Tag Archives: #augmentedreality

a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented in some way (visual, audible, tactile, etc)

Camphone Reality and Some Real Reality

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While the ambitious ubergeeks are cobbling together head-mounted gear and lugging around home-made versions of a Xybernaut to play augmented reality games (like ARQuake which I’ve mentioned here before), the geektrepeneurs are surveying what’s available, bending it to their will, and coming up with interesting applications. And the latest example seems to be Camblaster, an interesting combination of cellphone camera technology and mobile gaming.

I think Jamais Cascio who posted this item over on WorldChanging.com where I found it, has already written what I’m thinking; so just go read his entry.

And for the industrial designers that read this blog, while you’re visiting the WorldChanging site, check out two other articles: this one on China and this one covering Bruce Sterling’s piece on technology.

The Ultimate ARG (or This Is Not A Videogame)

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Image of the J-UCAS system in action

C|Net has a slideshow from the currently in-progress Paris Air Show. Notice that the first image in the slideshow shows a UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle). Now look close and you should see a few of those flying drones/robots in the above conceptual image taken from the Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) website. If you read the MIT Technology Review article I mentioned a couple months back in this post, the videogame aspect of all this is pretty obvious. Since that time however a couple more related bits have come along, including: news about swarming robots, word on an attempt to create a virtual brain, an announcement that the keel is being laid for a new kind of warship (the Littoral Combat Ship, a variation of which would presumably make an excellent platform for UCAVs), and plenty of discussion about military spending. There’s even another article similar to the MIT Tech Review piece – this time over on the Popular Science website (read “Trust Me – I’m a Robot” here) .

And all I wanted to see were some pretty pictures of the new Boeing jet I mentioned a couple days ago. Looks like pieces of this augmented reality stuff are everywhere; it’s just maybe not entirely obvious how it all fits together.

Where’s Your Head At?

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There’s an interesting bit of reality mixing over on the PlaceSite Project – a kind of mash-up of wi-fi networking, Google maps, and … zombies. No, not “Night of the Living Dead” garden variety zombies. These are the I’m-too-busy-talking- on-my-cell-to- notice-the-light- turned-green variety.

Now I’ve seen the term used to describe this particular effect before, but not so … officially. “The Zombie Effect”. Sounds catchy, if not original. I hope that label makes its way out into the public. That might make it easier to explain the kind of interaction one can have with/within a virtual environment or videogame to those who engage in neither activity. Right now they just stare at you with these blank eyes when you try to explain this stuff. Jaw hanging; mouth slightly open. You know. They look a little like … well, hell … a zombie.

My god. They’re everywhere.

(via B. Sterling blog)

Virtual Festivus

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Feng in Q3

Wired online is carrying a nice little article on Boston’s Cyberarts Festival. For me, the above image in their online gallery showing creator/artist Feng Mengbo inside Quake 3 is the most interesting, but I suppose that has more to do with my familiarity with the game than with what’s being done (I should give Feng my Squidgun model, the Rocket Launcher is so 90’s – besides being copyright id Software). From his site, it appears this is more documentation than interaction unfortunately. A shame.

For cool interactivity, Imaging Places is probably the highlight as it’s starting to move into new territory. From Wired:

Imaging Place reflects that real-and-virtual connection, by allowing viewers to navigate a map image, projected against a wall in a darkened room. The viewer of the Lowell piece, for example, mouse-clicks on certain parts of a satellite photo of the Lowell area, and zooms in to see videos of oral histories and bits of wisdom as told by local people.

This reminds me of my previous entry regarding augmented reality being used at historical sites. If only Feng was pulling that one off. I’m just waiting for someone to stream 3D data based on GPS position. Maybe then Feng’s visuals will mash-up with the interactivity currently limited to 2D imaging. And then… well, then we can fight over a virtual doll and create our own virtual holiday.

Intersecting Overlapping Expanding Improving

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Augmented reality, overlaying three dimensional virtual objects onto our “real world”, continues to be a frequent topic on the sites I visit – including this one over on Setpoint Originator (which I may have mentioned earlier). And yesterday Bruce Sterling posted a link to an AR demonstration video over on MIT’s website. Cool. But fair warning if you’re on a slow connection, the MIT webpage has the Quicktime video embedded so you’re going to get hit with streaming video the minute you get there. Watch it here.