'Layar' Shows Augmented Reality Possibilities on iPhone 3G S

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/16/layar-shows-augmented-reality-possibilities-on-iphone-3g-s/)

A new augmented reality app called Layar is making the rounds on the web as an example of what can be done with Augmented Reality. Layer (http://layar.eu/) (via 9to5Mac (http://9to5mac.com/layar-augmented-reality-browser-android-iphone)) is described as the world's first mobile augmented reailty browser.Layar shows you what is around you by displaying realtime digital information on top of reality through the camera of the mobile phone. Just flip through the directory of layers and find ATM's, bars, houses for sale, hotels and other cool stuff around you.
The app accomplishes this through the use of the Compass, camera and GPS embedded within the phone. The developer's video shows it running:

Article Link: 'Layar' Shows Augmented Reality Possibilities on iPhone 3G S (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/06/16/layar-shows-augmented-reality-possibilities-on-iphone-3g-s/)

The app is first available for the Android devices but they are working hard on porting it to other platforms "with a prime focus on the iPhone 3G S.". The iPhone 3G S is the first Apple iPhone to contain a digital compass which is required for such applications.

[clayj]

Wiliam Gibson strikes again: He talked about just this sort of thing in his most recent novel, Spook Country, although in the book his characters wear VR helmets that are GPS-enabled to know where the wearer is and what they are looking at. (He also covered this territory back in 1993, in Virtual Light. There it was VR sunglasses that contain geospatially-tagged information.)

[carfac]

That is so cool. Are they making a version for the Pre?

[needsomecoffee]

Yep, a new level will soon be reached re: value of a mobile computer (aka iPhone, etc.)

[Josso]

Slick! :D

I'm definitely going to buy the 3GS. (Don't have any iPhone)

[BlizzardBomb]

Pull this off and I'll be mighty impressed. Let's hope it's not vaporware.

[sbrhwkp3]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

[Fluffy Bunny]

Where are all the folks who were saying "whoop tee doo, a compass"?

This looks very cool. Things like information about hotel vacancy, room rates, real estate, restaurant menus, bus schedules. Great for larger cities.

[H$R]

This will come some day soon hopefully.
Maybe it will be the selling point for the next iPhone next year :D Built right into Google Maps!

[MvdM]

Lol, getting laid with Layar. This was all very close to Amsterdam's Red Light District. Next feature : find me a blond haired hooker that offers full service for a max price of €50.

[H$R]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

It's just a nice gimmick. It's just one layer more of information. You could point onto a building and it tells you when it was built or what's in there and so on.

Or for the army: you point on a building and it tells you if it's in a special zone or what the targets might be there. I think it could make life easier.

Why google maps on your phone when you could just as easily take a map with you?

[Tubink]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

Someone looking for a new apartment, maybe? Who in their right minds would use all of the fart apps?

[akm3]

Where are all the folks who were saying "whoop tee doo, a compass"?

This looks very cool. Things like information about hotel vacancy, room rates, real estate, restaurant menus, bus schedules. Great for larger cities.

A lot of people were judging the value of the compass by the compass app, not that other apps could leverage it. Why can no one ever see the big picture, particularly whoever my boss is at the time.

[dazcox5181]

I have wikitude on my Htc magic which does same thing, great its coming for iphone too, shame though now I need something else to show off with

[leandromp]

Someone looking for a new apartment, maybe? Who in their right minds would use all of the fart apps?

lol, so true!
Love that video, Glad to hear their working for the iPhone version. Can't wait! :).

[clayj]

For those who are pooh-poohing this sort of thing, there are lots of good examples of how it could be used in a very cool way. Here's one example:

Imagine walking around museum. You see the paintings on the walls, and they have basic info like who the artist was and the title of the work. But then point your iPhone at the painting and click the "Get Info" button in your geospatially-aware browser. The browser checks your coordinates, determines that you're in the Louvre, figures out what painting you're looking at, and then displays detailed information, including (possibly) voice narration delivered through your headphones.

[Tears Apart]

Wiliam Gibson strikes again: He talked about just this sort of thing in his most recent novel, Spook Country, although in the book his characters wear VR helmets that are GPS-enabled to know where the wearer is and what they are looking at. (He also covered this territory back in 1993, in Virtual Light. There it was VR sunglasses that contain geospatially-tagged information.)

Helmets are way out of fashion: shall we skip them and apply this technology directly to common glasses? Charles Stross not so exciting "Halting State" brings Gibson take on VR to the extreme - and as Gibson does in his latest novels - ties it to existing technologies. A revolution upon the way we look at things. Hope Apple will ride that!

[HiRez]

On Apple's 3G S demo video, they show the compass with an accuracy range. I think it varies, but it looked like maybe at least 15°-20° IIRC. Wouldn't you need better accuracy than that if you're going to be overlaying data on things as you spin around?

[toomuchrock]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

I'd definitely use it. How about an architectural walking tour of a city? It knows where you are and plays the appropriate sound file as an intro. You point it at a building and it tells you information about it. Same could be done by pointing your phone at the skies -- "What is that constellation and what stars is it made up of?"

[Eidorian]

Not until it's beamed into my occipital lobe.

Eden of the East style acceptable for now and for safety reasons.

Fry: So you're telling me they broadcast commercials into people's dreams?
Leela: Of course.
Fry: But, how is that possible?
Prof. Farnsworth: It's very simple. The ad gets into your brain just like this liquid gets into this egg.
(He holds up an egg and injects it with liquid. The egg explodes, covering him and Leela in yolk.)
Prof. Farnsworth: Although, in reality, it's not liquid, but gamma radiation.

[Nocaster]

want :D

[toomuchrock]

Oh oh and man how cool is it that you could point it at a building and know who is in it? Dodgeball Foursquare Brightkite etc... You could track your friends real time with the new digital compass. I'm looking forward to it. No longer texting to say 'I'm here, where are you? Umm I don't see you?'

[themoonisdown09]

That is so cool. Are they making a version for the Pre?

The current Pre does not have a built-in compass, so therefore, it will not be able to run this app until it does.

[tufaw]

I want something along the lines of 10 seconds ago (http://appshopper.com/music/10-seconds-ago-pro) instead (link is to pro version, can't find regular one in US store). Delay the audio and do something funky with the video, that'd be great! :)

[troller]

ok so a reality browser ? sounds cool !

[BornAgainMac]

I would rather have a Terminator App. You point the iPhone at people or things and it will identify those objects with all known information. Wake me up when they have that on the App store.

[H$R]

I would rather have a Terminator App. You point the iPhone at people or things and it will identify those objects with all known information. Wake me up when they have that on the App store.

and then kill them HAHA :rolleyes:

[willybNL]

Cool stuff always comes from the Dutch right?

Heiniken
TomTom
and now: Layar

Let's just hope that the guy Layar talking on the WWDC next year - :D - doesn't have such an Dutch accent as the TomTom guy had :D (yes, even the Dutch noticed that).

[sparks9]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

you are missing the point.

tech like this will revolutionize the way we interact with the world.

[Porco]

The best feature is when you hear it say "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?".

[Small White Car]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

You see 4 restaurants in front of you. Let's say you want to look at all 4 menus to check prices, then call them all to see who has the shortest wait.

Using this program you could do all that in a minute. Using google maps and the web, that sounds like a 10 minute task to me.

Or maybe you're in another country and you can't read the signs on the buildings and want to know what's what. You've been told that the emergency dentist you need is on this block, in fact, google maps says you're in front of it, but you see 6 offices in front of you, all with signs you can't read. This would be useful for that.

Or maybe you're closer to home...right in front of your favorite movie theater. Yeah, you COULD bring up the theater web page and navigate through its menu to see showtimes, but why do that when you can just point your phone at it and hit one button? You'll get showtimes in 10 seconds instead of 90.

[4np]

Amsterdam FTW!

[4np]

Cool stuff always comes from the Dutch right?

Heiniken
TomTom
and now: Layar

Let's just hope that the guy Layar talking on the WWDC next year - :D - doesn't have such an Dutch accent as the TomTom guy had :D (yes, even the Dutch noticed that).

I wonder if you miss spelled Heineken on purpose? ;) Used to work for one of them though :P

[circuslove]

you are missing the point.

tech like this will revolutionize the way we interact with the world.

you could superimpose virtual objects and people and play virtual games in the real world, think GTA but you are really walking through a real city using your phone view to explore what is virtually placed within it and interact with them.

[lars666]

You see 4 restaurants in front of you. Let's say you want to look at all 4 menus to check prices, then call them all to see who has the shortest wait.

Using this program you could do all that in a minute. Using google maps and the web, that sounds like a 10 minute task to me.

Or maybe you're in another country and you can't read the signs on the buildings and want to know what's what. You've been told that the emergency dentist you need is on this block, in fact, google maps says you're in front of it, but you see 6 offices in front of you, all with signs you can't read. This would be useful for that.

Or maybe you're closer to home...right in front of your favorite movie theater. Yeah, you COULD bring up the theater web page and navigate through its menu to see showtimes, but why do that when you can just point your phone at it and hit one button? You'll get showtimes in 10 seconds instead of 90.

Very smart ideas, like it!!

[bmk]

For those who are pooh-poohing this sort of thing, there are lots of good examples of how it could be used in a very cool way. Here's one example:

Imagine walking around museum. You see the paintings on the walls, and they have basic info like who the artist was and the title of the work. But then point your iPhone at the painting and click the "Get Info" button in your geospatially-aware browser. The browser checks your coordinates, determines that you're in the Louvre, figures out what painting you're looking at, and then displays detailed information, including (possibly) voice narration delivered through your headphones.

I don't want to pooh-pooh this totally and the example you give is one of the better and more practical uses for it, but even your example suffers from the inherent drawback of the whole idea - you need people and companies to be constantly updating their 'layar' information to account for changes. It is hard enough for most companies (and individuals) to keep their web pages up to date, let alone the complex and time dependant information that would make such a system brilliant if it could actually work. To take your example, what happens when a museum lends its picture to some travelling exhibition, or changes its displays, or acquires a new work? All that layar information would have to be reconfigured on a constant basis.

I would like it to work, but at the moment can't see how it is going to be practical for third party content providers to maintain reliable information.

[Cleverboy]

Sorry to be the wet blanket, but to my knowledge, the iPhone... even with 3.0, DOES NOT provide a LIVE VIDEO STREAM from the camera in a fashion that developers are able to use. I'm hoping this has changed, but to my knowledge, just as you cannot create an iPhone app that automatically takes stop-motion photography (the user must initiate the taking of the picture), you cannot create an app that puts a layer over live video.

Here's hoping Apple has/will fix this, but Layar can look at the iPhone all it likes, but a "compass" is the least of what the device needs to be capable of. By using relative positioning, its possible to simulate a compass with access to the live camera feed (just mark "north" and use the shift markers to "move" the scenery relative to that position).

Pasted from another forum, Apple says:
"Embed a video recorder into your application using the new interface used in the Camera application. The new interface provides a switch to toggle between still photos and video mode, giving your users the flexibility to capture the moment the way they want. Once the video has been captured, users can choose the videos they want from the updated Media Picker." This sounds like a more functionally rich version of their "camera" API, that presents users with the ability to choose a photo from their photo album or take a picture from the camera, but provides devs with NO control over the camera itself. It's like having the "browse file" control in HTML, but not giving the web page the ability to automatically upload files from your hard drive without your say-so.

While the security model is comforting, it does NOT allow for "stop-motion video", "automatic timed shots", "remote automatic upload of live camera imagery" (which would be a nice addition to 'Find My iPhone'), or... most of all... "augmented reality".

~ CB

[roocka]

I have to hand it to the company that developed this. This is the future. It's strange when you see it for the first time and truly begin to understand the potential for technology. It's neat to know that there is still so much left to unlock. The human mind is such a brilliant thing. It's sad that people have to ruin their lives with meth and heroin searching for a false appreciation when technology today is unlocking so many doors that are interesting and wonderful.

I can't wait to get my hands on this. It will make traveling so much more interesting because you will just be able to wander off the beaten path and find your way home later.

So cool.

[zombitronic]

I'm glad that some of us get this. This will be important. These location info apps will seem quaint compared to the type of AR that will truly create infinite layers of reality. Of course, we'll need many more sensors in our devices before we get a true alternate layer of the world. LIDAR, maybe, or at least stereo cameras to judge distances and objects and better AI to really "understand" what's coming into a camera lens. Just because this is an early version of a new technology, don't underestimate what it will become.

[clayj]

I don't want to pooh-pooh this totally and the example you give is one of the better and more practical uses for it, but even your example suffers from the inherent drawback of the whole idea - you need people and companies to be constantly updating their 'layar' information to account for changes. It is hard enough for most companies (and individuals) to keep their web pages up to date, let alone the complex and time dependant information that would make such a system brilliant if it could actually work. To take your example, what happens when a museum lends its picture to some travelling exhibition, or changes its displays, or acquires a new work? All that layar information would have to be reconfigured on a constant basis.

I would like it to work, but at the moment can't see how it is going to be practical for third party content providers to maintain reliable information.It goes without saying that this sort of thing will largely be an incremental process, aside from a few "hardcore" organizations that will support it full out just because they think it's cool. Making this sort of process easy to maintain is simply a matter of good database design and software connectivity. Many restaurants now, for example, publish their daily menus to their web sites in the form of PDF files. This doesn't mean that someone is scanning the menu each day and turning it into a PDF and posting it on their site; it means someone has set up an automated process which takes the menu, converts it from Word format into a PDF, and pushes it to the web site all without any human interaction. The system is set up to maintain itself.

In the case of a museum, they could have a database of their own which tracks the comings and goings and relocations of work, simply based on someone updating the database whenever something is hung or taken down or sent on tour. Proper automation in the background could keep the geospatial database up to date without any interaction beyond someone typing in the change somewhere.

This is by no means insurmountable, and it's not even hard to do. It's simply a matter of intelligent software design.

[ipoppy]

That can make me feel like 007:D. I am not buying 3Gs because wasn't ichat there, but this thing make me think again.
Hmm....nah I will wait another 12 months and you Apple, don't you dare to NOT get an iChat into iphone then :mad:

[bengst]

nice technology.
Imagine in the store, looking at some items, and at the same time we can find it's information from the net :D

fyi, in Indonesia, "Layar" means "Screen".

[QCassidy352]

this is amazing. of course, it would require a great deal of work to make it practical (my first worry is that the GPS must be VERY accurate for this to work), but in theory, it's awesome.

[stagi]

Very cool!

[peterdevries]

Amsterdam FTW!

Damn, you beat me to it. :D

The only thing Amsterdam needs is a proper Apple Store. If Munich can have one than so can we..

[PsudoPowerPoint]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

Different people interact with the same GUI in different ways, and GUIs typically provide multiple options to do most tasks. While this display mode may not do anything for you, it may do a lot for some people. I know people who don't do well with maps, most of them navigate by landmarks instead; Layer provides a simple way to spot landmarks to navigate by. All the GPS I'm familiar with provide a street view or highway view for navigation as an alternative to a map, Layer goes a step beyond by overlaying that view on a real time image.

Beyond that, the value of this sort of augmented reality concept is to show what's not visible on the surface. My fun favorite application would be using augmented reality to show a historic view of a location. Imagine an application that lead the user to a series of sights where historic photographs have been taken, then when you arrive at each, it provides an overlay of that photo on the present reality. This would be awesome for a large outdoor sight like Gettysburg.

[8CoreWhore]

kufhm;kh;c,lfhja;l,ch;aflj OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The possibilities are endles!!! :D

[SomeRandomUser]

Oooh! Golf Yardage App! Someone get on it.

[sterlingindigo]

This is profoundly cool!:cool:

[Cleverboy]

In the case of a museum, they could have a database of their own which tracks the comings and goings and relocations of work, simply based on someone updating the database whenever something is hung or taken down or sent on tour. Proper automation in the background could keep the geospatial database up to date without any interaction beyond someone typing in the change somewhere.

This is by no means insurmountable, and it's not even hard to do. It's simply a matter of intelligent software design. A museum is NOT a realistic candidate for most consumer-accessible augmented reality implementations. Augmented reality is much more useful for buildings, landmarks, outside sculpture, locations, etc. On the macro-level, they would need to invent an entirely new device for highly accurate interior positioning. This would NOT be GPS, but some other invention that likely works through relative positioning within a structure. I've mused about such an invention for a while, possibly something that uses RFIDs.

For museums and malls, I think the best you could possible get without a Bluetooth or 30-pin accessory to help it, is "where am I"... which would identify the general area of the building you're in, and supply you with information on what stores or exhibits are near you.

This is different from augmented reality, which allows you to view THROUGH your device's camera, and have labels and information placed on top of their images.

Another possible route would be to allow users to identify which room they're standing inside of, and where they are standing in the room. Then N,S,E,W positioning could easily handle the rest, if you could get past the non-starter modifying the interface layed atop of live video feed in iPhone OS.

As I noted earlier, even given an ideal example, I highly doubt the iPhone OS officially supports augmented reality (without an accessory). Jail-broken, people would be able to access unofficial, unsupported APIs (as they did to get early video recording), but that's certainly not an option for anything sold through the AppStore.

~ CB

[Rhymo]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

Actually you can point to the camera to the ground and the app still functions properly.. We basically disabled the horizon because of this reason ;-)

[Schizoid]

when you watch the full unedited version, some kid in a hoodie snatches the phone out of the bewildered users hand and legs it!

...but it's okay because he get's another phone out, locates it and disables it... probably

[Rhymo]

You see 4 restaurants in front of you. Let's say you want to look at all 4 menus to check prices, then call them all to see who has the shortest wait.

Using this program you could do all that in a minute. Using google maps and the web, that sounds like a 10 minute task to me.

Or maybe you're in another country and you can't read the signs on the buildings and want to know what's what. You've been told that the emergency dentist you need is on this block, in fact, google maps says you're in front of it, but you see 6 offices in front of you, all with signs you can't read. This would be useful for that.

Or maybe you're closer to home...right in front of your favorite movie theater. Yeah, you COULD bring up the theater web page and navigate through its menu to see showtimes, but why do that when you can just point your phone at it and hit one button? You'll get showtimes in 10 seconds instead of 90.


Cool cases.. We are actually working on a couple of them already ;-)

[Stately]

That's funny, I said they should make something like that a while back but an app that would be able to quick scan something, even a live thing and identify it. Lol, I guess this is the start. . and what a great start it is ! :D

[MacFly123]

I just hope the GUI on the iPhone version will be much nicer.

There is a lot of potential for this type of technology. I only hope it doesn't invade our lives too much with advertising etc.

It reminds me of movies of robots like when you see the point of view of the terminators or Wall-e and they see all this overlaid information on top of what they see. A little scary.

[hypermark]

I have a slightly different take on this one. I think that there is a really interesting play to leverage the hardware accessories support within iPhone OS 3.0 to build external 3D/VR glasses that plug into the iPhone, which I blogged about here:

3D Glasses: Virtual Reality, Meet the iPhone
http://bit.ly/141NNg

Check it out, if interested.

Cheers,

Mark

[Eso]

Or maybe you're closer to home...right in front of your favorite movie theater. Yeah, you COULD bring up the theater web page and navigate through its menu to see showtimes, but why do that when you can just point your phone at it and hit one button? You'll get showtimes in 10 seconds instead of 90.

Or you could just like... look up right at the display they have for showtimes that is right in front of your face. You'll get showtimes in 2 seconds instead of 10.

[iphones4evry1]

Dude, this is awesome!!! :)

I seem to recall seeing something like this in the Terminator movies. :D

How much longer until the iGlasses arrive? :apple:

Haha! It looks like MS Dos. hahaha! (the vision of the future was different back then)
http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2008/04/terminator.jpg

Gizmodo article that image is from. Take a look...
http://gizmodo.com/379114/retinal-imaging-display-glasses-make-terminator-vision-possible

[NAG]

This is where we thought the technology was going to go for a long time and it is nice that we're starting to take the first steps toward consumer usage.

[iphones4evry1]

This is where we thought the technology was going to go for a long time and it is nice that we're starting to take the first steps toward consumer usage.

Until the T1000 arrives :eek:

(Japanese human robot + Apple iGlasses = prototype)
SERIOUSLY THOUGH, think about it. If you integrate this technology into a robot, whether it be human form of one of those military unmanned vehicles, JUST THINK ABOUT IT!!! We have the technology now! :eek: )

[wolfshades]

I don't want to pooh-pooh this totally and the example you give is one of the better and more practical uses for it, but even your example suffers from the inherent drawback of the whole idea - you need people and companies to be constantly updating their 'layar' information to account for changes. It is hard enough for most companies (and individuals) to keep their web pages up to date, let alone the complex and time dependant information that would make such a system brilliant if it could actually work. To take your example, what happens when a museum lends its picture to some travelling exhibition, or changes its displays, or acquires a new work? All that layar information would have to be reconfigured on a constant basis.

I would like it to work, but at the moment can't see how it is going to be practical for third party content providers to maintain reliable information.

You're absolutely right. The idea is dead in the water unless and until there are willing volunteers who will keep the database up to date and current. Enter the marketplace: those who currently own websites to entice their customers will jump on this like gangbusters. (Ref. the idea about pointing this thing at restaurants and theatres to find the menus or showtimes). Of course there's still a possibility that some info won't be current, but that's the case today with websites and even the Yellow Pages.

Like dear old dad used to say (he doesn't anymore, as he's six feet under and would get dirt in his mouth were he to try): "follow the money".

[mattek]

Last year around autumn a Japanese company demonstrated a similar app for iPhone called Sekai Camera (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/09/tc50-sekai-camera-for-social-tagging-on-the-iphone/). AFAIK, it works only with JB phone and works without a compass.

[zombitronic]

There is a lot of potential for this type of technology. I only hope it doesn't invade our lives too much with advertising etc.

Advertising will help push this technology. It will give people a reason to spend money to advance the technology. There was an interview on Charlie Rose awhile back with the CEO of NVIDIA. He said, and I share his thoughts, that augmented reality will make its way into vehicle windshields and windows with the use of OLEDs and HUD tech. Think virtual billboards.

So, while advertising may not be the most fun you can get out of this technology, it will push it further.

And "adult entertainment."

[caoxiang]

iphone sdk cannot even get the video streamming on the fly.

[iphones4evry1]

you need people and companies to be constantly updating their 'layar' information to account for changes. It is hard enough for most companies (and individuals) to keep their web pages up to date
I have been extremely disappointed in Google and Apple because about 30% of the business locations on the Google Maps iPhone App are inaccurate. There is no way to submit a correction from the phone. I had to go onto Google's computer website to submit corrections ... months later, Google still has not updated the locations. Businesses that closed years ago are still on the map, and some pins show businesses in the middle of residential neighborhoods or on street corners that have houses on all four corners.

the idea about pointing this thing at restaurants and theatres to find the menus or showtimes
This will make it easier for people to hold their camera phones vertical and take photos of other people without seeming obvious. But hey, we're on video camera every time we walk into a business or public area these days, so it probably wouldn't matter too much.

( glasses + camera = take a photo of anything you are looking at. That sounds cool !
Just wait until they add video! No more police brutality.)

[TurboSC]

that's pretty badass. I can't wait to see how they use this technology in the coming years.

[zacman]

A year ago there was a similar app within the Android developer challange. It didn't win because Google bought the app to patent it and develop it further.

[captain kaos]

That is so cool. Are they making a version for the Pre?

This is a mac website isnt it??:confused:

[iphones4evry1]

This is a mac website isnt it??:confused:

I think he meant to go to http://www.PalmRumors.com/Pre hahaha

[Bubba Mudd]

Alright, it's a cool demonstration of what technology can do, but who in their right minds would use something like this? :confused:

So you lift up your phone, and look at the world through your camera lens, so it can tell you what each building is, even though there are signs that say it anyway? :confused:

Maybe I'm missing something, but this seems, pointless.

I think it'd come in handy, especially if you are a tourist. This definitely would've helped when my wife and I were in Europe! :D

[PlayRadioPlay]

Anyone that doesn't see the potential of this sort of thing completely lacks imagination. Yeah, it might not work great, or even well, this year, next year, or the year after that. But 5 years from now, perhaps 10, this sort of thing is going to be absolutely revolutionary.

Back when portable GPSs were starting to pop up, people said "WTF, these things are inaccurate, expensive, they take too long to work, and the database isn't always right." Fast forward to today, when you can buy a fully functioning personal GPS for under $100. I own the bottom of the line Garmin, and it works 50 times better than the integrated GPS in my friend's 1998 BMW.

It takes time to build revolutionary ideas. Augmented Reality will change everything, just watch. Gaming, navigation, information, everything.

[twoodcc]

sounds nice. i won't get getting an iphone 3gs until they are easily available in stores, which could take a little while

[Cleverboy]

iphone sdk cannot even get the video streamming on the fly. This boring fact doesn't seem to register with anyone. Oh, well. It would have been nice for the article to not ONLY note what MAKES it possible on the iPhone... but what DOESN'T make it possible for the iPhone. All part of pressuring Apple I guess, but Apple seems afraid of letting people tap into the hardware without a layer of abstraction. [EDIT: Hey, I guess we'll get access to this when Google hooks it into Streetview, and Apple can do the implementation itself. Hardware video access problem... solved.]
A year ago there was a similar app within the Android developer challange. It didn't win because Google bought the app to patent it and develop it further. Interesting. I hadn't heard that Google'd bought it. These were the guy's I'd heard. Enkin.
http://www.vimeo.com/843168

::: RESEARCH :::

Ah. Interesting. http://androidguys.com/?p=2174
One of the highest regarded applications we’d ever encountered for Android was from the boys at Enkin. It took Google Maps and put a completely different spin on things. If you haven’t seen a demo of it, do yourself a favor.

These guys were riding high all the way into the Android Developers Challenge, likely going to take some top prize money home. A lot of expectation and anticipation was put on them and we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it when Android was to be released. People started paying attention to them and their website, wanting to see what was next.

So what happened? Go grab a coffee and prepare to dig in.

::BEGIN

On August 26th, in a post titled “Google’s (Not So) Secret Strategy”, Phineas JW wrote on Android Guys (www.androidguys.com) on why Android application Enkin not only didn’t make the first cut in the Android Developers Competition (much to the surprise of many), but literally disappeared from view. As Phineas points out, the very last words (dated May 17th) on Enkin’s blog were….

“The first round of the Google Android Developer Challenge is over and the list of winners has been released… “As some of you already noticed, Enkin is not one of them. We could speculate about the reasons for this, but there is more interesting news: “We have been contacted by Google separately and they, too, are excited about our project. “So at this point in time there are a number of possibilities for the project’s future, which we are currently exploring.” http://enkinblog.blogspot.com/

Enkin was gone, but Phineas JW suggested that Enkin will reappear as “Live View” a mobile part of Google’s Street View, a “real-time, real-life ‘map’ of your current location, using the phone’s built-in camera, compass, and GPS, with floating annotations of your destination(s)”. In short, the disappeared Enkin would magically reappear as an important part of a new Google Killer App. It was an interesting and very likely theory.

~ CB

[SDLSteve]

wrong thread. sorry.

[BTW]

Very cool! A restaurant and entertainment "layar" would be cool too for big cities. Showtimes, menus for restaurants, etc.

[redkamel]

Stuff people are saying you can do....

a) "look at restauraunts and check the prices and menus, and the wait"
b) "look at the art show images!"
c) "Take a walking tour"
d) find an apartment
e) going apartment hunting

you can do with
a) actually walking there (since they are right in front of you) so you can see what the restaurant is like and what the food looks like, assuming you actually care
b) use a picture recognition app, or audiobook. A lot easier than staring at your phone and reading tiny text. Or...google the title?
c) take a walking tour. With a map.
d) you already have turn by turn directions. if you need more than that....
e) How often do people go apartment hunting? Once a year, tops?

Theres some things people need, and some they dont. This is stupid. This is useful for the military, construction workers, people doing planning, zoning. People are really excited about being able to "find an ATM" with their cellphone while standing in front of it? They cant ask people?

I like tech too, but this is basically useless IMO.

"Hey, I am going to look through my cellphone and scan the world to find something or some info."
"cool, Im just going to go there or google it"

[chrisesposito]

this is amazing. of course, it would require a great deal of work to make it practical (my first worry is that the GPS must be VERY accurate for this to work), but in theory, it's awesome.

GPS issues are second order difficulties; the most important issues have to do with orientation / compass data, since small angular inaccuracies when magnified by the distance to the target object can create serious device-to-world registration problems. It can be done; Steve Feiner at Columbia had an outdoor system that worked probably fifteen years ago. If memory serves (and it may not, as it's been a *long* time) there are something like 18 or 21 degrees of freedom that have to be accounted for in order for an image in the world to accurately line up with an overlaid image in a head-mounted display. I haven't worked through the DOF problem for a handheld display. It's a much easier problem in some ways indoors, although harder in others. My R&D group at Boeing had A/R systems running up in one of our airplane factories in the early to mid 1990s, using them to help construct wire bundles and wire harnesses that would go in aircraft. What's easier is that you can more easily instrument the environment by doing things like putting up fiducial markers on either the user or in the work space, and cameras or other sensors on the other.

[Cleverboy]

Theres some things people need, and some they dont. This is stupid. This is useful for the military, construction workers, people doing planning, zoning. People are really excited about being able to "find an ATM" with their cellphone while standing in front of it? They cant ask people?

I like tech too, but this is basically useless IMO. I don't think I'm the slightest bit fanciful in saying that you're clearly no visionary. You apparently see things how they ARE, with no concept of how a new mode of interface could help you. That said, I agree with your basic premise that sometimes people get "silly" with how relevant they think some esoteric new technologies will be. This ISN'T one of those. This is literally the future. Augmented reality is as significant a milestone as Google's "voice control" features in the Google app for iPhone. I just wish someone were actually capable of developing such a thing for supported APIs in the current iPhone OS SDK.

Here's where I see augmented reality going on future iPhone OS's:

Create Bluetooth enabled shades (http://www.myvu.com/) that make use of Apple's new accessory support, and features a lanyard allowing the iPhone/iPod Touch to hang from the user's chest. Augmented reality data will appear overlayed on top of user's normal vision. Mini-camera relays live data to the iPhone/iPod Touch.

The great part of this, is that the actual app, will send real-time overlays to the viewer from the Internet. Moreover, it can take voice command, display full-color images, and relay up to the minute information.

USER: (Walking in a park sight-seeing with a friend)
FRIEND: "Hey, I wonder how long that statue has been there?"
USER: (Pulls shades down and clicks button on shades, app is already running while phone is asleep in locked mode) "Hm. It says here that's the famous Balto statue by Fredric Roth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto) erected in 1925."
FRIEND: "Oh yeah... Wasn't there a movie?"

USER: (Clicks button on shade again) "Cross-reference movie." (Releases button) "Yup. 1995, Amblin Entertainment. Aw, hey... it got good reviews, we should pick it up tonight, or at least Netflix it."

FRIEND: "Cool. Anything else worth seeing around here?"

USER: "Hm. It looks like the Tisch Children’s Zoo is just over that hill."

FRIEND: "Great. How much time do we..."

USER: "Also says its closing in 30 minutes."

FRIEND: "Hey, that's pretty handy! It says it closes at 5pm?"

USER: "No... it actually says 28 minutes, in bright red, under the name! I was kind of surprised." (Chuckles)

FRIEND: "Can you take a snapshot of Balto? I want to show that to Ellen when we get back. Here, let me stand next to it."

USER: "Perfect." (Holds button on shades) "Snapshot". (Releases button) "Ok I got it, let's head home. Hey, it looks like there's a Redbox at that McDonald's over there on 1st Ave, near the subway entrance. We can grab a quick flick before we hit the subway." As long as the system contextualizes the information, and is "predictive", it helps get information to people MUCH faster than typing it in, and brings in answers quickly and conveniently with minimal effort from users.

~ CB

[belltree]

This is absolutely awesome and has me rethinking my plans not to get an iPhone :rolleyes:. I fully expect we will be seeing "airvertising" soon enough with ads appearing in the air as we point our device and view through it.

[iphones4evry1]

As long as the system contextualizes the information, and is "predictive", it helps get information to people MUCH faster than typing it in, and brings in answers quickly and conveniently with minimal effort from users.
Smart people will no longer have an advantage! :eek: Jessica Simpson and the people on Jay Walking will know everything (because their phone will tell them the answers) :eek: But, hey, it will hopefully make society more efficient, as the iPhone is already doing. :)

I fully expect we will be seeing "airvertising" soon enough with ads appearing in the air as we point our device and view through it.
Remember the scene in Back To The Future when that signboard shark hologram pops out and comes toward him? It will be like that, except you will see it through your cell phone video screen. maybe.

[SBlue1]

You're absolutely right. The idea is dead in the water unless and until there are willing volunteers who will keep the database up to date and current.

Yeah, where the hell would you find people putting in data in a worldwide database.... oh, wait.... Isn't there wikipedia? :)

Just connect the two and you got something usefull.

I would imagine using this in a country where I can't read the signs, or when I need more background information. Like I point to an old bridge, and it tells me it was built by the romans 1800 years ago, link me to the wikipedia article and history-channel feed. That would be cool.

I think displaying the movie times when you are already there doesnt make any sense, but showing things you can't see and linking it with wikipedia, flickr or whatever would be great.

[Alchemist]

I'm not even joking when I say that even as a complete geek, this scares me.

Terminator here we come. Soon someone will release a headband that allows the user to wear the phone 'hands-free' in front of their head to save them from having to lift their arm to 'augment' reality.

I like talking to people face to face sometimes... this is just creepy.

Cool technology for some applications - like the battlefield - but I really hope every Tom, Dick & Harry doesn't start wondering around constantly 'augmenting' reality.

Can you imagine one that augmented your sex life? Goodbye sex-ed...

[DELLsFan]

Very impressive. iPhone improvements just keep on coming! :D

[Babasyzygy]

You're absolutely right. The idea is dead in the water unless and until there are willing volunteers who will keep the database up to date and current. Enter the marketplace: those who currently own websites to entice their customers will jump on this like gangbusters. (Ref. the idea about pointing this thing at restaurants and theatres to find the menus or showtimes). Of course there's still a possibility that some info won't be current, but that's the case today with websites and even the Yellow Pages.

I'm kind of amazed that nobody here seems to be familiar with the existing up-to-date data that's maintained in Google Maps.

[Cleverboy]

I'm kind of amazed that nobody here seems to be familiar with the existing up-to-date data that's maintained in Google Maps.
If you've been reading the thread closely, you would break posters into roughly four different categories. #1. People who don't care if it's possible, because it's a stupid idea (as they see it). #2. People who thinks it's completely impractical to accomplish (because managing the world's information must be done entirely by human brain power). #3. People who think it's possible, but that the iPhone has substantial challenges for it to be implemented (that an OS like Android doesn't have). #4. People who misread this story, thinks it's already working on the iPhone and thinks the iPhone can pretty much do anything.

Category #2 has clearly NEVER used Google Earth in action on their iPhone, seen Google Wave, understood the basic premise behind Ajax, or even perhaps seems fully aware of the hard unrelenting challenges posed to modern search engines and the delicate science of indexing and contrxtualizing the entire Internet through automation.

~ CB

[MacGuffin]

Just flip through the directory of layers and find ATM's, bars, houses for sale


LOL. In most places, you'd need an iPhone glued over each eye to avoid seeing houses for sale.

[Cleverboy]

Just flip through the directory of layers and find ATM's, bars, houses for sale
LOL. In most places, you'd need an iPhone glued over each eye to avoid seeing houses for sale. Well... its just nice to not ONLY see the "house for sale", but to ALSO see the price hovering over it, and basic stats and publicly available MLS information. Right now, I'm using Zillow and Trulia, and while the apps are great it'd be nice of them to know what I was looking at and simply tell me the deal with a single "update" button press. Imagine a "house hunter" app that could not only pin-point the house you were looking at, but display the Google Streetview, asking price, #beds/#baths, SQFT, lot size, heating, listing age, and using your presets, estimated mortgage... all be clicking an "update" button. When you get into specific needs, there's a lot that can be improved.

~ CB

[Shaan]

Layar is live on the App Store for download on the iPhone 3GS!