augmentedreality
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Play 'Star Wars' holochess without a headset on iOS
When Disney and Lenovo teamed up to create Star Wars: Jedi Challenges, it was a significant step in bringing augmented reality (AR) gaming to the masses. The headset was modestly-priced, and the game, a Star Wars-themed version of chess, was accessible to everyone. Now, in a bid to push the technology – and the movie franchise – further still, Disney is now leveraging ARKit to bring the game to iOS 11 devices.
Google made an AR microscope that can help detect cancer
In a talk given today at the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting, Google researchers described a prototype of an augmented reality microscope that could be used to help physicians diagnose patients. When pathologists are analyzing biological tissue to see if there are signs of cancer -- and if so, how much and what kind -- the process can be quite time-consuming. And it's a practice that Google thinks could benefit from deep learning tools. But in many places, adopting AI technology isn't feasible. The company, however, believes this microscope could allow groups with limited funds, such as small labs and clinics, or developing countries to benefit from these tools in a simple, easy-to-use manner. Google says the scope could "possibly help accelerate and democratize the adoption of deep learning tools for pathologists around the world."
Facebook uses AR to make movie posters more interactive
It's been about a year since Facebook revealed its plans for camera-centric augmented reality. Now the company is moving ever further into an AR future with "target tracking," a way to connect images, logos, signs and pictures in the real world with augmented content using the Facebook camera. A Wrinkle in Time and Ready Player One are already using the tech via closed beta, and a developer toolkit for everyone else is on its way later this spring.
Magic Leap developer units must be kept in locked safes
Magic Leap is known for its secrecy. The company kept its One headset under wraps for years, teasing out details with ambiguous conference speeches and restrictive press opportunities. It should come as no surprise, then, to hear that developer units are being shipped out with an unusual caveat: while not in use, they have to be kept in locked safes. The detail comes from Bloomberg alongside confirmation of a "limited" developer roll out (a larger batch of units will be sent out later this year.) It's safe to assume that the company wants to avoid the fabled iPhone 4 incident.
USA Today’s first AR app brings a rocket launch to your table
After a series of VR apps like The Wall and USS Eisenhower VR, USA Today Network is now exploring storytelling on another new (ish) platform: AR. 321 Launch is the network's first AR app, and it's designed to deliver what it says is the "industry's first, multi-layered interactive experience for space news and content." It's a collaboration between USA Today and one of the company's local news brands Florida Today, which makes sense since the Kennedy Space Center is in that state. The app releases today, and you can try it out if you're using an iPhone 6S or later with at least iOS 11, or a handset running Android 7.0 or newer. If you're a space buff or enthusiast, you'll probably enjoy it.
An AR app returns stolen Gardner paintings to their frames
In the early hours of March 18th, 1990, two men dressed as police officers pulled up to a side entrance of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. They claimed that they were responding to a report of a disturbance. A guard let them in, and 81 minutes later, the two thieves had absconded with thirteen works of art valued at over $500 million, cutting priceless paintings out of their frames.
A ‘Warhammer’ AR fantasy card game is coming to PC this year
Gamers may know Games Workshop's popular tabletop game Warhammer: Age of Sigmar (the fantasy counterpart to Warhammer 40,000) is getting its own card game for PC later this year -- and it'll benefit from augmented reality. Warhammer: Age of Sigmar Champions, as it's called, includes physical cards, a digital game and an augmented reality engine to animate the former.
The New York Times brings Bowie exhibit to your phone with AR
Now that Google has released its first take on an Android augmented reality framework, ARCore 1.0, quite a few AR apps are taking advantage of it. The New York Times, who has already released an AR experience around Olympic athletes for iOS, is now launching a new AR feature that focuses on David Bowie's "visual legacy." This is also one of the few AR experiences that supports both ARKit and ARCore, making it available on both iOS and Android.
Snapchat's new Lens Studio tools make AR creation easier
Snap has teamed up with a handful of partners to create new Lenses and new tools for the Lens Studio, which can make designing AR effects a simpler process. One of its new partners is StudioMDHR, developer of popular run and gun indie video game Cuphead. The companies created a special Lens that pits you against Cuphead and Mugman (the game's main characters drawn in 1930's style cartoons) in your snaps -- or, more accurately, they shoot you until it's game over.
eBay uses augmented reality to help you pick packaging
It can be a pain to sell your gear on eBay for many reasons, not the least of which is packaging. How do you know a box will be large enough without having it on hand? eBay can help: it just launched a previously teased, ARCore-based augmented reality feature for Android that helps you choose a shipping box for US deliveries. Point your phone at your item and you can overlay USPS box sizes to determine which one will fit your outgoing goods. This could save you time testing boxes, and might save you some cash if you can get away with buying a smaller box (or better yet, using one you already have).
Macy's will use VR to let shoppers 'see' furniture in their homes
Macy's is turning to mobile checkout options and virtual reality in an effort to get more people in its stores. The former uses the store's app (naturally) and aims to make getting out of the mall easier. The latter is for designing a room's look with furniture and furnishings.
AR firm Avegant cuts half its workforce and picks new CEO
Avegant has drawn a lot of attention in the wearable world between its Glyph personal screen and its light-field augmented reality headset, but it's facing uncertain times. The Verge has learned that the startup cut more than half of its workforce (it's now down to "fewer than 20" workers) and has replaced CEO Joerg Tewes with co-founder Ed Tang. Most of those left are involved in research and technology partnership, according to the insiders.
L'Oreal buys an augmented reality beauty app maker
Makeup empire L'Oreal wants to promote its huge collection of brands the high-tech way, so it's buying Modiface to make that happen. It's now in the process of acquiring the beauty tech company, which has been teaming up with big cosmetics brands for over a decade to create augmented reality apps for mobile and desktop. Modiface's AR tech powers quite a lengthy list of beauty apps, including a website where you can digitally try on Estee Lauder's lipsticks, which you can see in the image above.
Google opens Maps to bring the real world into games
Pokémon Go and other games that use real-world maps are all the rage, but there's a catch: they typically depend on semi-closed map frameworks that weren't intended for gaming, forcing developers to jump through hoops to use that mapping info. Google doesn't want that to be an issue going forward. The search firm is both opening its Maps platform's real-time data and offering new software toolkits that will help developers build games based on that data.
YouTube CEO talks misinformation, creators and comments at SXSW
YouTube's presence at SXSW 2018 extended beyond its Story HQ, a space where it turned ads into videos that feel more like art. The company's CEO, Susan Wojcicki, was part of a panel at the event titled "Navigating the Video Revolution in the Digital Age." There, she talked about a wide range of topics, including experiments for YouTube's comments section and how much money creators are making. But the biggest news Wojcicki dropped on stage was about a new feature she called "information cues," which will help fight hoaxes by linking viewers to articles on Wikipedia that debunks those.
Snapchat will feature creator-made AR Lenses in its carousel
Snapchat plans to give its AR Lens offerings a boost by feature submissions from its users. In late March, you'll start seeing Lenses with their creators' names underneath their titles mixed with Snapchat's own and sponsored options. According to Mashable, Snapchat will feature some of the Lenses people created using the company's Lens Studio tool. It's unclear what qualities will make Snap choose a particular Lens -- at the very least, it most likely has to look good and well-made -- but interested creators will have to opt into Snap's "Creator Boost" program if they want the company to consider their submissions.
PGA Tour AR app puts a golf course on your coffee table
Sports and augmented reality (AR) apps are nothing new. The technology has been used by the NFL, NBA and even German soccer teams to promote their respective leagues, with results varying from the gimmicky to the interesting. Now the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) has its own AR app on iOS that lets you watch real-time shot trails appear on select holes during live competition. You can also compare up to four different players' shots, if that's your thing.
Microsoft’s mad scientists are making AR more tactile
Unless you hate fun, Microsoft's best division is far and away its Research group, which has given us the nearest thing to a Holodeck, a live-action version of Minecraft and much more. Microsoft's gang of crazy researchers is at it again, showing off a bunch of new controllers for augmented and virtual reality. They're strictly experimental for now, but show a lot of potential for making AR and VR more fun and useful.
Bose sunglasses hands-on: audio AR makes more sense than you think
This week, Bose made a surprise announcement that it was getting into the augmented reality game. But Bose makes headphones, right? And AR is all about glasses with visual overlays? Well, nobody told them, and that's a good thing. The company believes that the classic approach works fine for many things, but it still presents barriers (cost of specific hardware, battery life and so on). Visual distractions also aren't always appropriate, and sometimes all you need is relevant info -- restaurant opening times, points of interest, for example -- whispered in your ear. That's what Bose is offering, and we (me and my colleague Cherlynn Low in the pictures and video above) tried it out for ourselves in downtown Austin at SXSW.
Bose's AR glasses are all about audio, not video
Bose announced today that it's getting into the augmented reality game. But Bose AR isn't about video, it's about audio and through a "wafer-thin acoustics package," the company says it can introduce a useful and relevant layer of audio into your everyday activities. Bose says the small audio technology produces powerful and clear sound and can be incorporated into wearables like headphones, eyewear and helmets.
