Augmented Reality

Bottom line: This is one we’re still on the fence about. Sure, we get a big thrill when science fiction latches on to an idea and people set about making it real—video conferencing, mobile phones, GPS, what have you. And the idea of Augmented Reality (AR) is about as yummy as they come, with information, animation, video, graphics, etc., overlaid atop views of the real world. Take for example, this AR game demo HP did a couple of years back. Brilliant, right?

Unfortunately, this demo is total vaporware, not even remotely possible given current technology. Instead, the early AR applications we’re seeing tend toward the banal. The AR for the Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios might entertain kids for a minute or two, which is much longer than the time necessary to get the thing up and running. Paramount’s Transformers 2 AR app, which “allows you to wear a virtual Optimus Prime mask, watch footage from the film with a mini-virtual Bumblebee, and more”… OK, that’s fun for, well, not that long, really. The McDonald’s-Avatar collaboration is marginally better, but note how even the promo video spends more time on the install than the experience, a sure sign that the cost-benefit scale isn’t where it needs to be.

The promise of AR is still largely in its potential. But you can begin to see hints of where it could go in applications like the Layar Brower, and Mobilzy’s Wikitude and games like Arrhrrr! from Georgia Tech’s Augmented Environments Lab. We can imagine marketers hiding things in plain site, and then revealing the secret in a dramatic way for those who know where to look—with virtual 3D models jumping off of billboards or embedded phrases like ”We see things nobody else does…” with embedded glyphs in physical objects that reveal, well, something really cool when viewed with an AR-equipped device.

On the flip side, there will surely also be a raft of totally practical uses of AR, and that’s sexy in it’s own way. Things like AKQA’s Virtual Box Simulator for the U.S. Postal Service, which let’s you figure out what size box you need for whatever it is you want to mail, and Zugara’s Web Cam Shopper, where you can (kinda sorta) see what you would look like in different outfits.

Clearly, we’re still at the “look at this cool technology” phase with AR. But get it straight: AR is a tool. Like the fisheye lens, computer generated imagery, bluescreen, to become truly valuable, the technology needs to move out of the spotlight and become part of the storytellers toolkit. Hopefully, some creative types out there have become so worked up by the phrase we used earlier (“not even remotely possible given current technology”) that they’re already well on their way to proving us wrong. We sincerely hope so!