Augmented Reality Check
Everyone’s buzzing about augmented reality, which is popularly defined as overlaying digital data on a physical space. The above picture is from Best Buy’s augmented reality campaign – aiming a smartphone with an IR scanner at a circulars nets you a 3d image of the product in question. So, in other words, the first widely popular augmented reality campaign is designed to sell us expensive print cartridges.
That’s the opposite of what augmented reality should be – it was supposed to be cool. Robocop style heads up displays or handheld projectors dispersing three dimensional holographic scanning fields. When we imagine the interaction of real time data on a physical space, we want this:
That’s right, Terminator! You steal that motorcycle! Augmented Reality is supposed to provide us with important real time data related to the physical world, not the quickest place to find a Fresca.
Once again, it’s Google to the rescue. They recently filed the patent for this little number:
This is what I’m talking about! A personal, Dragon Ball Z style eye scanner providing me important real-time information, like if the person I’m talking to has an elevated pulse (a.k.a., they’re lying), or whether I have an email. Good job, Google. The future can’t get here soon enough.
