – is behind this initiative that attempts to redefine how we experience music.
***
Didn’t make the list:
Voodoo Experience by Zehnder with Layar Augmented Reality browser (meant to enhance the concert experience – not to deliver a new way to experience music which is the focus of this post)
Exile on Your Street – an AR app for Rolling Stones fans – built on Layar – it enables you to leave Rolling Stones posters at your current location.
Each poster can be customized with a track from Exile on Main Street and a personal message (no visual reference found)
Album by hip-hop act Sinik, “Ballon d’Or,” include images giving access to ‘augmented reality’ features, by Total Immersion (couldn’t find video)
Sean Kingston: printing a special icon in the CD booklet for his album, which gave users access to the special AR section of his website. They could then sing along into their webcams to Sean’s Fire Burning track, with an animated version of the star appearing to dance around them. There were sharing elements here, too – the resulting videos could be posted on social networks or shared on the main site. (via Music Ally)
AR in French Music Video by Toxic Avenger (not really AR)
Ok, that’s cool. But grab any music industry executive that gets it, and you’ll hear that the true value of AR doesn’t lie in helping promote music (the industry is pretty good at marketing music as is), but in creating new experiences, new products which will lead to new revenue streams (think Guitar Hero). The sober realization is that it’s unlikely people will buy more music than they already do – but they are likely to want to experience music in new ways, and through new channels.
What will it look like?
How would you like to experience your favorite band in the real world (AR style)?
Additional references for AR in the Music Industry:
Good to see AR being bandied about as a marketing term without much explanation. Sadly, I still have to explain AR to most people I talk to outside the tech arena, so for now it’s just one of those flashy words that make our brain want to buy it and not an actual logical factor in purchasing a product.
A bit of a busy week, here are just some of the augmented reality stories that happened in the past seven days:
Where can you find Metaio’s Peter Meier and Layar’s Maarten Lens-FitzGerald on the same panel? At the DLD conference. Video well worth worth watching if only for seeing Lens-FitzGerald’s face when Meier declares Junaio as the most advanced AR mobile application.
Pantomation is the late 70’s edition of Kinect and augmented reality. Makes me wonder what the people of 2040 will think about our current technology (via @String)
Sometimes, you don’t need enticing narrative to create a touching AR application. “Jack in the box” by the Spanish company Sensaa is an evidence to that. Just open a box, and an augmented surprise will pop out of it. Simple, but wonderful:
The Kinect has become an indie revolution, open sourced and hacked to provide a wealth of effects we haven’t had access to for augmented reality. The Kinect Hacks site is doing a terrific job covering the revolution, but I want to make my bid for what I want the Kinect to do outside its comfort zone.
The Kinect so far has been wedded to the TV, mostly because it’s a gaming device. But the company behind the technology, PrimeSense, recently raised $50 million. We can only suspect they’re going to turn their hot new commodity into a device that can work with more than just the PC or an Xbox.
When that product hits the market, understanding the world will be much easier for computers and therefore, will make augmented reality more advanced. Now I know most of these ideas aren’t AR in the strictest terms (I know my friend Rouli wouldn’t deem them AR,) but they exist in the same spectrum and they’re important for the overall development of the technology. Without better sensors, AR is doomed to stay stuck in the smartphone. Plus, sensing the world is one-half the AR equation (see the RIM scale for more details.)
Here are five things I want the Kinect to do:
1) I want the Kinect to drive my car, at least on the highway, while I’m busy doing something else. Google wants to do the same thing and I think the Kinect could help them.
2) Conveyance in a factory setting takes a lot of manpower and is woefully wasteful. Utilizing cheap sensors that can see people and sense their environment would make getting widgets from one place to another easy.
3) Mapping indoor locations would allow building AR environments in your local Walmart so mapping out your shopping route can be done with a simple app.
4) Telepresence robot, 3D glasses, and a computer screen could give people with massive physical disabilities a way to explore the world around them.
5) Sensing system for the blind that could give them clues to what was happening around them. The system could use facial recognition and whisper what it saw in your ear.
These are just a few possibilities with the Kinect sensor as it gives computers a window into our world.
Games Alfresco 