AR Weekly Digest #71

1. Samsung Patents Finger Keyboard

It seams that Samsung has been secretly working on some kind of “Galaxy Glass” smart glasses. While it is still a rumour, new patents supporting this idea continue appearing. This time the augmented reality finger keyboard appeared in a patent filed by Samsung last August at the World Intellectual Property Organisation which has just been made public. The idea is to put a camera-based augmented reality keyboard onto your hand that only you as the glasses-wearer will see, letting you type on your fingers. You’ll still need your thumb to hit the virtual keys, but the keyboard itself will be virtually augmented onto different parts of your fingers.

The patent describes a solution for both US and Korean keyboard types, including gestures to reach special characters and numbers. It was also expressed by Samsung representatives that voice controls are too imprecise and dependant on the loudness of the environment, that’w why the company started to think of alternatives.

Different layouts of keyboards could be provided depending on the choice of language, whether gestures were supported, or even if one or both hands were in view. With a single hand, for instance, the letters could be clustered three to a finger, like T9 on a traditional cellphone keypad.

URL: http://www.geek.com/mobile/samsung-wants-to-turn-your-hands-into-an-augmented-reality-keyboard-1586821/

2. Augmented Reality Navigation App for Pedestrians

Increment P launches AR pedestrian navigation app “MapFan AR Global”, providing pedestrian route guidance information to the App Stores in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan.

The app supports users to find intuitively the pedestrian route to a destination without relying on a map. After setting a route to a destination from one’s current location, a pedestrian route and guidance information is projected onto the actual view seen through the iPhone’s camera. An auditory sound or vibration acts as a reminder at the turn points, so users do not need to watch the screen constantly.

If you want this app in your iPhone, you can get it for free as INCREMENT P is offering free downloads to celebrate this launch. However, it will be only available for three weeks starting from 5th March, 2014. After that, you will have to buy this app at just US $2.00. So, get this app and walk through unknown locations without any difficulty at all.

URL: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/05/increment-p-corporation-idUSnBw046948a+100+BSW20140305

3. Turn Your Pool Table Into an Digital Aquarium

OpenPool is an open source, augmented billiard system using projection mapping technology. The project is being developed by a team of AR enthusiasts from Tokyo. A few days ago they launched a Kickstarter campaign to make a DIY kit so that everyone can buy and install the system.

OpenPool allows you to play billiard with beautiful interactive visual effects. By adding a few pieces of devices, your existing billiard table turns into a futuristic gaming machine! The key components of the system are:
• The OpenPool Core: Two Kinects attached on the ceiling watch the locations of balls and a projector shows cool visual effects around the moving balls.
• The Pocket Detectors: An original sensor device put on each pocket, made of mbed, LEDs, IR sensors and a 3D-printed case, sends signals when a ball falls into a pocket.
• The Collision Detector: A microphone detects bumps of balls.

The cool thing is you can create your own effects because it’s open source. Now, write some code, invite your friends, and play OpenPool with your coolest self-made effects. The project has already won a few awards and has been shown on different exhibitions. Now you can have one of your own. Pledge $1000 and you’ll get OpenPool DIY Kit which includes The OpenPool Core App, Effect “SeaSaw”, The OpenPool Mount, The OpenPool “How to DIY” Guide. Or you can spend $1500 and get OpenPool DIY Kit and a set of The OpenPool Pocket Detectors.

URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/511536811/openpool-digital-billiard-diy-kit

4. Fashion Retailer Sportsgirl Unveils Digital Windows and Augmented Reality App

Australian fashion retailer, Sportsgirl, has unveiled a series of digital store windows that coincide with the new edition of Sportsgirl Explore, the augmented reality application created by IE.

Nine digital windows displaying three individual films will be launched in 9 store locations around Australia, while ‘Sportsgirl Explore’ Augmented Reality app integrates with Sportsgirl magazine ‘The Daily Us’, and gives users a creative brand interaction in-store.

While working on the full eCommerce site for Sportsgirl the AR app proved to be a nice accompanying piece in Sportsgirl’s digital suite. While fully scoping the app, a central UX target was to provide easy linking between Sportsgirl’s other digital assets, like online store and social. The custom built app has provided regular customers with a new form of brand engagement. The Sportsgirl ‘girl’ is now given content that comes to life in-store, with beauty tutorials, song downloads and product information featured.

In the first two weeks of the app’s launch, over 3,500 downloads were made, which successfully gave Sportsgirl their first app experience in the market. The integrated mp3 song was downloaded by over half the app users within the first two weeks.

URL: http://www.insideretail.com.au/2014/03/11/sportsgirl-unveils-digital-windows/

5. Augmented Reality App for Rutgers Football Team

The Rutgers Football app is an app that acts as a gateway to the latest news and interactive content for the Rutgers University Football team and Kyle Flood Football Camps. Fans can point their smartphone devices at printed promotional material distributed by the team to trigger the AR experience. Whether they are away for the holidays, home for the weekend, or a die-hard graduate who’s always hunting for new stats, Merchlar helps fans stay in touch with the team they love no matter how far from the field.

The app is a It’s a pilot program from Merchlar — a New York and Montreal-based digital marketing agency. What augmented reality does is allow the camp brochure to act as an entry to the video content. Viewers also have the option of accessing a “photobooth” that allows them to dress in Rutgers football gear.

URL: http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2014/02/rutgers_launches_new_football_app_to_extend_recruiting_reach_to_all_age_groups.html

AR applications:

Prepared by:

Augmented Pixels

3D Augmented Reality Solutions

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