Hasta La Gadget!

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).

Filed under: Transportation, Mobile

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If committing the requisite funds for an Audi R8 coupe seems like a stressful ordeal, NVIDIA and Christie have created an augmented reality purchase experience to lend a hand with the selection process. Under the hood, the whole lot is powered by NVIDIA GPUs, Christie projectors and RTT DeltaGen software for car configuration. Using a 3D-printed, one-fifth scale model of the R8, a series of projectors and projection tiles utilize a 3D WARP mesh to outfit the car with paint, wheels and even headlamps. A tablet UI then allows the eager customer to toggle colors, rim options, side panels and turn the lights on and off. In addition to customizing the car itself, the system also shows how the R8 will look in different environments, from dusk by the water to the rural open road. For a quick video demo from the SIGGRAPH show floor, join us after the break.

Filed under: Misc, NVIDIA

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Gunners. They are a unique subset of students found in most any university lecture hall who steer classroom conversations with constant comments and questions directed at the professor. But what if you want a more inclusive environment that lets even timid students ask questions? One where they can communicate with their professor privately, during class, without interrupting. Well, researchers from la Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) have built a system that lets professors receive feedback from students and know which ones have questions by using augmented reality technology.

It works by leveraging the smartphones in students’ pockets and giving the professor a set of AR smart glasses. Using an app connected to the system’s server, students can indicate when they do or don’t understand a concept, that the professor should go more slowly, or that they know the answer to the question. Then, an icon indicating which action the student has taken will be displayed over that student’s head on the smart glasses’ displays. Using the system, the professor can also push predefined questions to students’ phones and control presentation slides using hand gestures and a Kinect. Intrigued? Speak Spanish? A demo video of the system in español awaits you after the break.

Filed under: Wearables, Software

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Source: British Journal of Educational Technology

We’ve seen the prototypes that led Google to Glass, but there are many devices that predate Mountain View’s smart specs, and Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, California was able to gather and display a historic number of such headsets this week. From Steve Mann’s handmade WearComp 1 and EyeTap prototypes to Glass-like precursors from Optinvent and Vuzix, it’s quite the comprehensive collection — over thirty devices in all. While they may make their way into a museum some day, we’re bringing pictures of them all to your screen right now. Enjoy.

Filed under: Wearables, Alt

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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line.

Now that Google Glass and Oculus Rift have entered the zeitgeist, might we start to see VR and AR products popping up on every street corner? Perhaps, but Meta has just launched an interesting take on the concept by marrying see-through, stereoscopic, display glasses with a Kinect-style depth sensor. That opens up the possibility of putting virtual objects into the real world, letting you “pick up” a computer-generated 3D architectural model and spin it around in your hand, for instance, or gesture to control a virtual display appearing on an actual wall. To make it work, you connect a Windows PC to the device, which consists of a pair of 960 x 540 Epson displays embedded in the transparent glasses (with a detachable shade, as shown in the prototype above), and a depth sensor attached to the top. That lets the Meta 1 track your gestures, individual fingers and walls or other physical surfaces, all of which are processed in the PC with motion tracking tech to give the illusion of virtual objects anchored to the real world.

Apps can be created via Unity3D and an included SDK on Windows computers (other platforms will arrive later, according to the team), with developers able to publish their apps on the upcoming Meta Store. The group has launched the project on Kickstarter with the goal of raising $100,000 to get developer kits into the hands of app coders, and though it’s no Google, Meta is a Y Combinator startup and has several high-profile researchers on the team. As such, it’s asking for exactly half of Glass’ Explorer Edition price as a minimum pledge to get in on the ground floor: $750. Once developers have had their turn, the company will turn its attention toward consumers and more sophisticated designs — so if you like the ideas peddled in the video, hit the source to give them your money.

Filed under: Wearables

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Source: Kickstarter