Archive for September, 2009
Vampire Diaries Augmented Reality Storescapes
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on September 30th, 2009
The last few months, we bloggers have decried the gimmicky nature of most augmented reality marketing campaigns. Mostly, the problem lies in their clunky implementations of the technology. Printing out markers and holding them up to the screen are as old as watching LOST or wearing Crocs.
Successful usage of the technology relies on the user to forget there’s even some technical jargon behind it all. Did my do-hickey connect with the thing-a-mabob? Who cares? Give me instant gratification.
While I don’t have a single inkling to watch CW’s Vampire Diaries (I haven’t read the Twilight series either), I do think Inwindow Outdoor’s implementation of augmented reality is brilliant. None of the people interacting with the Storescape window had even heard of augmented reality, and they didn’t need to, they were amazed by the screens ability to make them invisible. Though I can’t for the life of me think of why these people would translate this impressive Storescape experience into watching a TV show, but I guess failure to understand cause and effect is what marketers rely on.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Voodoo Experience Augmented Reality App
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on September 29th, 2009
The music festival experience can be quite overwhelming with copious drinks, flickering lights and nose curdling levels of patchouli in the air. Add Caribbean voodoo, the masked hooligans of Halloween and the general craziness of New Orleans, and you’ll wish you had a guide back to your friends at the Silversun Pickups stage when you wandered off following the sleeveless pink hoodie guy.
Zehnder has created a Layar for the 2009 Voodoo Experience on Halloween weekend to help make sure you can find your way, but only if you have an Android. The app gives locations, schedules and information about all the bands, food and beverage spots and all the other necessities of the music festival experience.
My only wish-list item for this app would be a way to geo-tag your approval of the band’s playing. That way if you’re stuck at a band coasting through a bad set, you can surf the geo-tags and find one rocking out.
Popularity: 9% [?]
The Rocket Cow Augmented Reality Business Card
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on September 28th, 2009
It’s not really an another augmented reality business card. In fact, it looks like the team at FullSix just printed a marker on the back of a standard card. Yet I found the video strangely entertaining and yearned to have my own rocket cow to pilot onto fluffy croissant landing pads.
While the video doesn’t advance the science of augmented reality, its whimsical attitude certainly perked up my Monday morning, proving the point that sometimes gimmicks can be just plain fun (happy iPhone-esque commercial music helps as well.)
Can I get a rocket launcher on that cow, too?
Popularity: 11% [?]
Past ISMAR Videos
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on September 27th, 2009
ISMAR09 is less than a month away and I’m getting excited about attending (though I wish I could be there for the full week.) This year’s conference looks to be the best one yet.
While the industry is gazing longingly to the future, there’s still a lot to learn from past ISMAR conferences. The conference organizers have been uploading old videos from past events and it’s interesting to see how the concepts haven’t changed, but the technology has gotten better.
I won’t even begin to claim that I understand the abstract titles, so just look at the pretty pictures and don’t try to make sense of all the fifty cent words. Consider that most of these videos hail from the year 2004.
Augmented Reality Room Design
AR Visualization of an Archaeological Excavation
Tinmith-evo5: Interactive AR Techniques for 3D Geometery Construction at a Distance
Embedding Imperceptible Patterns into Projected Images for Simultaneous Acquisition and Display
Component-based Approach to Immersive Authoring of Tangible AR Applications
Video See-Through AR on Consumer Cell Phones
Augmented Surfaces: A Spatially Continious Workspace for Hybrid Computing Enviroments
The AR Apprenticeship by Replication and Omnidirectional Viewing of Subtle Movements
Deformable 3D Lungs Superimposition
Distribuited AR Training Tool
The ARC Display for 3D Visualization
In-Place Augmented Reality
Popularity: 8% [?]
YDreams: Flyar Birdies Bring Tweets to Your PC
Posted by Tom Carpenter in AR Games, augmented reality on September 24th, 2009
YDreams, a Portuguese information technology company, has been quiet in the augmented reality news lately, but remedy that with their release of an AR twitter product called Flyar for your PC.
What is Flyar?
Flyar is a free Twitter visualization application that uses Augmented Reality and gesture interaction. You can set it as your screensaver or just play around with it.
It uses your webcam to create an augmented video image, enabling you to visualize incoming tweets (from your account or a general feed) in a twitteresque setting that you can interact with.
How does it work?
Flyar uses your webcam to create an augmented reality image where birds fly or hang around tree branches and fly towards you to deliver tweets. The birds represent incoming tweets, and their color represents different types of messages: blue for normal messages, green for replies and red for direct messages.
When a bird is standing on a branch it means you have a new message. With just a tap you can “call” him and he’ll fly to your side to deliver the tweet (only one bird at a time). You can also interact with the birds by disrupting their flight patterns, or affect the falling leaves. The flock of birds flying around tells you how many messages you have waiting to be read.
It works as a screensaver which means it’ll be active when you come back to your computer. Later on when the technology develops and I’m wearing my Vuzix AR920 Wraps, I’ll have the eyeball space to wait for a bird to deliver my tweet where ever I am. In the meantime, AR birdies delivering my message will be desk-bound only.
YDreams also released a compilation video of their products. The montage goes through examples of AR sightseeing, museums, interactive catalogs, advertising, books, full-body motion capture and a slightly creepy playground.
I’m not sure how the interactive playground works, but it’ll mean we can finally play with our imaginary friends for real.
Popularity: 21% [?]
Topps and Total Immersion Huddle Up: NFL QBs Come to Life Via Augmented Reality
Posted by Tom Carpenter in AR Games, augmented reality on September 23rd, 2009
For Immediate Release
TOPPS AND TOTAL IMMERSION HUDDLE UP,
UNVEIL ‘3D LIVE’ FOOTBALL CARDS: NFL QUARTERBACKS ON
VIRTUAL GRIDIRON COME TO LIFE VIA AUGMENTED REALITY
Cards Build on Game-Changing Introduction of 3D Live Baseball Cards,
Enable Kids and Collectors to Play Ball with the Pros at ToppsTown.com
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK (September 23, 2009) – If the prospect of being a Monday morning quarterback every day of the week grabs you, you can now get in the game, thanks to the Topps Company, Total Immersion and the magic of augmented reality.
The two companies today introduced “Topps 3D Live” football trading cards featuring star National Football League quarterbacks who come to play, at www.toppstown.com, Topps’ virtual sports community.
Building on the success of its groundbreaking 3D Live baseball cards for Topps, Total Immersion, the global leader in augmented reality, is bringing Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Eli and Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb and other star quarterbacks to life in 3D, for the 2009 NFL season.
Topps, the leading creator and marketer of sports and related cards, is delivering a new level of interactive gameplay via the new football cards, introducing a highly engaging experience where virtual components are merged into a live video stream in real time.
The new Topps 3D Live football cards feature quarterbacks who pop up from specially designated cards to fire passes to virtual receivers, all the while seeking to keep away from defensive obstacles.
Every pack of Topps 2009 Football contains one interactive code card. Fans log on to www.toppstown.com, enter the Topps 3D Live section and select the player on the code card. Once the player is selected and the program is initialized, it’s time for the snap from center. When the card is held under a webcam, the quarterback springs to life, onscreen. Fans control the action with a few keystrokes.
“With 3D Live NFL cards, Topps is continuing to innovate, bringing greater interactivity to game play for fans and collectors alike,” said Steve Grimes, Chief Digital Officer, Topps. “We’re fans of augmented reality, and the quarterback game we’ve developed with Total Immersion is simple, engaging and fun.”
“Marrying football with augmented reality was a natural after the game-changing success of Topps 3D Live baseball cards,” said Bruno Uzzan, CEO and co-founder, Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com). “These cards put fans in the huddle with their favorite NFL quarterback, and demonstrate yet again how augmented reality gets the consumer into the action like nothing else. That’s the kind of engagement that AR delivers consistently.”
3D Live augmented reality football cards are the newest attraction at Topps Town, an online sports community. The site was unveiled in June 2008 as part of the iconic company’s plans to expand into the digital space. Topps was recently named the exclusive card supplier to Major League Baseball.
About The Topps Company, Inc.
Founded in 1938, Topps (www.topps.com) is a leading creator and marketer of sports and related cards, entertainment products, and distinctive confectionery. Topps entertainment products include Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA, and other trading cards, sticker album collections, and collectible games. The company’s confectionary brands include “Bazooka” bubble gum, “Ring Pop,” “Push Pop,” “Baby Bottle Pop,” and “Juicy Drop Pop” lollipops. In June 2008, Topps unveiled ToppsTown (www.toppstown.com), the first online sports community for kids, bringing the popularity of trading cards with the exploding world of web-based social networking.
About Total Immersion
Total Immersion (www.t-immersion.com) is the global leader in augmented reality. Through its patented D’Fusion™ technology, Total Immersion blurs the line between the virtual world and the real world by integrating real time interactive 3D graphics into a live video stream. Leading the augmented reality category since 1999, the company maintains a presence in Europe and the U.S., and supports a network of partners worldwide.
Media Contact for Topps:
Adam Schiff/Matthew Altman
Dan Klores Communications
212/685-4300
Media Contact for Total Immersion:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
818/990-5001
Popularity: 14% [?]
The Zerkin Glove – Touching the Future, Now
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality, digital singularity on September 23rd, 2009
With all the buzz about multiple AR news announcements (ARML, Layar 3D, Vuzix contest), Noah Zerkin’s glove/tracking project got lost. Hopefully I can shed some much deserved light on what this one-man show is doing.
Noah has been working on an interactive glove that could be used as an augmented reality interface since early this year. The video shows how he built the glove in less than a day for under $300.
Noah lists more details on his new website – Zerkin Glove.
What is the Zerkin Glove?
A low-cost, motion and position capturing, data glove for 3D interaction with virtual objects in augmented reality (AR) environments.
What do you mean, really?
The Zerkin Glove, is the most intuitive input device using natural hand gestures – like you’ve only seen in sci-fi movies – with a consumer friendly price.
The glove enables accurate 1-to-1 tracking of one’s entire arm – from shoulder to knuckles – without external reference infrastructure (such as cameras, sensors, scanners) allowing intuitive interaction with virtual objects in augmented reality environments such as games, education, 3D design, training, healthcare and more.
Why is it important?
Augmented reality applications, which promise to change the way people interact with the world, have been largely focused on augmenting one’s field of view with additional information. The Zerkin glove is the missing element for enhancing the interaction in any handsfree mobile AR application.How does it work?
Thanks to the use of inexpensive off-the-shelf components such as flex sensors, gyros, accelerometer, and compass headings, the glove precisely tracks the slightest gestures in the augmented reality space. Based on a proprietary patent-pending method. The graphics are overlaid relative to fiducial markers using AR tracking software. A pair of see-through AR glasses complements the experience as display for a first person perspective.
Noah is looking for investors, developers and fans. I can’t help with the first two (unless they happen to read this post), but count me in as a fan. Good luck and hopefully I’ll get to see the glove at ISMAR.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Augmented Reality Helps Art Meet Life
Posted by Tom Carpenter in augmented reality on September 17th, 2009
This augmented reality video from Najork has clearly been modified post-production, however, it really gives a sense of the possible. When the tools to do this easily become available some artists might abandon real materials and instead build their art installations out of imagination and the colored lights reflected on our eyes.
Combine these free-flowing art layers with the personal modification from Sony’s Vision Libary, and you can choose to live in a pretty weird place.
street tests from Najork on Vimeo.
[Via Cruces]
Popularity: 14% [?]
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
The Caryatids
Spook Country
Halting State
The
The Golden Age Trilogy 
Virtual Light
Uglies Trilogy 



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