Starbucks Augmented Reality

Starbucks is launching its first major augmented reality app this holiday season that will let customers animate their coffee cups with their smartphones.

Starbucks Cup Magic launches for iPhone and Android devices in the U.S. next Tuesday. (In Canada, just the iPhone version will launch.) As demonstrated in the Video Link, shared on the Beaming Success Youtube channel the app works by pointing your phone’s camera at the company’s red holiday season coffee cups and 47 additional objects, such as bags of coffee, on display at Starbucks retail locations.

Doing so will produce animations involving five characters — an ice skater, a squirrel, a boy and a dog sledding and a fox — on your screen. You can also interact with the characters. For instance, if you tap the boy on the sled he does a somersault. Those who activate all five characters can qualify to win an as-yet-unnamed prize.

The app also includes traditional and social sharing capabilities. You can then send e-cards as well as holiday offers from Starbucks, among other things.

Augmented 6th Sense

Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo Sixth Sense

The unveiling of a new system to link a small personal projector, camera, phone, battery and mirror to augment your world anywhere anytime.  Using these cheap components and using gestures you can use any wall for a work display surface, just an amazing TED article and the way the projection technology may go in the near future. Cheap available technologies use together with stunning functionality . You just have to see this presentation to believe it!

Wall paper that glows

The future of ambient lighting might lay in glowing walls, according to Philips. The company has announced its plans to develop wallpapers containing integrated LEDs. The luminous sound-absorbing textiles would glow in variety of colors accordingly to the user's requirements. To develop the luminous wallpaper panels, Philips is collaborating with customizable acoustic panels manufacturer Kvadrat Soft Cells, based in Denmark.

"They can be rearranged and reupholstered to meet changing requirements, simply and quickly," the Kvadrat Soft Cells website says. Panels are mounted on an aluminum frame with a stretching mechanism, allowing the panel to remain an appropriate tension regardless of changes in temperature or humidity.

The Philips' LED illuminated texture wallpapers could provide designers with a variety of options to create unusual interiors, suiting the purpose (and atmosphere) of the chosen space. For example, the panels' function to change colors could be integrated into an audio system and respond accordingly to the music. Taking their sound-absorbing qualities into account, the Soft Cells panels could also dampen noises and soften echoes.  Wow ! Iwant one !!

3D Apples

Apple has been granted a patent on a way to project 3D images without the use of glasses.  Pixels will be projected on reflective and textured surfaces. The reflected pixels are then bounced into your left and right eyes. Voila, stereoscopic effect.  Their technology will rely on "inexpensive auto-stereoscopic 3D displays that allow the observer complete and unencumbered freedom of movement," which means no glasses and you don't have to sit still to enjoy. It will also be capable of sensing multiple eyes so more than one person can watch the 3D projection at once.  The patent also delves into why other 3D technology isn't good enough. It calls out the current systems being used by auto-stereoscopic phones and presumably the Nintendo 3DS.  The problem with their technology, according to the patent, is that a need still exists for the viewer to remain stationary. Apple's goal is to offer consumers affordable and practical 3D technology.  The patent was originally filed back in 2006 and has just been approved so don't expect any groundbreaking product from them anytime soon. I'm glad Apple is taking on 3D technology though. Do you think they will challenge the Nintendo 3DS and make their own 3D gaming device?

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/708960/apple-patents-new-3d-projection-technology-no-glasses-needed/

Spray on glass

Came across an interesting article the other day while researching new glass technologies, 'Spray on liquid glass'  of all things.  From what I can make out, it has really good properties for wear and tear as well as keeping things clean and germ proof.  Effectively you can spay onto any surface to protect it, from clothes, floors walls, food tubs etc. You will probably be able to purchase in your local stores for use on any thing, carpets to make them spill proof, shirts, desk tops, kitchen surfaces etc.  I think the scope is unlimited and will hit most markets if the product comes into fruition.

Off the paper and onto the screen

Beaming Success recently visited the 2011 ‘In-Store Show’ at London’s Olympia. One of the companies Beaming Success are currently working with presented some of their new gesture and augmented Reality technology. 

One of the great examples shown at the show was of a 3D eco building design.  Anyone wishing to see what the building looked like and its features just simply held a brochure in front of the screen and the screen would super-impose a 3D image giving you the ability to move the brochure and see an animated 3D image on the screen.

Release at last

Microsoft have finally released a software development kit for their kinect product.  This allows developers to write new user interfaces for the PC.  Using this technology with a PC and projector you could create a fully interactive presentations using gestures and use you fingers to trace as pointers etc.  There is a lot of potential for applications in the retails industry for interactive catalogues and augmented reality.  I wouldn’t be suppressed to see some amazing novel uses for this technology.  Here is a link to a few examples that have been developed before the official release of the software development kit.  Microsoft will also be watching closely as they too aren’t sure where this technology will end up being applied.

3D Holo with feeling

I have been doing some research on 3D projection systems as they are just starting to become an interesting and novel was of promoting products when I came across this exciting demo.  The youtube link shows some experimentation with curved (lenticular screen) and a way of adding some tactile feed back from 3D holographic objects.  Amazing use of ultrasound and some wii controllers, I think this has some potential in the gaming and home entertainment industries.

A day in 2014

A nice YouTube video from a company called Tat which demonstrates the possible future advances in screen technology that could be made by the year 2014. A bit optimistic but not too far away, the mirror screen technology linked to gesture monitoring devices like the Kinect or Primesense 3D could effectively be created today but wouldn't be ultra thin or compact enough (unlike the embedded technology in the bathroom mirror for example).  Definately need anti-misting on those surfaces for the devices to be usable. The transparent screen is cool but you would again have to think about it location to maximise its additional features.

 

New Surface 2 from Microsoft

Microsoft have launched a new version of it's Surface. It's uses 'Vision based interaction' which in effect means that the surface technology uses each infra red pixel as a camera and the surface can actually see documents laid out onto it's surface.  Microsoft call's this 'Pixel Sense' and will allow developers to create some amazing applications. The PC itself and infra-red technology has been shrunk down to fit in just 4 inch thick table. It has an unbelievable responsiveness. Just watch the demo at the CES2011 show on Youtube.  I can think of hundreds of applications from Hotels, Banks, Restaurants, Travel agents, the list goes on....

 

Building Projection with 3D mapping

Check these videos out on Youtube to see some amazing projection using multiple 22k HD projectors with 3D mapping of the building. The animation is astounding and very life like. Especially when the building crumbles away and also where it looks like you are looking into the heart of the building. The castle one is also just as amazing with it melting at the end of the presentation.
Enjoy... Youtube Links:

Smart TV

Intel, Microsoft and YouView have just recently announced the merge of Media, Live TV, Internet search and social linking via the medium of Television or 'Smart TV Interface'.  Intel are looking at the integration directly into the television where Xbox are using their xbox360 console to link the various media technologies and the internet (as announced in their E3 2011 conference) and finally YouView will launch a new TV box that gives access to the same or similar services and functions.  These 'channels' will be a very rich target area for marketing especially with the feature of friends and family social linking (this will give you the visibility of what your friends have brought and recommended and what they are watching etc.). 

A sustainable future from Microsoft

Here is an interesting insight from Microsoft and their vision of a near future time and the use of media embedded in an everyday environment.  The video is on YouTube and is well worth a watch even if you aren’t a Microsoft fan.  Interesting if Apple did the same sort of exercise it would be interesting to see the different visions from each of these giants.  I enjoyed the way the information systems where employed in everyday situations.  I wonder if Microsoft had seen the Corning promo before they created it, or vice versa.   The use of glass or polymer based materials with digital embedded technology and the use of wireless communication to allow interaction between them is very interesting.  To speculate where by any glass or acrylic object could be utilised as a display screen or information source.  I particularly like the section where the guy follows an arrow on the floor to go to the meeting point.

A day made of glass

A day made of glass

I've just seen an amazing video or I would even go as far as to say 'a vision' of an amazing future of glass.  Corning have released a promotional video called 'A Day made of Glass' which is viewable via Youtube.  The video shows an day in the near future and you will just have to watch it to get an idea of the impact of technology in the home and work place.  Exciting times for us ahead as I can see a huge take up and application in education and business sectors.  When you investigate further into Corning you will see that they are leaders in most of the technologies used in digital marketing and the new development of intelligent glass and projection systems as well as green glass used in LED/LCD screen technology.  In my opinion they are well worth keeping an 'eye on' for future developments in our industry.

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