What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
From Wikipedia (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Augmented_reality):
Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Computer-generated) sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.
Augmented Reality from Madison Solutions
We have been working with a form for AR that enables a smart phone app (currently available for iPhone, Android coming soon) to see a recognised graphic or marker, then augment reality by rendering an image or 3d object within the scene. For an example of this, please see the AR:Tz Trail in Brighton (http://www NULL.ARTzTrail NULL.com/).
If your business sells products, then you could have a marker set up that will render one of your products. This marker could be placed:
- Outside your shop
- In a printed magazine or newspaper advert
- On the side of your van
- On a billboard advertisement
If you’d like to find out how you can utilise the latest technology to promote your business, then contact (http://www NULL.madisonsolutions NULL.co NULL.uk/contact) Madison Solutions today.
Paramount and DreamWorks Pictures implemented Augmented Reality to promote Hasbro’s Transformers™ Sequel Transformers™: Revenge of the Fallen into the Transformers™ website (http://www NULL.weareautobots NULL.com/uk/index NULL.php)
Augmented Reality is not only used to promote products, but can also be used to present information such as showing street names, tube/railway station locations and directions from the current location to the desired location all overlaid on the real time video on the phone, another use of Augmented Reality that is currently being used by the iPhone app “Word Lens (http://itunes NULL.apple NULL.com/us/app/word-lens/id383463868)” is that it can also translate text in the real world on signs and billboards etc. from a foreign language into english.
A company called Zugara specialises in using Augmented Reality to help customers have more interaction with a businesses website, a few example of their work include allowing customers of Banana Flame and Fashionista to try on clothes virtually online without going to the store, making interactive games for Nesquik, Juicy Juice and The United States Air Force and for marketing Muscle Milk© by having Shaquille O’Neal virtually appear on the top of the bottle and rocking out on a neon electric guitar.
Augmented Reality is now used in most Television Sports Broadcasts to display information such as team logos and names, first down lines and plays, off side lines and score onto the pitches of Football, American Football, Rugby, Cricket, Ice Hockey rinks etc., this information is implemented on top of the pitch but below the players and so it looks as if it is painted onto the pitch itself.
The Future of Augmented Reality
The future of Augmented Reality is mainly focused on improving how we view augmented information, concept arts are being made up for contact lenses that allow us to view .
Benefits of Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality can be personalised to meet the companies specific needs and show off their products in a more exciting and engaging manner for the customers than a standard video or image is and as Augmented Reality can be used on a mobile device it can also be Geo Tagged to show where customers found advertising for the company and where advertising ‘hotspots’ are to show ‘heat maps’ of the most popular and least popular advertising locations.
Augmented Reality has been used by making companies to improve the advertising, for instance, Lego™ now use Augmented Reality on box sets of Lego™ to show customers what the final model will look like and how each part of the model can be interacted with.
Augmented Reality can be used in manuals for products to visually show the customer how to use and maintain the product, a good demonstration of using Augmented Reality in manuals is the below video showing how AR is used to help the customer change the toner in a Samsung Printer using the printer itself as the AR Marker.
