SCOPE uses augmented reality to make one highly-technological kid’s game

I’m sure a lot of you are wondering what you are seeing in this picture. Don’t worry, this is not the point-of-view of a Terminator who is trying to kill John Connor, but a new way of gaming.
This is the SCOPE, a game system designed by France-based game designer Frantz Lasorne that uses augmented reality. You can see a video of it after the jump of the modded device with viewer and webcam tied together with rubberbands.
If you look closely in the picture, you can see a Lego man that is surrounded by some hexagonal piece of paper. Each of the six sides has a different augmented reality code for the user to interact with such activities like choosing a weapon.
As the video shows, the user can see in realtime a Lego toy with the chosen weapon, firing it at a bowling pin-shaped opponent. The video even shows the opponent using some sort of force field.
Clearly, this takes those little imaginary games that you played as a kid to a whole new level, doesn’t it? I suppose it would make an interesting game of Pokemon.
The technology is still in concept stage, so who knows when it will be available. Maybe they will actually have glasses like the kid is wearing in the photo when the SCOPE gets mass-produced.
Source


Source : coolest-gadgets.com

Augmented Reality for Music Marketing and Live Streaming

We are now living in an attention economy where it is increasingly challenging to effectively engage consumers. In the music industry, advertising and promotion efforts are further complicated by a landscape in which fans are saturated with options for experiencing music, usually for free. These two factors make it critical for music promoters and marketers to seek innovative methods for engaging the consumer. One increasingly popular technique for capturing consumer attention involves the use of augmented reality technology. For the unfamiliar, augmented reality (AR) essentially overlays information on a live view of the real world, usually through a device’s camera.
Though the technology has been in research and development for decades, it has recently become mainstream largely due to the FLARToolkit which enables the development of web sites in which visitors can experience AR with a webcam. Over the past year, augmented reality has been featured in a number of high profile web campaigns for BMW, Doritos, and GE among many others.  It was also used throughout a recent issue of Esquire magazine.
Considering this trend, I recently explored how AR could be used in the context of the music business by developing a series of demos. These experiments described below illustrate how AR can be utilized for both music marketing efforts and live streamed interviews and performances.

Interactive Album Cover (AR Album Cover)

• -Special markers are printed on the front or back of an album cover.

• -Fans visit a website and hold the marker in front of a webcam.

• -An album cover is transformed into a music video and a 3D photo cube.

• -Could be used to showcase exclusive video and audio content only available in augmented reality

• -Feature could encourage physical album sales.

• -Try it out here.

Interactive Promotional Flyer (AR Flyer)

• -Special markers are printed on the front or back of a promo flyer.

• -Fans visit a website and hold the flyer marker in front of a webcam.

• -The flyer turns into a concert performed on your desk.

• -An AR flyer could be utilized to promote upcoming concerts with teaser performances.

• -Star musicians could use AR flyers to deliver special messages to fans.

• -Try it out here

Appear in a Concert With Your Favorite Artist

• -Interactive retail kiosks equipped live cameras and large screens could deliver augmented reality experiences in a store. Here’s an example.

• -Kiosks could promote a label’s roster by allowing fans to take photos and videos of themselves standing with augmented reality band members.

• -After registering on a website at the kiosk, fans could share these videos and photos with friends using e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail.

• -Try it out here.

Live Streaming Visual Effects

• -Live streaming of artist performances is becoming common with major acts such as the Foo Fighters and Tori Amos embracing it as a way to bring live music to their fans.

• -Where appropriate, AR techniques could be used to create virtual logos, pyrotechnics, back up dancers, and videowalls that appear on stage with an artist as their performances are streamed on the internet.

• -Could facilitate a low cost virtual set for web casting

• -Try it out here.

Conclusion

Currently, the most practical way to reach consumers with AR is through a webpage viewed on webcam equipped computers. The reach of AR marketing and promotion will expand as the number of AR capable mobile phones and retail kiosks increase. The Apple iPhone along with most Android devices and many Nokia phones are technically capable of running fiducial marker based AR applications similar to those created with the FLARtoolkit. Furthermore, the increasing use of in store digital signage should encourage the profileration of AR capable retail kiosks.

Undoubtedly, AR is an attention grabbing consumer engagement technique. However, to prevent being dismissed as a technical gimmick, it must be smartly utilized in a way which delivers consumer value in the form of unique content and compelling interactive experiences.

Source : devblog.lp33.tv

8 Things That Are Possible With Google Goggles

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a pile of old Commodore 64s, you’ve heard about the Google Goggle announcement.  The service allows you to use pictures to search the web.  The service is amazing in its own right.  Check out the videos if you haven’t seen them already.




Google Goggles opens up huge possibilities for augmented reality.  One of the challenges of AR is for the computer to understand the world around it in a realistic manner.  GPS and compasses only tell one tiny part of the story.  If the only thing you know about the world is the exact location you’re in and which direction you’re facing, then you really can’t accomplish much.
Object recognition (which for Goggles includes facial recognition, but they’re not allowing individuals to be accessed until privacy issues are figured out) allows our phones to mimics how the brain works in the seeing the world around it (or the Reality Recognition if you’re familiar with my AR Scale.)  This doesn’t mean that Google has mind-mapped our mental processes to make the service work.  What it means is that Goggles allow for computers to start doing what our brain is doing–seeing the world around it.
Google Goggles Will Make These Eight Things (and More) Possible:
1 – Cataloging your refrigerator and pantry so you can cross-reference at the store and get menu ideas.  Maybe in five years your fridge will have a camera inside of it to do it real-time. 
2 – Noah Zerkin on twitter pointed out pretty quickly that “If they can recognize scene elements, and they also provide GPS/inertial/mag-based overlay, how long before using surroundings to fix POV?”  This will make immersive augmented reality games and services possible.
3 – Run your TiVo through it so it can edit out the commercials.
4 – Wilderness survival tool that lets you know if its safe to eat the purple berries (when the plant picture search is added and assuming you have cell phone coverage!)
5 – Scan your strange garage sale items to find out what they go for on Ebay (Who actually owns purple zebra lamps?)
6 – Warehouses or stores can auto-count items as they are removed from the shelves with a bank of cameras so they can have real-time inventory and also know which items were “almost” sold.
7 – Genealogists can use old family pictures as a search criteria to find other long lost family branches.
8 – Trend spotters could use live camera feeds to understand usage patterns of products.

These do require access to Goggles database or at least a way to port through Goggles (like using Twitter for real-time search) and some might also require usable HMDs to make it worth using, but the possibilities are exponential.  While none of these things are going to happen overnight, Google Goggles sure has made things a lot more interesting (especially if they allow facial recognition.)

Source : thomaskcarpenter.com

Video Release of Universal/Mercury Sinik CD with extra AR content

Universal Music France has announced that the upcoming album by hip-hop act Sinik, “Ballon d’Or,” will include images giving access to ‘augmented reality’ features.
The booklet for the album, released Nov. 30, features images that, when placed in front of a computer webcam, launch the augmented reality videos on the image on the computer screen.

Source : augmented-reality-news.com

Trading Cards : Video Release of Emax/Calcio 3D Consumer Products Augmented Reality Experience

E-Max launched in Italy Calcio 3D, a brand new AR experience powered by Total Immersion for trading cards with innovative game plays including scoring systems.

Source : augmented-reality-news.com

Facial Recognition is the Future of Social Search

Nokia’s concept video shows what they think mobile computing will be in 2015.  The list rounds out the usual suspects of future-tech: cloud computing, geolocative services, service-anywhere and facial recognition, to name a few.  The last one tweaks my concerns about data harvesting and social stalking as presented the last two days (Thoughts on the OGI and Surveillance Society).  Seems like this is privacy week at the Future Digital Life.
Nokia isn’t the only one delving into this aspect of computer vision as Qualcomm gave a sneak peak into their future products and facial recongition tied to social networking is one of them.  Ben Sillis from Electricpig reports what the Qualcomm European president presented:

the company’s European president, Andrew Gilbert, showed how you would soon be able to point your phone’s camera at a person, then instantly bring up their Facebook and Twitter profiles, along with recent updates and all the details said victim (Karmen, in the above picture) has chosen to make public about themselves.
 Gilbert admitted that the possibility raised serious privacy issues – you could theoretically pull up a person’s home address through automatic whois requests – but ethics aside, it’s an interesting next step for augmented reality apps, which layer data over the surroundings and have started to take off in a big way over the last year. As phones get faster and more powerful, what’s to stop people integrating this form of search?
Gilbert described a future where the “handheld device becomes the remote control of your life”. If you ask us, we’ve already reached that stage – would you take it to the next level like this?

Personally, I wouldn’t mind facial recognition tied to my social services as long as I controlled who had access to my face data.  Things get tricky when you have access to search anyone in your viewing distance.  Either way, facial recognition is sure to be part of the future of social search.

Source : thomaskcarpenter.com

HMD Augmented Reality Display with Vuzix CamAR

A workable HMD augmented reality unit is a major step forward for the technology.  Once a see-through model is available, we can break out of the “magic lens” smartphone.  However, a see-through HMD is still a couple of years away and until then we’ve got to make due with what’s currently available.
Craig Kapp, a full time graduate student at the Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) at NYU, has put together a working HMD unit with the Vuzix VR920 model and the ARCam.






When I contacted Craig this is what he had to say:

Thanks for the message. I am using the Vuzix VR920 head mounted display in conjunction with their brand new “CamAR” attachment – it’s a snap-on webcam that fits snugly onto the front of the goggle. Here’s some more info on my blog about the project.
I’m working on a larger project that involves these goggles + a voice detection package to create a sonically controllable AR environment. Feel free to check back in a week or two for an update!

While a unit like this would never be usable by the masses, it could allow researchers and hard-core AR enthusiasts to create early full view games and apps.  I’m looking forward to hearing how Craig’s project turns out.  Maybe some of the other AR gear heads could lend a hand with making the project more immersive or porting it to a smartphone.


Source : thomaskcarpenter.com

Augmented Reality Magic with Marco Tempest

Marco Tempest blew our collective augmented reality mind-space with his card trick video last spring.  This time he pulls back the curtain and shows a little bit of the technology behind his projection AR magic tricks on the streets of Japan.


Source : thomaskcarpenter.com

Augmented Reality Compass/GPS/Camera/Inclinometer App Debuts for iPhone

Williamsburg Virginia, USA - Hunter Research and Technology today announces the immediate worldwide availability of Theodolite 1.0 on the iTunes App Store. This multi-function augmented reality app for the iPhone serves as a compass, GPS, map, zoom camera, and two-axis inclinometer.

Based on the concept of a centuries-old astronomical instrument, Theodolite overlays real-time information about position, altitude, bearing, and horizontal/vertical inclination on the iPhone's live camera image, turning the iPhone into a sophisticated location-aware viewfinder. Uses are endless, from land surveying to basic navigation, and the app is great for hiking, boating, sightseeing, photography, and sports.

Theodolite lets users take camera images directly from the app, with 2X and 4X digital zoom options. Geographical data can be stamped on the saved image for later reference. Current position can be viewed on the built-in map, with standard, satellite, and hybrid modes. On an iPhone 3GS, bearing is updated live on the map with both fixed view and world rotation.

Pricing and Availability:
Theodolite 1.0 runs on any generation iPhone with OS 3.1 or later and is available for $0.99 (USD) on the iTunes App Store. GPS functionality requires an iPhone 3G or 3GS (first generation iPhones can triangulate position using cell towers and WiFi hotspots in lieu of GPS). Compass functionality requires an iPhone 3GS. More information, including screenshots, is available on the Hunter Research and Technology website. Media professionals interested in reviewing Theodolite can request a promotional code to download the app from iTunes at no cost.

Theodolite 1.0
Purchase and Download
Press Images

Hunter Research and Technology is run by Dr. Craig Hunter, a practicing engineer with over 18 years experience in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, and software development. Craig received the 2004 NASA Software of the Year Award and a 2004 Apple Design Award (Best Scientific Computing Solution on Mac OS X) for his work in software development. Craig founded Hunter Research and Technology in 2008 to create innovative, relevant, and compelling apps that take advantage of the advanced hardware and software capabilities of iPhone OS devices. The company currently has eleven apps available on the iTunes App Store, with more in development. Copyright 2008 - 2009 Hunter Research and Technology LLC. All Rights Reserved. iTunes, iPhone, and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Craig Hunter
Developer
Hunter Research and Technology LLC
United States

Source : prmac.com

Sarnoff to Demonstrate First Augmented Reality Training System for US Warfighters

Sarnoff Corporation today announced it has been selected to demonstrate the first individually worn augmented reality training system for the Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program.
Sarnoff’s head-mounted visualization training system will be capable of combining real world views with virtual computer generated images and avatars. For instance, during training exercises, joint warfighters will be able to operate freely within a realistic training environment, using their own weapon, while interacting with computer-generated avatars moving through the same environment. To the warfighter, the avatar will look like a normal feature of the environment and will respond realistically to the soldier’s actions by conversing, taking evasive action, or returning fire, which the Marine will feel with haptic feedback if hit.
“For decades, Sarnoff has been a leader in real-time video processing, introducing augmented reality innovations which led to the virtual first down marker seen by millions of football fans during live broadcasts of their favorite team,” said Dr. Rakesh (Teddy) Kumar, Sr. Technical Director, Vision and Robotics Laboratory at Sarnoff. “This deep experience allows Sarnoff to deliver augmented reality training that provides warfighters with the best of both worlds: real-life, immersive interactions along with the ability to accurately recreate and record the on-the-ground conditions they will face when deployed. The combined system will ultimately help our warfighters greatly improve their reaction times and decision-making skills during combat.”
Additionally, the augmented reality training system will enable the warfighter to record and replay training sessions directly from the perspective of the wearer, offering ultra realistic after-action reports created with the same first-person view a soldier experienced during the training exercise. The system will rely on Sarnoff’s real time video navigation and stereo image processing technology along with COTS cameras for overall cost reduction. The system will also be ideal for police, first responder, and firefighter training as well as commercial applications such as immersive video games.

 For more information on Sarnoff’s advanced vision technologies, visit: http://www.sarnoff.com/research-and-development/vision-technologies
 
About Sarnoff Corporation
Sarnoff Corporation (www.sarnoff.com) delivers vision, video and semiconductor technology innovations that empower government and commercial clients to see/sense, understand and control complex environments. Founded in 1942 as RCA Laboratories, Sarnoff makes continuous breakthroughs in real-time video processing for defense, security and surveillance; ICs, lasers, imaging and sensing devices; end-to-end video solutions. Sarnoff is a subsidiary of SRI International.

Source : yachtchartersmagazine.com

Junaio, une nouvelle application de réalité augmentée

Encore une application de réalité augmentée ?

Oui, mais Junaio, disponible depuis quelques jours, et à la différence des applications déjà sortie, ne se contente de vous indiquer les points d'intérêt les plus proches, elle vous permet d'en ajouter !

Objets 3D, tweets ou sites web peuvent être ajouté où bon vous semble. Ce n'est pas le bout du monde, mais cela montre sans doute la prochaine étape de ce type d'application : la contribution des utilisateurs.

Junaio est disponible gratuitement sur l'App Store.

Source : iphoniacs.fr

La réalité augmentée sonore

La réalité augmentée repousse ses limites de jour en jour, pourquoi pas intégrer un support sonore à ce concept pour élargir son utilisation. C’est en tout cas un projet développé par Russell Davies, nommé SAP (« Situated Audio Platform »). Le but est relativement simple, on reprend toutes les application actuelles qui utilisent la boussole et le GPS du téléphone et on y ajoute de la voix pour aiguiller l’utilisateur. On peut imaginer beaucoup d’utilisations, par exemple une chasse au trésor dans les rues de Paris avec l’iPhone et du son pour guider et donner des indices aux participants au lieu d’avoir les informations marquées à l’écran, on imagine également une utilisation particulière pour les non-voyants. Voici une vidéo qui permet de se faire une idée du projet.


Source : la-realite-augmentee.fr

La réalité augmentée a encore besoin de plus de fluidité

La couche logicielle du CWI élimine les temps de latences perturbant le rendu des images virtuelles. Elle identifie en temps réel les similarités entre l'image à l'écran et celle à venir et les réajuste en conséquence.

Le potentiel offert par la réalité augmentée est encore limité par le manque de fluidité de l’image, la présence de temps de latence ou d’"échos". C’est à ces problèmes que s’est attaqué Ferdi Smit, un chercheur du Centre pour les Mathématiques et l’Informatique d’Amsterdam (CWI). Il lui a fallu pour cela combiner et améliorer diverses techniques existantes afin de détecter et réduire les effets non désirés. Cette combinaison a été réunie dans une couche logicielle additionnelle, baptisée "couche d’affichage programmable". Celle-ci effectue les réglages en temps réel et de manière indépendante.
Adapter l’image existante plutôt que de la recalculer

Pour générer des images de manière accélérée, Ferdi Smit a utilisé une méthode dite de d'"image warping". Plutôt que de recalculer systématiquement la position des images à afficher, cette méthode s’appuie sur la similarité existante entre une image et celle qui la précède. L’image est donc simplement modifiée et réadaptée pour concorder avec la situation réelle. Le calcul a lieu en temps réel et de manière beaucoup plus rapide, ce qui donne un rendu plus fluide. D’après le chercheur, une telle méthode pourrait être utilisée pour visualiser des modèles de grande taille, comme les scanners médicaux. En addition, un algorithme est utilisé pour réduire les interférences et un autre pour limiter les à-coups.
Un temps de latence perturbant

La qualité des images produites pour la réalité virtuelle pouvait parfois laisser à désirer. L'une des conséquences étant le temps de latence entre la commande du mouvement et son application réelle sur l’écran. "Bien que cela ne dépasse pas 50 ou 100 millisecondes, ce type de retard est lassant", explique le chercheur. "Cela est particulièrement vrai lorsque l’utilisateur porte un casque". Dans certains systèmes combinant lunettes 3D et appareil stéréoscopique, une ombre située à proximité des objets 3D venait perturber l’animation. Enfin il était fréquent de voir l’image progresser par à-coups plutôt que de manière fluide.

Source : atelier.fr

Naviguation virtuelle avec CubTile

Plusieurs entreprises tendent à faire découvrir et améliorer l’utilisation de la réalité augmentée. C’est le cas du projet Care (Cultural experience, Reality & Emotion) avec une étroite collaboration entre la société bordelaise Immersion et  l’ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) qui devrait aboutir en 2010. Le but de ce projet étant de trouver des moyens pour interagir plus efficacement entre le virtuel et les humains. Je vous présente aujourd’hui CubTile qui, vous l’avez deviné, est un cube de 27 cm d’arrête équipés de 5 cotés illuminées et réactifs. Ce cube est filmé de l’intérieur afin de détecter chaque mouvement appliqué à une ou plusieurs surfaces. Ici nous avons une utilisation particulière de ce cube avec Google Map, ce grand “Joystick” nous permet de se déplacer dans l’espace grâce au mouvement des doigts sur les cotés du cube. La vidéo illustre bien l’immersion crée par ce cube, malgré cela on regrettera juste de ne pas avoir d’autres angles de vue pour mieux observer les mouvements des doigts.

Cet objet sera présenté au salon Imagina (Évènement sur la simulation et la visualisation 3D) à Monaco du 3 au 5 février 2010, le cube sera commercialisé à la fin de l’année 2010 pour la modique somme de 9500€ avec une offre de lancement à 6500€.

Source : la-realite-augmentee.fr

Brother lancera en 2010 des lunettes en réalité augmentée

La réalité augmentée, c'est le nouveau crédo à la mode de certains constructeurs. Il s'agit de superposer, en temps réel, des informations à notre perception visuelle, tactile ou auditive de notre environnement.

Brother traduit concrètement ce concept par un produit qu'ils annoncent être en mesure de commercialiser l'an prochain : des lunettes dont un micro écran à gauche ajouterait, sur votre vision normale, des informations en couleurs : texte (une notice, une présentation Powerpoint...), photos, vidéo... Ces lunettes disent libérer vos mains et ajouter une image superposée d'une taille comparable à celle d'un écran 16'' vue à 1 mètre de distance.

Le nom de l'engin : Brother RID (Retinal Imaging Display).

Voici ensuite deux exemples donnés par Brother de ce que donnerait ce principe de réalité augmentée :












Reste à voir si, d'ici la sortie, Brother arrivera à réduire le support à gauche de l'oeil, de la taille d'une oreillette Bluetooth et qui réduit le champs de vision.

Source : lesnumeriques.com

Nike Trackball en réalité augmentée

Nike Trackball from Our Work on Vimeo.

Issue de la campagne publicitaire pour la nouvelle chaussure de foot Nike CTR 360, voici une borne “réalité augmentée”made in China. Il est claire que l’objectif premier est d’éduquer et de convertir les fans de Football à ce produit révolutionnaire. Sur cette vidéo on y voit les étapes de construction de la bête, le but étant de remplacer la boule de la souris (ici une Apple mighty mouse) par un ballon. Le résultat est assez bluffant pas mal de boulot derrière ce projet où il est possible de “scroller” aussi bien horizontalement que verticalement grâce à l’adaptation de la boule au ballon de football. Ils utilisent le moteur quicktime avec justement la vue à 360°, le coté fun c’est qu’on explore la chaussure non plus avec la main mais avec le pied, ce qui crée une immersion pour la présentation de cette chaussure.

Source : la-realite-augmentee.fr

Faire du shopping à base de réalité augmentée et de motion capture

Comme on le sait il est impossible d’essayer des vêtements achetés sur internet avant de les recevoir. Maintenant cela est possible comme nous le montre cette vidéo en utilisant la réalité augmentée et capture de mouvement. Il suffit de placer le marqueur devant soi pour “essayer” les vêtements devant la webcam et la partie “motion capture” intervient pour sélectionner différentes actions (changer de modèle, ajouter au panier, capture d’écran…). Malheureusement les femmes vont en profiter (joke).

Source : la-realite-augmentee-fr

De la réalité encore plus augmentée sur l'iPhone ?

De nombreux programmes proposant de la réalité augmentée, cette technique consistant à mélanger des images, de la géolocalisation et des informations surimprimées sur l'écran, sont apparues ces dernières semaines sur l'AppStore.
On en avait cité un certain nombre dans ces billets.
Mais la réalité augmentée telle qu'on la connaît actuellement sur l'iPhone peut aller plus loin. En effet, pour l'instant les seules API autorisées aux développeurs par Apple ne permettent pas d'analyser les images elles-même pour les interpréter. Or c'est cette fonction qui permet d'enrichir encore la réalité.
Du coup, des développeurs ont codés une API qui permet cette analyse des vidéos en temps réel et la mettent à disposition des développeurs iPhone. Par contre, ceci ne permettra sans doute pas de proposer des applications de ce type sur l'AppStore.
Voici un exemple de ce qui peut être fait avec cette analyse temprs réel : des objets 2D peuvent prendre vie en 3D :

In-Place Augmented Reality 3D Sketching of Mechanical Systems

Une vidéo à voir en cliquant ici si vous nous lisez sur iPhone / iPod Touch
Cette démonstration n'est qu'un exemple, mais la technologie devrait permettre de belles avancées, espérons qu'Apple proposera une telle API bientôt à ses développeurs!

Source : iphon.fr