Augmented Planet » lester

Augmented Planet Event 2011 Countdown

lester — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:22:31 +0000

There are only 33 days left till Augmented Planet 2011 and a mere 2 days remaining to take advantage of the early bird discount price for £79 for the two day conference.

June is a great month for augmented reality fans with so many excellent events taking place. Being our third dedicated augmented reality conference we are particularly excited about the amazing agenda we have put together. We have the hottest AR speakers in the business.

We are focusing entirely on the development of augmented reality applications so if you have ever wondered how you build AR apps and want to see developers writing code and see amazing demos here is what you can look forward to:

The AR opportunities for developers
Developing simple Worlds for Wikitude
Developing dynamic AR Worlds for Wikitude
Using junaio to build POI driven content
Using junaio to build natural feature tracking content
Building face tracking
Creating cross media AR experiences
iPhone AR development
The AiRaid SDK
Creating 3D models for AR applications
Keynotes from
- Lester Madden – author of Professional Augmented Reality Apps for Smartphones & augmentedplanet.com editor
- Myles Peyton – Total Immersion
- Ken Blakeslee – WebMobility Ventures
- Wikitude

Reasons to attend:

Watch expert developers programming AR applications
See coding demos not PowerPoints
Hear from the leading industry experts on how to take advantage of AR
Learn how AR can be applied to your own solutions
Network with people from the AR industry at the Augmented Planet party

Book your space now for the hottest AR gig in town.

We have limited exhibition spaces available if you have AR tools or services that you want to promote. Please contact us at events@augmentedplanet.com for more info.

Sponsors:

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Where To. The Next Browser

lester — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:02:03 +0000

During 2010 at Augmented Planet we kept track of every new augmented reality iPhone application that hit the store. At around the 120 AR Browser point we gave up keeping track. It felt like developers were attempting to cash in on the AR craze by hunting around for any POIs they could get their hands on. In some ways it reminded me of desperate student hunting down the back of the sofa for spare change to buy beer. In many cases developers would have been better placed building content for Layar, junaio or Wikitude rather than trying to release standalone apps.

Fortunately the AR Browser craze has died back a little so I was a little surprised recently when the guys from FutureTap sent me their Where To browser to review. I have seen more than my fair share of browsers over the last 2 years so it was with a little apprehension that I installed it. Surprisingly it’s actually pretty good.

Most AR Browsers fail because AR is the central selling point and everything has to take place in the camera view. Take away the AR and the app just doesn’t make sense and is tedious to use. As I always say, the best AR apps are those where AR is added to an already good idea. The Where To browser was originally released in June 2009 and it’s only recently that AR has been added. Since the app has been around for a while it already has rich functionality and can be used just fine without relying on AR as a selling point. That said the AR is also a excellent worthwhile inclusion.

Using Where To you can find restaurants, schools, airports and everything in between. The app splits the POIs in to 12 categories and is amazingly simple to use thanks to an innovative wheel menu. There are no complicate menus or searches to navigate in an attempt to find the content you are looking for, with everything being easily accessed.

My standard test for any new browser is the local Indian restaurant test. In this test I attempt to find the nearest group of Indian restaurants to my house, this highlights problems with the underlying database used to generate the POIs as restaurants are either missing or misplaced. Where To passed the test and found all the restaurants and put them in their correct location but the test failed on locating the nearest pubs.
The Where To browser is a not a free browser and the AR functionality is an additional cost provided by an in-app purchase, but it is one of the better browsers you will encounter.

FutureTap have also reduced the price a little the Easter holiday so you can pick it up for a 33% discount. Get it from here.

Where To In Action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR2qqpYFRog

Combining AR with Art with Konstruct

lester — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:58:49 +0000

James Alliban, one of the leading AR developers in the UK recently released his first iPhone application to the App Store. The application which was developed using the amazing String SDK is a clever mix of augmented reality and art.

If you follow Augmented Planet you will have seen some of James’ amazing FLARTookit demos in the past, the iPhone app is just as entertaining. Simply install the app, select from one of several factual graphics and then point your iPhone camera at the marker. The application responds to sound drawing structures over the marker.

After a few beers it’s one of those apps you’ll want to crank up the stereo and watch the light show.

The app is free from the Apple App Store and can be installed from here.

Incidentally, James is a guest speaker at the Augmented Planet event in London on the 1st and 2nd of June. If you want learn more about developing augmented reality applications book your ticket now.

Konstruct in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kJF3GQF3YI

Augmented Planet Event For AR Developers

lester — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:09:45 +0000

AP2011 the annual Augmented Planet event is announced and our speaker line up is looking amazing. If you have ever wondered how you can create your own augmented reality applications this is the event for you. At the event you’ll learn how to develop using technologies such as: AR browsers, facial recognition, visual search, natural feature tracking and much much more.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the latest red hot technology that is taking the world by storm. Have you ever wondered how you can use AR to build your own solutions that use the following technologies:

Natural feature tracking
Visual search
Face recognition
Augmented reality browsers

If you have wondered how you can use these technologies to build mobile applications for Android, iPhone, iPad 2, bada, Symbian or the web then Augmented Planet 2011 is the event for you. Augmented Planet, the No 1 blog dedicated to all things AR is back for our third London conference. This year we are focusing entirely on the development of AR applications and we have assembled the best speakers from the AR industry for an exclusive event in London.

At Augmented Planet 2011 you’ll hear from industry leaders, AR tools and platform providers and the UK’s leading AR developers. It’s not a death by PowerPoint event but an opportunity for you to see how easy it is to take advantage of AR.

Sessions include

The AR opportunities for developers
- Why you should be building AR content
Developing simple Worlds for Wikitude
- The basics of creating worlds using KML and ARML (Augmented Reality Mark-up Language)
Developing dynamic AR Worlds for Wikitude
- Creating advanced AR worlds, new features and options for developers
Using junaio to build POI driven content
- How to create junaio channels and making a compelling AR experience for users
Using junaio to build natural feature tracking content
- Creating GLUE channels that display 2D or 3D images
- AR is only as good as the 3D models you have. This session will look at the tools required to create stunning 3D content.
Face tracking
- Using the Dfusion Studio workflow for creating a face tracking experience. From the most simple to the more advanced. Prepare to be transformed!
Trans media apps
- The latest cross media AR experiences and the quantifiable ROI by some of the global major brands. See the latest mobile and iPad AR experiences
iPhone AR development
- The latest demos and iPhone development experiences from James Alliban one of the UK’s leading AR developers
The AiRaid SDK
- The bada open-source library that allows developers to quickly build mobile augmented reality applications
+ much more including keynotes from
- Lester Madden – author of Professional Augmented Reality Apps for Smartphones & AugmentedPlanet.com editor
- Myles Peyton – Total Immersion
- Ken Blakeslee – WebMobility Ventures
- Wikitude

Developing 3D objects and models

If you’re a developer here’s why you need to be at Augmented Planet 2011

Watch expert developers programming AR applications
See coding demos not PowerPoints
Hear from the leading industry experts on how to take advantage of AR
Learn how AR can be applied to your own solutions
Network with people from the AR industry

Spaces are limited, when the tickets are gone they are gone. Take advantage of the early bird discount now and save £50. Join our Facebook fan page for an exclusive event discount.

If you’re a developer and you want to hear first-hand from AR experts about building your own AR solutions this is must attend event.

Gold Sponsor

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Bronze Sponsor

Media Partners

Attention developers building mobile applications for Android, iPhone, bada and Symbian.

lester — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:37:40 +0000

Augmented Planet have assembled the leading AR platforms providers for an exclusive developer event in Kensington, London on the 1st and 2nd of June for the annual Augmented Planet Event. This years conference focuses on the development of augmented reality applications and how you can build your own cutting edge AR solutions.

If you are building mobile applications and you want to learn how AR can be used to provide features such as:

Face recognition
Visual search
Image recognition / natural feature tracking
POI AR browsers

Or if you want to see some of the latest, coolest, innovative uses of AR then this is the event for you.

AR is the RED HOT mobile technology around so come along and learn how you can build applications that will set you apart from the rest.

Take a look at these demos for a taster of some of the technologies that will be covered during the event:

Wikitude

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcAHgUge-8

Total Immersion

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDxCneDOgwc

junaio

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz-lYtzKpTo

+ many more.

To register click the link below.

Join our Facebook fan page and use the voucher code ‘facebookfriend’ to save £29 on registration. (Discount price £50 )

The Event is proudly sponsored by:

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Media Partners

For more information about the event please visit www.augmentedplanetevent.com

mTrip Augmented Reality Travel Guide Promotion

lester — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:32:41 +0000

If you’re planning a well-earned holiday this summer keep an eye open Thursday for the mTrip augmented reality travel guides. Not only are they great travel guides with augmented reality functionality but the mTrip guys tell me they are running a special discount on Thursday.

The guides are available for both Android and iPhone. The Android guides will be priced at $0.99 while the iPhone version will get free treatment. (Normal price £3.49/$5.99) I’m not sure if all the countries are all in the promotion but I am hoping for the Sao Paulo map. Either way stock up on some AR travel guide goodness.

There is an extensive list of countries available and since everything is installed on the phone there are no nasty roaming surprises for using the app abroad. For the full blurb on the features go here or you’ll find some review links below.

Europe

Amsterdam
Barcelona
Berlin
Budapest
Dublin
Istanbul
London
Madrid
Moscow
Munich
Paris
Prague
Rome
Stockholm
Venice
Vienna

America

Chicago
New York
San Francisco
São Paulo
Washington DC

Asia

Bangkok
Beijing
Dubai
Hong Kong
Shanghai
Singapore
Tokyo

Red Bull Racing – Amazing Augmented Reality Game

lester — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 23:19:55 +0000

I have seen some interesting augmented reality games that use markers enabling you build a custom game environment. Augmented Reality Tower Defender for Symbian and Drift from Slapdown Games are two that spring immediately to mind. Red Bull however have taken the concept to an entirely new dimension

I have to admit when the press release arrived in my in-box yesterday I thought I had misread it. The concept of using cans of Red Bull to build your own unique augmented reality racing game for your iPhone seemed like a far-fetched concept. Amazing Red Bull has done exactly that.

To play simply arrange cans of Red Bull in the circuit you would like to race. Once you have created your perfect circuit use the Red Bull application to scan the tops of each can. The application uses Advanced Sensor Fusion (a combination of gyroscope, compass and accelerometer input) to track the motion of the phone between the cans and metaio’s natural feature tracking technology (the same technology used in the junaio browser) to identify the Red Bull cans.

All that wonderful data is then processed by the application to build a 3D track based on your unique design. If all that wasn’t enough you can also share the track with your friends and challenge them to beat your time.

The game is truly ground breaking and will be a tough app to beat in this years Readers Choice Awards. The game has been developed in conjunction with Circ.us, which is a leader in uncovering remarkable uses for gameplay, animation, 3D and cross-platform creative execution.

Take a look at the game in action here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSM8Dap-AFE

The application is free and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store here.

AR Hockey – 3D Shootout Game

lester — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:00:11 +0000

I’m not a huge fan of sports. It football (don’t make me say soccer) or nothing for me. I have been to an American Football game which was 3 hours of my life that could have been put to better use, and a baseball game in Boston where I managed to knock half a pint of Guinness over someone’s head. I was sitting above the exit at the time and stretched out my leg sending a plastic cup half full with Guinness down into the abyss below. Unfortunately someone managed to break the cups fall, let’s say they weren’t happy. The good news however was the guy next to me got the blame but that’s another story.

Hockey looks like a fun sport and if you fancy a game then AR has the answer. Canada’s Arcane Technologies have created an AR game that utilises your webcam and a marker for Best Buy that challenges you to score as many goals as possible in 2 minutes. The challenging part is you use a marker and gravity to control the hockey rink.

Take a look at the game in action here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE2T-DChGlE

You can take up the hockey challenge and test the game on the Best Buy website here.
http://www.bestbuy3d.ca

Total Immersion To Launch iPad AR App

lester — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:48:39 +0000

If you have just brought yourself a nice shiny new iPad 2 and you’re looking for an app to show it off to your friends, keep an eye out for the fourth coming AR Magic Mirror application from Total Immersion. Total Immersion you may remember are behind such AR hits as ‘I Am Ironman’, ‘We Are Autobots’ and bunch of other interactive AR applications that we have reviewed in the not so distant past.
The application designed for the iPad 2 utilizes the forward facing camera to give the user a selection of virtual hairstyles, glasses and other accessories to try on. The application which uses Total Immersions D’Fusion platform tracks the users face in real-time to draw the selected objects over their image.

What’s interesting is the powerful D’Fusion platform has been ported to iOS. Undoubtedly the second gen iPad is going to become a huge enabler for future AR applications. Now we know why the iPad has a duel core A5 chip.
AR Magic Mirror isn’t in the App Store just yet but we are told that the app will be free when it appears. Take a look at the video below to see the app in action.

AR Magic Mirror

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDxCneDOgwc

Professional Augmented Reality Browsers for Smartphones

lester — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:47:57 +0000

The last few months have been a blogging wilderness from me and for that I apologise. The reason being is; I am pleased to announce, I have been working on an augmented reality book titled: “Professional Augmented Reality Browsers for Smartphones: Programming for junaio, Layar and Wikitude”.

The book is aimed at developers and focused on teaching mobile developers how to build AR content for these platforms. It will be published by the nice guys over at Wrox Press hopefully in May. As of today I am just one and a half chapters away from completing the book with an angry editor on my back. Hopefully by Sunday night I will be complete. Then begins the nightmare task of dealing with the edits from the editor and reviewer.
For more information about the book take a look here:

Maybe, just maybe. Those of you that manage to attend AP2011 in London on the 1st/2nd of June will find a copy in your delegate bag.

2012 The Year of Face Recognition

lester — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:13:06 +0000

While 2011 is being billed by industry experts as the year of the Tablet, I am going to make the early claim that 2012 will be the year of face recognition.

Ever since seeing early demos of Augmented ID by Swedish company TAT which used the face recognition SDK by Polar Rose, it’s just been a matter of time before we have face recognition power in our smartphones. Polar Rose were acquired by Apple back in September 2010 which has led many to believe that the iPhone 5 will have face recognition capabilities, and I tend to agree that the next version of the iPhone will have some face recognition aspects. However while some bloggers feel that iPhone will use this technology as a security feature, i.e. unlocking the phone automatically when the use picks up the device, I think the technology will be used in a more subtle way.

My guess is that Apple will use the Polar Rose technology as a way to tag individuals in photos and possibly videos. As you take a picture using the iPhone camera each individual will be identified and tagged enabling you to search for all the pictures that containing the same individual or automatically upload the tagged photos to Facebook, (or wherever). I would be very surprised if the functionality is more sophisticated and incorporates live social media profiles of individuals in the camera view. I.e. while pointing the camera at an individual you see their recent tweets or Facebook updates. While there are companies building these solutions I think it’s a step to far to assume it will be such an integrated experience with the next iPhone. iPhone 6 however will give Apple developers enough time to experiment with the functionality and make face recognition a core part of the camera technology.

Since Polar Rose was acquired the face recognition SDK has been withdrawn for download, but fear not, particularly if you’re an Android developer. At Mobile World Congress this year I met up with a company called Viewdle who have taken up the mantel of face recognition on mobile devices. The demo I saw was a prototype that instantly recognised an individual when an Android device was pointed in their direction. Once the individual was recogniesd their social media profile include Facebook and recent tweets was displayed. It’s the first step to a future where you’ll be able to use your smartphone to point at individuals and see who they are and how to connect with them. There is privacy storm brewing there but that’s a story for another time. In the meantime however, if the finished Viewdle product is half as good as their marketing video we are in for a real treat.

Viewdle

Viewdle – Photo and Video Face Tagging from Viewdle on Vimeo.

If you can’t wait for the mobile solution, Viewdle have desktop version that will automatically tag photos on your PC and upload them to Facebook. You can download the app here: http://viewdle.com/products/desktop/index.html

Microsoft Face Recognition
Microsoft Research in Israel have also being working on face recognition and have recently released a short video showing some of their work. You can imagine this technology finding its way into their gaming platforms.

Augmented ID
For those that missed the original ground breaking demo from TAT, here is the original demo based on Polar Roses SDK. This technology was acquired by Apple in September 2010.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb0pMeg1UN0

Face recognition for mobile devices will no doubt be huge. The ability to automatically tag individuals in your photos and search for other pictures where they are featured will be just the start. In 2012 perhaps we’ll all be using our smartphones to see who is around us and what they are thinking.

AR Events Coming Soon

lester — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:50:33 +0000

During the next few months there are some excellent augmented reality events taking place. If you are in the US then you should be heading towards Santa Clara on the 17^th and 18^th May for the excellent Augmented Reality Event

(http://augmentedrealityevent.com)

Having attended last year it was a great opportunity to meet with many developers state side. I’m trying to figure out a reason to build in a business trip to the US around this time so I get to attend again this year.

June
Those based in the UK have two events to chose from.

Augmented Reality Summit (http://www.augmentedrealitysummit.com) which takes place in London on 16^th June and already has some excellent speakers lined up, including:

James Alliban (Augmatic)
Andy Gstoll (Wikitude)
Chris Grayson (Humble)
Ken Blakeslee (WebMobility Ventures)
King Yiu Chu (Layar)

Augmented Planet 2011
In one of those unfortunate necessities of having to book conference centres so far in advance our own Augmented Planet (AP2011) event falls smack in the middle of both events and will take place on the 1^st and 2^nd June. That’s right. We listened to your feedback from previous events where you asked (demanded) a longer conference and as a result we are busy putting together a two day conference for you.

With so many events taking place we are trying not to clash and are focusing on mobile developers and helping companies connect with the right resources.

Day one will be targeted towards showcasing solutions and networking. If you’re looking to meet and network with members of the AR industry then this is ideal networking time for you. If you are attending you can register for your opportunity to pitch your solution/platform in our AR Fast Pitch.

Day two is focused on APIs, platforms and taking applications to market. If you’re a developer and want to learn how to write mobile AR applications then this is the day for you. Of course we recommend that you attend both days to meet with all the right people.

As AP2011 is a two day event there are some overheads which we need to recoup but our objective is not to make money but to assist the AR industry and help developers understand the development opportunities. Anyone that has attended one of our events in the past know we bring together the very best speakers from the industry and this event will be no exception. We’ll have lots of exciting giveaways for attendees. More details will becoming soon but you can register at: http://ap2011.eventbright.com

We have limited exhibiting/sponsorship opportunities, feel free to email us at info @ augmentedplanet.com if you want more info.

October

Finally ISMAR has been announced and will take place Oct 26-29 in Basel, Switzerland. ISMAR as I sure you’ll know is the leading international Conference on Mixed and Augmented Reality. They have just announced their call for papers so I you are interested in speaking or want to learn more take a look at: http://www.ismar11.org/

Wikitude 6.0 iPhone Release

lester — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:26:23 +0000

Wikitude, the leading browser for iPhone and Android devices has recently received an iPhone refresh. The new version, version 6.0 features a brand new slicker user interface that shows you exactly how many POIs will be visible before you load the World. This very useful feature saves you loading a World only to find nothing is visible nearby. Another cool feature that users will appreciate is the customizable home screen where just like the iPhone home screens you can tap and hold the screen to rearrange or add new worlds.

The old style UI is still present under the surface and can be accessed by selecting the ‘Browse Worlds’ option which enables you to search for popular Worlds or by A-Z listings. The Worlds you find here can be added to the new style home screen by clicking the + button so you have complete control.

With version 6.0 the UI is much simpler with less buttons and clutter. The distance functionality for example is now no longer found buried in a menu but is accessed by clicking the radar display.

One thing (still) missing from the new version is the ability to test your Worlds on the iPhone by entering your Beta-World key. World developers will still need an Android device for testing.

Update
An update to the blog entry.

Developers building Wikitude Worlds are now able to test their Worlds using their iPhone. The setting to enter your beta key can be found in the iPhone’s setting menu. In addition to testing Worlds you can also set your latitude/longitude location to simulate your location. Useful for when you want to test your content.

Android owners will have to wait a little longer for the update but iPhone owners should take a look at the refresh. The video below shows you all you need to know about the update.

The new Wikitude in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcAHgUge-8

Nestle AR Gesture Games

lester — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 21:12:59 +0000

Zugara are somewhat experts in area of gesture recognition. If you have followed AR for a while you will know they are the brains behind the Fashionista application that enables consumers to try on clothes from the comfort of their living rooms. Recently however Zugara have turned their attention to creating gesture recognition games, you may remember their first Nestle Factory Game which we reviewed recently.
Nestle it appears were so impressed with the results they have continued working with Zugara who have been busy creating two follow up titles.

Fruit Ensemble is a rhythm-based game where the player must use their hands to tap fruit (that appears randomly around them) in time with the music. Think “Whack-A-Mole”, only the “moles” appear in random places all around the player.

Fruit Mixer Studio let’s people tap fruit to mix and record unique beats that can be saved to a desktop or sent directly to a mobile phone as a ringtone.
Neither game requires a marker or anything special. Simply visit the page below and interact with the screen by using your webcam.

Juicy Juice games in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPu8hgOTJ8I

For the developers among you wondering how you create solutions like this, you can learn more about Zugara’s motion capture software here.

Play the games http://www.juicyjuice.com/Tools/Fruit-Games.aspx

Smoki AR Facebook Fun

lester — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:34:10 +0000

If you have a Facebook account take a look at the Smoki augmented reality game.

If you have no idea what Smoki’s are, think Wotsits if you’re British, think Cheetos if you’re from across the pond. Smoki’s I’m informed by Ivan Rečević from HUGE Media, the games creator are a local brand of cheesy snacks from Serbia, but their snacky goodness is irrelevant. What is important is the game requires you to eat as many of the snacks as they fall from the screen as possible. This can be achieved either by moving the mouse to control the character or by using your webcam.

In the webcam mode you use your head to eat the snacks as they fall. The more you catch the higher the score. It’s a good example of using head tracking as a human interface and the challenge friends option is a nice touch. The campaign is over but the game is still live so check it out at: http://apps.facebook.com/gladni-zabave/

While on the subject of Facebook. You can become a fan of Augmented Planet page here:

Holoplanets AR demo

lester — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 19:36:02 +0000

HIT Lab NZ, one of my favourite innovating augmented reality companies has just posted a new video to showcase their Holoplanets interactive science exhibit that teaches users about the planets in the solar system.

With the demo, each planet is identified by its own unique marker which when presented to the webcam displays information about the planet.

I don’t have a link to the demo yet but you can get the idea from the video.

Holoplanets

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjdbWBGNL64

Rise of the undead for the Samsung bada

lester — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:00:05 +0000

Hunting ghost and killing the undead is everyone’s favourite augmented reality gaming hobby. Until recently zombie killing goodness the AR way has been reserved almost exclusively for iPhone and Android owners with Symbian getting thrown the odd bone.

Samsung bada owners now have cause for cheer with the release of the new augmented reality game, Rise of the Undead.

The game Samsung tell us is the first augmented reality game for the device based on their new AiRaid framework and it is available free from the bada store.

The video below hardly gives a glimpse of the game but you know the way AR games play out. Point your camera, swivel around a bit, shoot the monsters as they appear in the camera window. While its not the most compelling video you will see, with the amount of money that Samsung are investing in their bada platform and targeting developers The bada platform could be worth a look. If you are at Mobile World Congress they are running workshops for developers. You can apply here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tA5YsxXOkQ

AR App Gun

lester — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:12:46 +0000

If you are looking for that little extra realism with your augmented reality games, AppToyz, a UK games company could have the answer.

The AppToyz solution is a gun shaped holder for your mobile phone. There is no electronics in the device, instead the trigger controls two rubberised fingers (for want of a better word) which tap the screen. Of course games will need to be designed specifically for the AR gun to ensure that the fingers tap in the right places. In the video below you can see the gun in action.

I’m not sure about this one, I worry about my expensive phone flying through the air in the heat of an AR battle. It will be interesting to see if developers begin to build compatible games.
From what I understand the gun will be priced around £15-$20 ($25-$30) mark.

The AR Gun in action

www.youtube.com/watch?v=N64IQN1MtdI

AR Marketplace Meeting – Mobile World Congress

lester — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:28:30 +0000

If you are attending Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in a few weeks then be sure to spend 5 minutes today registering for the Mobile AR Marketplace meeting which will take place on:

Tuesday, February 15, 2011
10 AM to 3 PM

The event is free for registrations for the remainder for today. Tomorrow it will cost €99 to attend.

Registration: http://www.perey.com/MobileARMarketplace2011/

About the event
Welcome
Qualified companies in the mobile AR ecosystem who seek to buy, sell, license or develop applications with platforms, technologies or content for mobile users are invited to participate in the first Mobile AR Marketplace. This unique event will maximize new and deeper business discussions based on the position of companies in the mobile AR value chain and their statements to the meeting plenary. Then our framework for interaction during a series of short meetings acts as a springboard to closing deals with new partners.
Objectives
The mobile AR Marketplace is designed to

Attract to one place at the same time the key buyers and sellers of
- AR platforms
- a variety of professional and infrastructure services
- core technology components,
- advertising agencies and brands and
- anyone with content for successful mobile AR experiences.

Permit rapid identification of potential mobile AR business relationships among the marketplace participants,
Accelerate the assessment of mutual compatibility and
Enable the establishment of win-win business relationships.

Do you need to participate?
This is a meeting of pre-qualified business professionals representing companies with a clear position in the mobile AR ecosystem. In order to determine if you should participate, to establish your position and to receive your no-cost participation kit, review these reasons to participate, check the criteria for participation and complete the registration form.
Getting started with mobile AR
The mobile AR Marketplace is not designed to serve the needs of those business professionals who are not already familiar with mobile AR. Those seeking a rapid orientation to the opportunities and requirements of mobile AR are invited to visit this page and to follow links to third party resources on the Internet.

Frequently Asked Questions
Our replies to your most frequently asked questions are found on this page. If you have other topics which you wish to raise, or suggestions for improvements, please contact Christine Perey.

junaio Redefining Interactive TV

lester — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:00:49 +0000

I have to admit that that it’s not very often someone throws me a complete and utter curve ball and I see something that I never even considered before. After a while you start to think you have seen it all, but the junaio browser wins the January prize for the most innovative use of augmented reality.

The new junaio channel works in conjunction with a popular German TV show called ‘Galileo’. Viewers watching the show are able to interact with the program by using the junaio client and by pointing their smartphone at the TV screen.

During the Galileo program questions are displayed on the screen. Unlike most interactive programs that require you to SMS an expensive number and wait several hours for the result, when the junaio enabled program asks the viewer a question the viewer simply points their smartphone at the screen. The junaio channel which uses natural feature tracking recognises the question; it is then transferred to the viewer’s smartphone. Once on the smartphone the viewer can select the answer without having to send an expensive text. In addition real-time feedback can be provided so it’s great for interactive TV quiz shows. For example, play along to who wants to be a millionaire at home and get instant feedback, even compete with other players watching the same show.

As Peter Meier, CTO of metaio points out, it’s not just about quizzes. The same technology could be used to enable viewers to receive recipes as the chief is making a dish. It’s definitely an interesting idea to enable views to interact with the TV. Take a look at the video of the solution in action. (Video Link)

What TV program would you like to see made interactive this way?

Explore the Taj Mahal with augmented reality

lester — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 20:11:56 +0000

If you are new to augmented reality and looking to explore the possibilities on what the technology allows you to do, then take a look at this demo from Source Bits.

For newbies, just print the special pattern and hold it up to your webcam. You’ll then be able to view one of the most famous monuments in the world in 3D.

To get started just visit http://www.sourcebits.com/artoy/

Tron Augmented Reality Demo

lester — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:21:09 +0000

Expresso Design a digital creation agency based in Italy have put together the ultimate experience to enable everyone with a web camera to experience a high speed light cycle battle.

The campaign is of course based around the Disney blockbuster Tron Legacy. The demo features a rather snazzy augmented reality aspect that lets you experience scenes from the movie. As usual, printing a marker and holding it up to the webcam will result it an engaging AR experience. Unusually however the Tron campaign supports multiple markers. Hold an individual light cycle marker up to the webcam will enable you to view a light cycle in 3D while the rider patiently waits for action. Put the counterpart marker next to it however and both riders jump on their light cycles and race. The augmented reality has been developed on the Total Immersion platform and has been is implemented very well indeed. Give it a go, it’s definitely one of those demos you are going to be showing around the office today.

AR Tron

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFeRjrAqdcQ

You can demo for yourself by visiting the website. www.iptvcinema.it/tron Its in Italian but easy enough to figure out. Look for Realta Aumentata and then Scopri la Realta aumentata the rest is obvious. To save yourself sometime, you can print the marker from here. Just hold it up to your webcam.

Great augmented reality demos and lessons in Italian, what more do you need from a blog?

Cheers to Francesca for the heads-up.

Toozla for bada Devices

lester — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:37:51 +0000

Toozla, the augmented reality browser with a difference makes its appearance on the Samsung bada device in style.
Toozla has been around for some time on both the iPhone and Android. Toozla if you haven’t tried it, it’s an augmented reality browser that provides users with an audio experience rather than displaying POIs in the camera view.
I have raved over Toozla a few times (read here for more info). So instead of telling you about the app, let me tell you that the developers have scooped two awards in the Samsung bada Developer Challenge.
Toozla took 3rd place in the ‘On The Road’ category and 1st place in the Developer Challenge.

Congratulations to the guys over at Toozla. Toozla is free so If you haven’t already installed it, you can find it in the iPhone App Store, Android Marketplace or bada users follow these steps.

Go to Samsung Apps using your phone.
Run a search for applications using the word “Toozla”.

Readers Choice Awards 2010 Winners

lester — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:00:32 +0000

Announcing the 2010 winners

Every year at Augmented Planet we ask you, the augmented reality community to vote for your favourite augmented reality applications of the year. For 2010 we focused the awards on augmented reality for mobile devices.

Before we get to the winners, congratulations to all the nominees who were entered. The winners will each be receiving the highly desirable Augmented Planet Readers Choice Award Crystal Plaque.

Best Augmented Reality Browser Of 2010

This category was always going to be a three-way fight between junaio, Layar and Wikitude. However, notable new entries included in the category were mTrip and DroidAR who were top of the voting outside the big three. In 2009 the Best Augmented Reality Browser Award went to Wikitude. In 2010 we are pleased to annouce that you have voted:

Winner

Wikitude

‘Here at mobilizy we are proud and excited about retaining the Wikitude’s crown for the Best Augmented Reality Browser. We dedicate this award to our community who keeps providing the support and the feedback we need to continuously improve our products.

Stay tuned – Q1 will bring even more exciting features and partnerships to strengthen Wikitude’s perception by our community and the readers of Augmented Planet.

CEO, Martin Herdina.

Runners up

Layar
junaio

Best 3^rd Party Content For An Augmented Reality Browser

This category focused on the best content developed by an independent 3^rd party developer who builds content for junaio, Layar or Wikitude. Almost all these entries are direct nominations by the community.

Winner

Webcams.Travel

Runners up

Best Mobile Augmented Reality Game

The best game category was fiercely contested with voting very tight. However, you have voted the best augmented reality game of 2010 as:

Winner

Zombie ShootAR for Symbian (Metaio)

Runners up

Space InvadAR for Android (Zenitum)
Urban Golf for Android (Anton Pirker)

Best Augmented Reality Campaign

During 2010 we have seen augmented reality used in number of ways to market goods and services. Note that this category was not exclusive to mobile devices.

Winner

The Gorillaz Plastic Beach (PIAS)

Runners up

Thats it for another year, thank to you everyone for voting and to Samsung for providing the prize. The winner incidentally was Ryan Garratt.

Good luck for 2011.

Second International AR Standards Meeting

lester — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:42:51 +0000

If you are attending Mobile World Congress next month, and you have an interest in augmented reality, you should make plans to attend the augmented reality international standards meeting taking place on 17th – 19th Feb in Barcelona.

This is a must attend if you are in the augmented reality space.

In the information below you will find the details on how you can register and how you can submit a paper. I look forward to seeing you there.

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE

In What?

Face-to-Face working meeting on the topic of standards for AR

Why?

Contribute to the community focusing on the future of open standards for the widespread adoption of Augmented Reality.

Work together to rapidly advance sharing of knowledge about requirements and solutions, discussion of proposals, development of resources for the inclusive, global initiative and establishment of liaisons with other standards bodies with value to AR.

When?

Start: Thursday February 17 13h30
End: Saturday February 19 12h30

Who?

Public meeting of experts, evangelists and dedicated people. AR experts as well as those with knowledge of related fields.
All contributions from standards organizations, companies, research institutes and industry bodies are welcome.

This meeting is receiving support from sponsors including Khronos Group, PEREY Research & Consulting and Telefonica I&D Barcelona.

Where?

via Augusta 177
Barcelona, Spain

Meeting host is Telefonica I&D

Meeting format?

Plenary sessions and breakouts

Invited speakers, group knowledge creation and facilitated discussions

Preliminary agenda http://www.perey.com/ARStandardsFeb2011MeetingAgenda.html

Registration

Information about registration and the link to registration form is available http://www.perey.com/ARStandardsMeetingFeb2011.html#Registration

More Information

For more information about this meeting, please visit http://www.perey.com/ARStandardsMeetingFeb2011.html

Call to Action
1. All experts in AR and related subject areas are encouraged to prepare and submit on or before January 17, 2011 one or more position papers following the guidelines http://www.perey.com/ARStandardsPaperInstructions.html

2. Please forward this announcement and invitation to your colleagues and those who you believe are interested. If you prefer, use this LinkedIn event page: http://events.linkedin.com/International-AR-Standards-Meeting/pub/491974

3. To receive periodic announcements regarding the International AR Standards meeting and community, join public mailing list http://ARstandards.org/mailman/listinfo/news

Any comments/questions may be addressed to Christine