Hasta La Gadget!

While the whole tech world goes into speculation overdrive over the smallest shred of gossip about today’s Apple “back to the Mac” event, the real future of computers is on your coffee table. LuminAR is a project of MIT’s Fluid Interfaces Group which seeks to eradicate the traditional mouse-keyboard-screen interface. LuminAR utilizes a specialized Pico-projector that can project a computer interface onto any surface–coffee stains and all. The system is able to read your hand movements so as to form a working touchscreen interface–literally, anywhere.

If you ever dreamed of playing Tetris on your sleeping grandpa, the future is yours, my friend.

The full LuminAR set-up comes affixed to a robotic lamp arm that can find empty area to project an interface on or read hand gestures to project in a pre-programmed location (for example, if you want it to always show you videos on the wall as opposed to your desk, it can do that). But the actual LuminAR “bulb” can be removed from the robotic arm and placed in any conventional light socket, computer, or cell phone. It’s the ultimate augmented reality accessory to make the entire physical world into your personal computer desktop.

Video after the jump.

Say you’re in New York… or Tokyo. You have absolutely no idea where you are, where you need to go, or where the closest Starbucks is. Sure, you could look at the mapping app on your AGPS-equipped handset, but where’s the sci-fi in that? Leave it to Japan’s NTT DoCoMo (in partnership with Olympus) to whip up a wearable augmented reality solution that’s nearly small enough (and reasonable-looking enough) for individuals with an ounce of self-respect to use, and we’ve had a chance to check it out here at CEATEC this week. Follow the break for impressions and video!

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo’s AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest (video)

NTT DoCoMo’s AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 02:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The world is filled with lots of great stuff: massages, Boardwalk Empire, Chinese food. Unfortunately, all that good stuff gets mixed in with things like stubbed toes, mediocre indie rock, and deadly shark attacks. Reality is fickle. That’s why researchers are so hard at work on building a new reality–an augmented reality–that will do away with all of conventional reality’s nonsense parts.

Mobile technology speeds are finally getting to a place where we can readily layer an improved virtual world on top of the very-much-lacking actual world. Only now are we beginning to lay the groundwork for this new realm of augmented reality and San Diego-based telecommunications firm Qualcomm wants to be at the forefront. The company recently announced a competition with $200K in prize money that will go to the best new augmented reality apps. First place will net you a $125,000 purse, second place: $50,000, and third place: $25,000.

The only rule is that you use Qualcomm’s Augmented Reality development kit for Android phones which is currently available for download. Submissions open November 15th and close January 7th. More info available here.

Soon reality will be a thing of the past.

It’s not a brand new concept or anything, but rather than forcing mobile users to scan QR codes in order to access more information about a given product or advertisement, Wizup is able to recognize far more esoteric items. Created as a part of the Windows Phone 7 developer challenge, this piece of software is able to listen to radio stations (at least in France), understand images from magazines and even recognize TV channels. Simply snap a picture or let it listen in (much like Shazam for song titles), and it then delivers all sorts of germane content to the mobile’s screen. It’s a dream come true for marketers, but better still, it makes digging for more information a whole lot easier on the end user. Head on past the break for a demonstration video — if you’ve been denying it thus far, good luck as you continue to resist the Augmented Reality Revolution.

Continue reading Wizup emerges from Windows Phone 7 developer challenge: think Shazam, but for ads

Wizup emerges from Windows Phone 7 developer challenge: think Shazam, but for ads originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First announced in July, Brother’s updated AirScouter wearable display is finally getting its first live demonstration at Brother World in Japan. The prototype Retinal Imaging Display (RID) projects safe, fast-moving light directly onto your retina that appears to the viewer as a 16-inch display floating transparently at a distance of about 3 feet. The tech used by Brother was harvested from its own optical system technologies found in laser and inkjet printers. Brother plans to launch the AirScouter for industrial uses in Japan where the glasses could overlay operating manuals onto machinery, for example. Later, Brother plans to adopt its RID tech into consumer products worldwide making for a more immersive (and practical) augmented reality experience.

Continue reading Brother’s AirScouter floats a 16-inch display onto your eye biscuit (video)

Brother’s AirScouter floats a 16-inch display onto your eye biscuit (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Sep 2010 05:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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