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Apple's latest purchase is an augmented reality company
Out of all the major technology companies, Apple is yet to reveal its plans for augmented or virtual reality. But still, chances are the Cupertino firm's working on a project (or two) behind closed doors, as signaled by multiple patents that have surfaced over the past few years. To make matters more interesting, Apple has bought Metaio, a startup from Germany that's been focusing on AR since it launched in 2003. "Pioneers in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision," reads a message displayed in large font on Metaio's website.
Ferrari's AR showroom app delves inside your next supercar
Ferrari probably doesn't have a problem selling its line of supercars. But when you're one of the premier automakers in the world, you want to make sure your customers have a magical experience when they enter the showroom. The new Augmented Reality Showroom app developed by Zspace brings that technological sorcery to the buying experience by giving would-be clientele the ability to preview the color and accessories of their next Ferrari. Using Metaio's edge-tracking technology to identify a vehicle, the app presents customers with a seven-step walk around of five Ferrari models. In addition to showcasing the exterior of the cars, the app also delves into the vehicle's innards with exploded views of the braking system and a working model of the drivetrain. The AR experience will initially be available in Australia and Japan with a US launch at the InsideAR event in mid-May.
Smartglass interface turns any surface into a touchscreen using AR and fingertip heat
A developer called Metaio believes it can make a smartglass interface far more interesting than what Google has done thus far: one that can turn any surface into a touchscreen. Unlike Disney's REVEL or that Ubi Kinect app, which can do similar things, Metaio's technology tracks the heat of your fingertips using an infrared and a regular camera. When you do touch something, the system will complete the experience with augmented reality -- for instance, "clicking" Like on a physical magazine will show you an animation of the action through your smartglass. While the technology's far from coming to market, the company says it has a lot of potential applications. People can use it to play virtual board games, designers can use it to visualize their creations in 3D before making real-world versions and it can add digital content to toys, among many other possibilities. Sound interesting? If you're in Santa Clara, California, you can see the "Thermal Touch" prototype at the Augmented World Expo on May 27 to 29. Otherwise, head after the break for a video that demonstrates what the interface can do in the future.
AR firm's prototype Glass app makes you an amateur car mechanic (video)
Developer Metaio knows a thing or two about augmented reality, and building on the magic of its Audi eKurzinfo app, it's created some prototype software for Google Glass that straps a car's instruction manual to your face. Instead of relying on markers, GPS or point-cloud processing, the Glass app uses reference CAD models to identify what you're looking at and overlay directions on a 3D plane. As useful as it may be for walking you through a washer fluid refill (video after the jump), Metaio has created the app to showcase its updated AR platform that's intended to work with wearables like Epson's Moverio and the Vuzix M100, as well as Mountain View's monocle. The firm's Glass app may never progress beyond proof of concept, but those attending Metaio's annual InsideAR conference in Munich this October can look forward to a live demo.
Audi's eKurzinfo app uses augmented reality to sidestep A3 owner's manual
Ever read your car's instruction manual? We didn't think so, and apparently, neither did the folks at Audi. Not too long ago, the firm introduced a unique twist on vehicle documentation, offering A1 owners an augmented reality app that could tell them about the car's basic functions at a glance. The eKurzinfo app's initial release only recognized 65 elements of the vehicle -- but has since been improved and is now available for the A3 sedan. Say you notice the car's new-fangled temperature gauge, but don't quite understand how it works. Point your phone at the instrument cluster, load up the app and it will explain that when the LEDs reach the top part of the display, the engine temperature is too high. Simple. The app will even show you where to find the coolant refill tank under the hood. The app's developer, Metaio, says the upgraded eKurzinfo can recognize over 300 individual aspects of Audi's A3 -- from the smallest details like insignias on the car's windshield wipers to individual engine components. This should be more than enough data for drivers who are opposed to the traditional approach of RTFM (reading the freaking manual).
Ikea beefs up 2013 catalog with companion AR app, doesn't translate Swedish furniture names (video)
While many might reckon the days of paper-based catalogs passed with the advent of the web, Ikea's clinging onto its tome for yet another year, but will dust its latest issue with augmented reality. It looks like its 2013 catalog app will arrive with some new camera-centric features on both phones and tablets -- the brief preview video shows a pair of devices that look decidedly iPhone and iPad-esque. The app uses image recognition software from Metaio (avoiding the jarring monotones of QR codes) to identify specific pages and throw in some lightweight extra content, from cutaway views of furniture to "inspirational" video shorts. The agency behind the app has much loftier ideas for the future, including streaming live cooking shows or concerts into Ikea's imaginary rooms. Take a preview tour after the break, but sorry, no meatballs (or hotdogs) at the end.
Augmented reality browser Junaio offers less 'clunky' apps, new API for developers (video)
Remember Metaio? Back in February we reported on the company's rather neat brand of markerless augmented reality, and now it has some fresh news: a major revamp to its Junaio AR browser for iOS and Android, which incorporates the markerless algorithms and a lot more besides. The browser is an open platform for a myriad of smaller AR apps coded by independent developers, and the new version includes both a new UI and API to give those devs additional tools in HTML5 and JavaScript. Right now, the app is worth a peek for the various curiosities demo'd after the break -- such as the ability to see other people's Instagram photos overlaid on the view from your rear camera, showing the direction and distance to the point where they were snapped. In time, though, we're really hoping that developers will latch on to platforms like this and take AR to where it needs to be: something that let's us recognize and augment people and objects naturally and instantaneously, without pre-conceived markers. In fact, Junaio really needs to have coffee with Project Glass. Update: looks like the Android version has jammed in a pipe somewhere and won't hit Google Play til June 25th.
Taking next-gen augmented reality for an ARM-powered walk around the block
We know what you're thinking, because we initially thought it too, but this isn't your average AR. With the help of chip designer ARM, a number of developers are building a new type of augmented reality that is altogether more powerful than the usual sprite-on-a-surface routine. Instead of requiring well-lit, artificial and often indoor surfaces and markers, this new technology sucks every ounce of juice from a smartphone's processor in order to recognize, track and augment real-world 3D objects like people and buildings. It's still at an early stage and far from being practical, but the exclusive videos after the break ought to prove that this approach has potential. In fact, it's probably what augmented reality ought to have been in the first place. Read on for more.
Metaio brings more augmented reality promises to the iPhone
I can't get enough of this augmented reality stuff -- we've seen a lot of location-based text rendering already, but a German-based company named Metaio has released this video showing actual 3D images and models projected into the world through a phone (like the iPhone, one of the devices they say they're planning to support). Of course, this is still all just tests and demos -- not only is the company likely still trying to see partners and funding (like so many other development companies in this field), but until Apple actually lets developers at a clear, unedited stream from the videocamera, AR is still in the theoretical phase.But once again, the potential here is staggering. As I said, most of the things we've seen so far are based on text: hold your phone up, and have signs or other location-based information displayed to you. But when you start including 3D models into the mix, then things get really nuts: instead of just seeing tourist information, you could have a virtual guide show you around the museum. Or have a virtual hide and seek session with a creature that moves around the environment as you look for it. Other companies have been experimenting with AR on their own hardware, but Apple's combination of a video camera, a GPS/compass system, and a powerful handheld computer takes the possibility farther than we've seen it yet.[via Venturebeat]
Vuzix dips toes in augmented reality, makes video eyewear cool again
Nintendo ain't the only company making waves at the Game Developers Conference this year -- oh no, we've also got Vuzix gettin' down and dirty with a brand new addition to its video eyewear segment. Said outfit has teamed up with metaio in order to showcase a new Augmented Reality Accessory Kit for the VR920 head-mounted display. The bundle will include the CamAR -- a clip-on USB camera that is designed to accurately track objects and the user's position in three-dimensional space -- along with the PhasAR wireless augmented reality input controller. When these are used in unison, users are able to simultaneously see what's going on in the Matrix and in the display. For instance, imagine reading a book that's tied into a program on the VR920; as you read along, images can pop up and complement the text. Far out, right? The full release is after the break, and we've been told that the attachment should sell for around $100 on top of the $399 VR920 when it ships around mid-Summer.
