AR Weekly Digest #59

1. Training Tool Merges Virtual and Real Worlds

FIST2FAC

A new training system allows shore-based sailors to train in simulated combat scenarios they could face in the real world. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) demonstrated the Fleet Integrated Synthetic Training/Testing Facility (FIST2FAC) in Orlando on Dec. 2-5 at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference.

FIST2FAC allows sailors to interact with artificially intelligent forces in numerous settings and train for multiple missions at the same time. The system can replicate simple and complex situations involving helicopters, lethal and nonlethal weapons, aircraft carriers and more. The system consists of big screens and binoculars which play different scenarios and train officers how to react in each of them.

FIST2FAC provides an affordable, adaptive way to train. It combines a hassle-free setup, software and gaming technology to help naval forces develop strategies for a variety of missions and operations. It can be installed on every ship and at every installation in the Navy.

“This is the future of training for the Navy,” said Dr. Terry Allard, head of ONR’s Warfighter Performance Department. “With simulation, you can explore endless possibilities without the expense and logistical challenges of putting hundreds of ships at sea and aircraft in the sky.”

URL: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Mission_possible_Simulation_based_training_and_experimentation_on_display_999.html

2. The Cheaper, More Immersive and Less Geeky Alternative to Google Glass 

laforge_icis_uiGoogle has a new rival for its futuristic Glass with fewer limitations on its purchase. Icis by LaForge Optical can hold prescription lenses in addition to be cheaper than Google Glasses. The moto of new pair of glasses is ‘You don’t have to look like a nerd to be the most tech savvy person in a room’.

Icis smart glasses are connected to an app on the smartphone. They can take pictures, give you heads-up directions, record videos, display on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram updates from friends, and more. All these operations will go through cloud.

Classic-200x200“Our smartspecks use a custom frame that has the electronic components, such as the battery, display and bluetooth antenna embedded within it. We also use a custom lens that can be cut to nearly any shape and allows users to see the information on the display in front of the user,” Corey Mack, CEO at LaForge Optical says. “Our app is used to relay data between your phone and the glasses. When the glasses are in use it also makes you phone think that the glasses peripherals are its own peripherals. For example, when a users presses a button on the glasses to take a phone call, your phone thinks that the microphone in the glasses are the microphone that is in the phone.”

Pre-orders for the device will be opening soon on the company’s website for select customers, priced at $200, however will also launch on Kickstarter for $400 to gain more interest, funding and customers.

URL: http://www.laforgeoptical.com/

3. Lumus Announces DK-40 Dev Kit

Lumus, better known for making military grade stuff is wading into the wearable computing market, revealing a new developer kit. The Lumus DK-40 monocular dev kit is set to debut at CES 2014. Unlike Google Glass in which notifications are projected on the outskirts of your peripheral vision, the entire right lens of Lumus’ eyewear is a 640 x 480 see-through display. In fact it means that these glasses will provide full augmented reality support.

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The product has a 5-megapixel camera, motion sensor and is powered by Android. Android runs on an OMAP processor – Lumus isn’t saying which one specifically – and there’s a motion sensor with 9 degrees-of-freedom to do precise head tracking, important when you want to exactly match what’s on-screen with what’s in front of the wearer. The drawback of the device is that its current battery life is just 1 to 2 hours. Also Lumus intends to start shipping the DK-40 monocular dev kit at the end of Q1 2014.

URL: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/05/lumus-dk40-google-glass-competitor/

 4. Keeping Memory of Horrible Earthquake through Augmented Reality

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On the 17th of January 1995 the Great Hanshin Earthquake devastated Kobe and took around 6,000 lives. Nevertheless, Japan always arise again, so everything was completely reconstructed and restored. To preserve the memory of what the city looked like in the aftermath of the disaster and to show how it was restored and what has been changed the government has developed a location-based smartphone app.

Guests of the city can access the map archive and images by downloading the free mobile app junaio for either iOS orAndroid, and then go to certain places around the city. There are around 98 spots in the Shin-Nagata Minami and Shin-Nagata Kita districts where the photos were taken back in time. When users arrive to the location where image data is available, they just point their phones in the direction of where the photo was taken and they can see what it looked like after the earthquake and compare to what it looks like now.

The app will be especially interested for people who are interested to learn more about the earthquake and learn lessons of disaster recovery.

URL: http://japandailypress.com/new-smartphone-app-shows-1995-kobe-quake-damage-in-augmented-reality-0440500/

5. Wolverine Movie Promotion by Means of Augmented Reality

wolverineAll Wolverine’s fans would be excited to learn that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has released an augmented reality app.

Owners of the DVD and Blu-ray Disc of The Wolverine have the chance to access an augmented reality app, letting fans battle Yakuza on a speeding bullet train, and post photos of themselves with claws to social media sites. The app opens up the augmented reality experience when an enabled mobile device is pointed at The Wolverine cover art or one of the 12,800-plus displays at retail or online advertising the film.

The app is available for both Apple and Android devices.

URL: http://www.homemediamagazine.com/fox/fox-offers-augmented-reality-app-wolverine-32041

AR applications:

  1. Argon2 Isotope
  2. Sea Ray 650 Fly Interactive Tour
  3. The Three Little Pigs by IncredeBooks
  4. Soda Shaq Basketball
  5. Taggar
  6. Snowman AR Fun
  7. Kramer KRC reality viewer
  8. Streampak App
  9. Fama Augmented Reality ViewAR
  10. AXS Studio CalendAR
  11. Geoverlay
  12. Maths Teach-AR
  13. U. Stripper Crimper Z+F UNIC-L
  14. VividAR
  15. arcar
  16. Playme
  17. VIET2GO
  18. Christmas Zombies Everywhere!

Prepared by:

Augmented Pixels
3D Augmented Reality Solutions

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