experience matters

The buzz around augmented reality seems to be growing. This technology involves the interaction of live and computer-based data. It can be used to retrieve real time data based on what’s being captured with an input device, like a camera or a microphone, and display the information layer over the input one.

The video gaming industry seems to be definitely going towards that direction. First, Sony released the PlaystationEye, but the titles released until now didn’t seem to achieve great popularity. I believe they hope to change it with EyePet. Microsoft, in its turn, is now investing on Project Natal, which uses the same movement recognition principle. The gaming industry will probably be a huge factor for the popularization of augmented reality. You can read a bit more about the two systems here.

Outside the entertainment industry, applications based on this technology start to pop. The GR Smart Grid seems to be one of the most popular at this point. Recently, I came across the USPS shipment box simulator which “project box holograms onto the image from your [webcam]. Then, compare the size of the real stuff you want to ship to size of the virtual box on your screen,” according to the USPS Priority Mail website.
When we see the current state of the interaction between real and computer data (how things take a while to follow the path and their movements are not that natural), we realize that there’s still a lot to improve, like Total Immersion did, and we start thinking what’s the real value of augmented reality aside seeing cool 3D graphics that react to your movements on a screen. How can this technology help the developmThe buzz around augmented reality seems to be growing. This technology involves the interaction of live and computer-based data. It can be used to retrieve real time data based on what’s being captured with an input device, like a camera or a microphone, and display the information layer over the input one.

The video gaming industry seems to be definitely going towards that direction. First, Sony released the PlaystationEye, but the titles released until now didn’t seem to achieve great popularity. I believe they hope to change it with EyePet. Microsoft, in its turn, is now investing on Project Natal, which uses the same movement recognition principle. The gaming industry will probably be a huge factor for the popularization of augmented reality. You can read a bit more about the two systems here.

Outside the entertainment industry, applications based on this technology start to pop. The GR Smart Grid seems to be one of the most popular at this point. Recently, I came across the USPS shipment box simulator which “project box holograms onto the image from your [webcam]. Then, compare the size of the real stuff you want to ship to size of the virtual box on your screen,” according to the USPS Priority Mail website.
When we see the current state of the interaction between real and computer data (how things take a while to follow the path and their movements are not that natural), we realize that there’s still a lot to improve, like Total Immersion did, and we start thinking what’s the real value of augmented reality aside seeing cool 3D graphics that react to your movements on a screen. How can this technology help the development of better user experience?

So you may be able to come to a CD store, point your cell phone camera to a CD cover and check listeners’ reviews from amazon.com, or even compare prices with other stores. The same kind of thing you do while browsing the Internet today, but adapted to what you have in sight, anytime, anywhere. While grocery shopping, you may be able to check available recipes, nutritional information or even the availability of that item on your freezer. I really dream about the day when the front windshield of my car will be GPS-driven and I won’t even make a mistake on a bifurcation again, because that coloured lane will be shown no more on a GPS device screen, but over the actual road.

I’ve seen complicated devices like head-mounted displays, which involve helmets, goggles, tracking systems and mobile computer units, but I don’t believe many people without a really specific application field will want to use them. They will probably wait until Oakley engineer all that machinery to work inside a Juliet model.

The fact is the use of this technology, in the next few years, will be much more simple and easy. And that’s why we can believe it will be successful. In this context, the role of agencies will be to identify opportunities to create interesting applications and interactions and plan interfaces that will make the experience desirable. This technology is promising, but, as any other, only the development of good applications can create public interest to make this field develop.
ent of better user experience?

So you may be able to come to a CD store, point your cell phone camera to a CD cover and check listeners’ reviews from amazon.com, or even compare prices with other stores. The same kind of thing you do while browsing the Internet today, but adapted to what you have in sight, anytime, anywhere. While grocery shopping, you may be able to check available recipes, nutritional information or even the availability of that item on your freezer. I really dream about the day when the front windshield of my car will be GPS-driven and I won’t even make a mistake on a bifurcation again, because that coloured lane will be shown no more on a GPS device screen, but over the actual road.

I’ve seen complicated devices like head-mounted displays, which involve helmets, goggles, tracking systems and mobile computer units, but I don’t believe many people without a really specific application field will want to use them. They will probably wait until Oakley engineer all that machinery to work inside a Juliet model.

The fact is the use of this technology, in the next few years, will be much more simple and easy. And that’s why we can believe it will be successful. In this context, the role of agencies will be to identify opportunities to create interesting applications and interactions and plan interfaces that will make the experience desirable. This technology is promising, but, as any other, only the development of good applications can create public interest to make this field develop.