Who has never dreamed of changing the world? Nowadays, technology has
enabled people to change the perception of our environment. Computers,
sensors, GPS, camera... all these technical innovations are
fostering augmented reality.
Augmented reality
is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world
environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensor.
For instance, augmented reality applications can be a navigation tool
with real-time information which are displayed on the map, or simply a
game which uses real-time landscapes and pictures.
This
trend has developed with the rise of mobile applications. Since a few
years ago, developers have been crazy about them and there is now a long
list
of augmented reality applications (Golfscape GPS Rangefinder, Dankam,
Spyglass, Layar...). However these apps are
practical only if someone is patient enough to wait for the data to be
downloaded and the image refreshed. No doubt, everybody is still waiting
for the killer app.
Another range of augmented
reality application is gaming. Here is an interesting evolution. Nintendo did change
the gaming experience with the Wii, then Microsoft innovated with Kinect. A month ago, Sony launched the PSP Vita and put augmented reality in its games. People can
now play table football on any table, people can fight
monsters in their own lounge! Sony has clearly opened the door to new
opportunities. Is augmented reality going to take off now?
I always think why they are not developing a gym running cabin where you can run in a forest, or at a sea side or in Oxford Street, in a desired weather and with the desired sounds around..
ReplyDeleteThe potential is endless. A simulated "running of the bullS through the streets of Madrid, but all the while in the comfort of your home.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that although augmented reality seems like something which scores highly on the "cool scale" (in a geeky kind of way), I would question how big it is going to be. Sure, augmented reality games might seem like a cool novelty at first, but it will eventually grow old.
ReplyDeleteThen there's the issue of how much information we can take in at one time. Reading about Google's latest project (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17618495 ) I am quite curious as to what cognitive scientists have to say about this apparent information overload. Human beings are notoriously bad at multi-tasking and it seems to me that walking around with information messages popping up in front of you after every turn you take might give some a bit of a headache. You might say that you can program them in such a way as to give you information only when you want it, but if that´s the case you might just use your mobile phone when you need it.