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English “Goodnight Lad”: the augmented reality bedtime story
It seems that Kickstarter and Augmented reality are often a good couple: only two days ago, we talked about SEER and its reached goal of $100,000, today we give some news on another project launched on the same funding platform.
We are talking about the children book “Goodnight Lad”: in 2015 to learn reading and falling asleep with a goodnight story are not the same as in the past, because now there’s Augmented Reality. How Bradley Grimm and the little Logan explain us in the video below, you just have to download the app and to aim on the book to see marvelous animations giving life to the story.
All this because, as the creator says, if children love books, they’ll be anyway distracted by smartphones. Joining the forces, books and technology will help children learning to read earlier, easier and better. Opinion of a dad!
- Pubblicato il Augmented reality @en, Publishing
SEER: the new AR headset reaches its goal on Kickstarter
Day after day there are always more news in the Augmented Reality field, but many technologies (one among all, Microsoft Hololens) are yet in development phase and we will not see them before some years are passed. For the joy of all those who can’t really wait anymore, Caputer Labs thought to put a remedy to this problem.
Last month at CES the company presented a new project: its name is SEER, it’s an augmented reality headset based on mobile technology, and it is low-cost and low-technology. SEER has been launched on Kickstarter only in January and it has already widely reached and passed the $ 100,000 goal that Caputer Labs set: at this moment the campaign, which will end in about a week, arrived to almost $ 120,000.
How does it works? Basically, the headset, that how we already said is based on mobile technology, project the screen of a smartphone on the front transparent glass, placing real and virtual images one on top of the other and transforming the experience in augmented reality. All this reaching, for the first time in this technology, a 100° FOV. This system, which reminds Google Cardboard, allowed the company to maintain a low technological level (it’s just a system of mirrors and reflections) and a very competitive price; in fact it’s just $ 119 per headset, since the true technological part is the smartphone that the user already owns. Talking about the commands: SEER also supports a variety of inputs, ranging from regular video game controllers and joysticks to Leap Motion sensors. You can also control it by simply shaking your head, moving left and right to scroll through a menu.
For now, SEER’s uses are limited, but there’s already the thought of new developments; in the while, if you want one, you can book your headset on Kickstarter still for a week.
- Pubblicato il Augmented reality @en
“Next for Nigeria”: Augmented Reality arrives to Africa’s elections
Augmented Reality day by day is making progress in leaps and bounds, becoming part of our daily life in always more ways. Only two days ago, we talked about the use and development of this new technology in the automotive field, and today we talk about its use in politics.
We are in Nigeria, where the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), retired General Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate Professor Yemi Osinbajo have adopted an augmented reality strategy to reach out to the country’s youth. In practice, the two candidates realized that using a traditional election campaign, based on TV and talks, they weren’t going to reach the young audience. So, in collaboration with Malam Garba Shehu, Director, Media and Publicity of the Campaign, they thought to an app for Android devices using Augmented Reality to communicate with this part of voters.
Inside the app there are different features: the main one is the message by Buhari and Osinbajo, whom registered a talk that could be seen through the phone. The interaction system with the message is revolutionary: the two politics wanted young people to feel engaged and so they gave them the possibility to answer through the app with comments and ideas, then shared on social media.
In Shehu’s words: “The technology provides a channel of expression for the young people of Nigeria, through which they can also voice their aspirations and hopes. The young peoples’ expression and voice regarding their decision for Nigeria’s future will be shared through these apps and distributed through popular social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others.”
Among other things, the app permits to take a selfie with the two candidates.
We end sharing again some Shehu’s words: “Augmented Reality is a cutting edge technology that brings “magic” to android smartphones and tabs”. For sure, this is a news for Africa, since it’s the first time this technology is used during elections.
The app is called “Next for Nigeria” and you can download it on Google Play. To try it, simply focus on the party logo; this will trigger the technology.
- Pubblicato il Augmented reality @en
BMW’s new headset will help us parking
Since of the last news about Augmented Reality and its developments, it seems that the latest trend passed from mobile to the creation of headsets. If only a week ago we talked about Microsoft and the introduction of Hololens, which joins Oculus Rift and Google Glass, today is BMW’s turn.
The german automotive company, very active in the field of new technology research and the application of that to their cars, announced that they’re projecting a headset similar to Google Glass. It will help drivers parking their car in the best way possible, turning the car’s rear pillars and boot invisible, allowing them to actually see the cars and obstacles in its surroundings. Practically, the headset will connect with little video cameras outside the car and will transmit the images through the lenses, transforming the experience through Augmented Reality.
Even more: the driver will be able to have a lot more information through these lenses. It will be possible to know the shortest path to reach a place, to receive useful information like car speed and speed limits and to continue to use the headset even out of the car. In addition, in line with the company’s effort regarding ecology, the lenses will show even the various ways for reaching a place with public transport.
This isn’t the first time that BMW works on Augmented Reality: some months ago we read the news about a project of an headset that helps the driver in case of a car breakdown; always through Augmented Reality, they would be able to see problem and solution in the lenses, and also the instructions to fix the issue.
It seems, so, that BMW and Augmented Reality are strictly linked. Actually they even have this as the main topic of a section on their site:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/owners/service/augmented_reality_introduction_1.html
Obviously all this intrigues us, but to know more we’ll have to wait until next April: BMW announced that this new technology will be presented at Shangai Auto Show.
- Pubblicato il Augmented reality @en, Industry
Visual Art and Augmented Reality: Curioos’ new app and a bit of Van Gogh
Thanks to the diffusion of smartphones and new technologies, Augmented Reality and Experiential Marketing are every day more spread and used in advertising.
A new example of creative use of these two elements had been added to the case histories some days ago: the platform Curioos, a digital art marketplace helping artists to print and sell their works, launched its new augmented reality app.
Do you still doubt about buying that painting because you are not sure how it will look on your living room wall? Finally, you will have the possibility to try it before the purchase. It will suffice to download the app, print a code that will be sent to you when you request it and to hang it up to your wall, where you would like to see the artwork. Focusing the scene with your smartphone you will see the painting appear.
This news tells a lot about what is the direction that art marketing (and not just that) is taking in last times: while the channels that until some years ago were essential are turning in just secondary parts of brand advertising, new communication frontiers are emerging. Not anymore simple descriptions of the products, but true, vivid experiences.
We know this very well in Experenti: it is not a case that some of the example tags in the Press Kit (Don’t you have it yet? Download it here) are dedicated especially to art and its presentation.
Follow us in the visit of Van Gogh exhibition: you just have to scan his famous “Starry Night” and load the content. When you will hit “play” the WOW experience will start.
Now maybe you want to visualize some design products, or even show your architecture projects in 3D.
This is possible, now and easily.
Experenti: we help your contents becoming an adventure.
- Pubblicato il Advertising @en, Augmented reality @en, Experenti @en, Museum
Microsoft presents their new AR headset: a first look at HoloLens
Some days ago a new augmented reality headset was added to the famous trio Google Glass, Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR: Microsoft, during its worldwide streaming event “Windows 10: Next Chapter”, presented various projects that will be developed in next months. Among the others (not less than Windows 10 and the new Microsoft’s browser) there’s a particular one which is very interesting to us: we are talking about the suite of augmented reality software called Windows Holographic and the related augmented reality headset, named HoloLens.
The Redmond company didn’t use the words “augmented reality” but “holograms”, still we know what that means: this will probably be the yet-missing mainstream AR set. In fact, at the moment Google Glass has just few AR apps, while Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR are more centered on virtual reality. HoloLens seems to be finally a true AR headset, which puts in communication our daily world with the virtual world.
As Microsoft’s Alex Kipman said: “Until now, we’ve immersed ourselves in the world of technology, but what if we could take technology and immerse it in our world?”
Kipman didn’t describe in depth HoloLons technology, but hinted that they are more sophisticated than the other headsets around: e.g. they create the illusion of depth showing to each eye a different plain image. There’s more: first, it seems it will not use markers as e.g. QR codes; second: the headset itself is very close to a pair of normal glasses, so definitely wearable and light (and why not? – even classy).
During the presentation event, Microsoft’s executives Joe Belfiore, Terry Myerson and Alex Kipman showed some examples of everyday use for HoloLens: how to adjust a broken pipe, make a Skype call directly on a wall and also how to build Minecraft buildings anywhere we want. There was also a demo on how to sculpt 3D printable models. These uses open this technology to almost every kind of people, making HoloLens, as we said before, the first mainstream AR headset; we are sure that this new product, with the related software, will be a success.
But this powerful techonology, of course, can be used even on higher levels: in fact, last but not least, Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA is working with Microsoft to see if they can use holograms in scientific research.
It’s not strange, in these times, to read on the web users saying that sci-fi is here. Yes, and it seems it just started.
Watch a video:
- Pubblicato il Advertising @en, Architecture, Augmented reality @en, Experenti @en, Industry, Museum, Publishing, Tourism, Training in Realtà Virtuale