Augmented Reality

The blog I currently visit most regularly would have to be rubbishcorp.com. It's run by a single guy who appears to be a web developer and although his tastes are a bit questionable at times, he writes very little, and much is reposted from other sites, I am often amused and entertained by what he posts about. And he only makes a few posts a day on average.

A topic that he is obviously quite interested in is the development of augmented reality cell phone applications.


There is so much potential in this, like, who didn't want that ability when they first saw it in Terminator!? (though some geeks have pointed out that there would be no reason for a robot to print stuff to a screen only to read it again..)

So for this Industrial Design project I currently working on we are required to design products for DOC, these products will be used by DOC to make their jobs easier. For the second hand-in we had to present three different concepts/ideas/inventions that in some way met this requirement.

One idea of mine that I really would have liked to go on with but didn't go with was combining augmented reality, microsoft photosynth and a google maps type web interface based around an iphone. The 'product' would also have a physical component that would provide a case and an improvement to the iphone's built-in camera by extending the optical zoom (there are already a few products like, but they are really ugly!)


So the idea was that trampers or walkers on DOC tracks around New Zealand could take photos of their travels and upload them to a web database, over time there would be enough photos to create a photosynth style 3d environment that could be looked at on the web. Imagine being able to type into Heaphy track google and be able to virtually walk to the track and plan your trip from anywhere in the world.


The product would be useful for tourists and locals, and would allow for DOC workers to remotely monitor track and hut maintenance. Unfortunately the idea didn't have enough of an Industrial Design component and so didn't go any further, but I would really love to build it myself if I could find the time.