Augmented Reality

We've seen some creative uses of augmented reality show up in almost everything, from sandboxes to shopping aisles, but now it looks like we may soon see AR technology implemented in the unlikeliest of places: our food. A recent patent from Disney outlines plans for augmented reality cakes and other food products that would display interactive movies and images on edible treats using a projector and motion sensors.  Read More

It was not long ago that the internet was going crazy over Google's Project Glass, and now Google has our attention again with the patent of a "smart watch." This watch appears to use technology similar to the glasses, but with a flip-up touchscreen instead of lenses.  Read More

While we’ve pretty much got to the point where we take GPS-enabled navigation systems for granted, there’s one rather prominent place where they can’t access the necessary satellites – indoors. A number of projects have taken on the challenge of indoor navigation, incorporating things like accelerometers, “invisible” landmarks, rapidly flickering lights, and magnetic fields. The experimental new NAVVIS system, however, utilizes a database of photographs.  Read More

Having long been successful with "talkies," Disney has developed technology that could allow the creation of "feelies." While designed more for touchscreens than the silver screen, the REVEL system developed at Disney Research uses reverse electrovibration to bring computerized control over the sense of touch, thereby allowing programmers to change the feel of real-world surfaces and objects without requiring users to wear special gloves or use force-feedback devices.  Read More

Generally speaking, the vast majority of augmented reality applications that enhance the world around us by overlaying digital content on images displayed on smartphone, tablet or computer screens are aimed squarely at the sighted user. A team from the Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT's Media Lab has developed a chunky finger-worn device called EyeRing that translates images of objects captured through a camera lens into aural feedback to aid the blind.  Read More

Inspired by the Google's Project Glass, computer programmer Will Powell has built a prototype real-time translation system that listens to speech, translates it into one of 37 languages, and then displays the resulting text as subtitles directly onto the user's glasses.  Read More

Several years ago, every inch of the New York City Subway system – along with other public transportation systems around the world, was covered in graffiti. Now there's fewer tags, but more ways to express yourself. The virtual world is one new venue for graffiti and the art of tagging. Augmented reality app LZRTAG is hoping to advance those tags to images and even animations, but you need a smartphone to make that happen.  Read More

When we first covered the Word Lens real-time translator app for iOS devices back in 2010, a number of readers voiced their hopes for an Android version. Now the app’s developers, Quest Visual, has finally shown Android users some love with the app now available through Google play.  Read More

While the rise and rise of online shopping has eaten into the profit margins of bricks and mortar retailers over the past decade, the vast majority of consumers (92 percent according to Forrester Research) still do their shopping in-store. But with the Internet providing a wealth of product information in the form of reviews and comparisons, as well as special offers and promotions, more and more shoppers are browsing their mobile devices in store. Now researchers at IBM Labs are looking to make it easier for shoppers to get instant product details and deals in-store with a new augmented reality (AR) shopping app.  Read More