Augmented reality is here

Just what is augmented reality? I was at an augmented reality conference recently and the best definition was this: “Augmented reality is an integration of the real world with computer graphics that you can interact with.”

So we are looking at something that augments your reality with something you can play about with. A good name then. But it’s all very well and good creating a pair of goggles that overlay what you see with floating unicorns and fairy dust, but it doesn’t really add anything – it’s gimmicky. The general consensus of the conference-goers was that the augmentation had to be useful.

Augmented reality is only just emerging from that gimmicky stage. It’s a young technology that is slowly coming into the public eye. The main limitation, until now, has been the technology required for it to be both useful and unobtrusive.

These limitations were twofold: the reliance on fiducials (those black and white square markers), and a lack of a bridge between the user and the augmented world. But in the age of the smartphone, the latter issue is moot. Now it has become a lot easier for those innovators in augmented reality to start distributing their content to the masses.

Still an infant industry

One such company at the conference was Wikitude, showcasing their self-named augmented reality browser. Available on all major mobile operating systems, Wikitude allows you to look at your surroundings through your smartphone’s camera. It will then overlay information and facts about what you can see, including user-added content and geo-tagged tweets. This is an interesting use-case, and it certainly seems to be popular (it was voted the best augmented reality browser two years in a row). However, it lacks a great deal of interaction, and you have to walk around with your smartphone in front of you to get the effect – not a great look.

So the next step could be augmented reality eyewear – either glasses or contact lenses. Both of these options may be less obtrustive, but there are, unfortunately, disadvantages to both. People don’t want to wear unstylish eyewear just for some extra facts about their surroundings. With contact lenses it’s a technological barrier – not just getting enough pixels in a contact lens, but also having them close enough together. This is necessary to give the illusion that the overlaid content is a lot further from the eye, else it would obscure the user’s vision.

However, advances are being made in both of these areas. Vuzix and DARPA have both created pairs of augmented reality glasses that, while not supremely stylish, look more like futuristic sunglasses than lab goggles. On the contacts front, the technology is a lot further behind, but is catching up. Researchers at the University of Washington recently managed to embed a four-by-four grid of blue and red pixels in a single contact lens, close enough to avoid the aforementioned occlusion problem.

On the other hand, if Ken Blakeslee – an investor in many companies involved with augmented reality – is to be believed, the glasses technology could be made ready very swiftly. What is lacking is a consumer demand for augmented reality itself. Without this demand, companies and investors won’t put the money required into research and development of the technologies.

Perhaps with more advancements, the general public may find something that leads them to be more interested. That said, in a time of recession and careful investments, we’re definitely going to need to get augmented reality away from being a gimmick. It needs to be something that enhances the user’s life.

Thankfully, some people do seem to be heading in that direction. One particularly interesting presentation was from Holition, who describe themselves as “leaders in augmented retail”. They described an advertising/retail initiative they had undertaken with Selfridges and watch manufacturer Tissot. Customers outside the store were given a single coloured watch band to put on. They could then hold this up to a webcam above a screen on the wall of the store to see a Tissot watch on their wrist in real time, and use that touch screen to customise the watch with immediate effect. In addition, they could take this watch placeholder with them to use on the Tissot website at home with their own webcam.

This is a great use for augmented reality. It brings benefits to both parties, which means it’s exactly the sort of initiative that will bring the technology closer to the public eye. For the consumer, it saves a lot of time with trying on the accessory, and allows them a lot more customisation than they would get in the shops. It can save and even generate extra revenue for the company (as they need make fewer watches if most people use this system). This particular example gave a return on investment of four to one. It was also said that the trial was considered a success, with others also having been completed. This is a hopeful sign for pushing augmented reality forward.

Making it a reality

So where does the technology go from here? It really needs something to push it forward, to accelerate its growth. And if investors aren’t prepared to stump up their cash, maybe it will be games that provide this spurt. The games industry is huge, and if it were to adopt augmented reality en masse, it would almost certainly make it big very quickly. This is definitely a possibility, as we’re starting to see examples of this already.

The Nintendo 3DS is the main contender here, with its impressive augmented reality software. Effects such as apparently warping the surface that you’re playing on bring a worthwhile addition to the game, but perhaps without the 3D it wouldn’t have such an effect. But Nintendo aren’t the only ones – Samsung demoed their AiRaid game at the conference. It’s a game based on a similar concept to Nintendo’s own Face Raiders, but at least it shows that companies are taking an interest.

It’s good to see that some big names in different sectors of the market are really getting their hands dirty with augmented reality. It is an emerging technology, and it may still take a few years before it takes off. But when it does, I’m sure it’s going to be huge.