Latitude

Latitude and ReadWriteWeb recently published a 2-part results series on our open innovation study, “Children’s ‘Future Requests’ for Computers and the Internet,” which asked kids 6-12 years of age to ideate future Web technology concepts.

Latitude created this video to sum up the study’s key findings and big pathways for research, innovation, and the future of the Web:

Latitude 42 Study Findings: Where Else Will Kids Think to Put the Web in the World? from latddotcom on Vimeo.

Download a PDF of the study summary, and check out the blogged results discussion:

1. “Kids Innovation Study Results, Part 1: Web in the Physical World”
2. “Kids Innovation Study Results, Part 2: Creation, Design & Digital Optimism”

The results discussion focused on the myriad ways in which kids are bringing digital into the physical world—to enhance interactions with everyday objects, spaces, and social activities. As the study’s lead analyst, Jessica Reinis, summed things up:

“Currently, we have the ‘iGeneration’ understanding of device as simply an extension of oneself—and we still think that’s pretty novel. But kids are showing us that the next step will be exactly the converse of that. It’ll be a shift from smartphones that can go anywhere to The Internet of Things which is everywhere.”

If there was any doubt that children are excellent innovators, some recent technology developments are corroborating kids’ projections into the digital future. For example, MIT’s Fluid Interfaces Group is working on a “food printer” that realizes a concept submitted by one of our study participants:

I’d like it if my computer could convert images or food and make them real.” — Joanna*, Age 10

Of course, MIT got a bit more sophisticated with its prototypes, but we were heartily impressed with the predictive power of our 6-12 year-old innovators:

“Each one [of the three concept designs] addresses a fundamental process that lies at the heart of cooking, namely the mixing of ingredients; the physical and chemical transformation of these ingredients into new compounds; and finally their modeling into aesthetically pleasing and delectable textures and shapes. Our hope is that these designs will provide a glimpse at the new aesthetic and cultural possibilities, which can be brought forth by a new, digital gastronomy.”

“Cornucopia: Concept Designs for a Digital Gastronomy,” MIT Media Lab

Latitude currently has other initiatives underway to extend its future technology ideation research with kids, including a “phase 2″ of the current study. This iteration will also include children from across the globe; however, it will place a more concentrated focus on children in specific regions, including Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The aim of this second study is to investigate cross-cultural similarities and differences, and to tap into more diverse perspectives on Web-based innovation. (Check life-connected.com in the coming weeks for study-related news.)

*Name has been changed to protect the participant’s privacy.

This entry has been cross-posted to ReadWriteWeb.

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Latitude is an international research consultancy exploring how new information and communications technologies can enhance human experiences. Latitude’s user-centered research approach unites generative, media-based methods with robust quantitative analysis to identify concrete opportunities for Web-based innovation. “Children’s ‘Future Requests’ for Computers and the Internet” is one installment of Latitude 42s, an ongoing series of open innovation research studies which Latitude publishes in the spirit of knowledge-sharing and opportunity discovery. For more information on this study and its applications to your business, email Neela Sakaria.

Video created in collaboration with designomotion.

This is part 1 of the study results discussion.
Part 2: “Kids Innovation Study Results, Part 2: Creation, Design & Digital Optimism.”
Download a 3-page PDF summary of study results.

If we were to ask you to name one thing you wish your computer (or another Web-enabled device) could do, but doesn’t now, what would you say? Daniela* told us that she’d like to be able to “touch the things that are in the screen, to feel and move them.” Daniela is 7 years old.

Matthew, 6, wishes he could play 3-D games on his computer, and Jenna, 7, would like a solar-powered laptop. Cristina, 12, thinks it’d be great to “travel” more: to experience new, far-away places with the help of virtual reality.

“Future computers” — Natalie, Age 10

Understanding that kids are excellent innovators, Latitude Research in conjunction with ReadWriteWeb, recently conducted a study asking children to ideate concepts for new computer and Web technologies—and the results are in!

While it’s not too surprising that kids today think about digital technologies (and the experiences they enable) as a given, the study found that kids desire increasingly immersive content experiences, better integration of digital technology into physical objects, spaces and activities, and more intuitive interfaces (37% of participants’ creations didn’t even bother with the traditional keyboard/mouse interface). What’s more, our participants’ ideas weren’t just forward-thinking; they were also surprisingly down-to-earth, with only 4% of kids’ “future requests” being impossible demands for today’s developers (e.g. time-travel, teleportation, etc.).

“We chose to use kids for this study because they’re closer to the problem at hand—closer to their core desires,” remarked Jessica Reinis, an analyst at Latitude who headed up the study. “They’re not thinking within the confines of current market offerings or in terms of routine life situations; they’re thinking about what they’d like to do right now, without regard to what’s possible or what would be popular with other people. Those are questions that we explore more in adult innovation studies like The New Sharing Economy, but kids are able to tap into a more basic creativity that’s great for ideating on really broad questions like this.”

Kids today have different experiences with technology during a critical learning period than present adults did, which means they also have different understandings about what it can and should do. “Kids will figure out how to use whatever they get in front of, and that will become the framework inside of which they experience, critique, and create everything else,” explained Geoff Barnes, Director of User Experience at Elliance. “I think that kids’ visions into what the future of technology will look like are highly collaborative with present-day, actual paradigm shifts, like the interaction paradigm shift of multi-touch.”

“The computer becomes 3-dimensional and, instead of a keyboard, it’s controlled by voice.” — Aisling, Age 11

Study Background

Study participants were 126 children, aged 12 and under, from across the globe. Here’s what we asked them:

“What would be really interesting or fun to do on your computer or the Internet that your computer can’t do right now? Please draw a picture of what this activity looks like.”

Parents told us some basic facts about their child’s Internet usage and technology exposure, along with household demographic information, and submitted their child’s drawing.

Screenshot of participant drawings in a Web application (part of Latitude’s Lumière Suite) which allows users to contribute and interact with visual input in a behavioral environment.

Latitude coded each of these images (future technology ideas) for common themes, then analyzed them in aggregate. (Some examples of broad themes included: interest area, interface characteristics, degree of interactivity, physical-digital convergence, user’s desired end-goal, social connectivity, etc.)

Study Findings: Digitize the Offline World

38% of children’s innovations called for more immersive content experiences than are commonly available now, with features like 3-D effects (10% of all submissions incorporated 3-D) or seamless integration of digital technology into the physical world. In many cases, devices could create physical objects such as food or facilitate physical activities such as playing a sport.

“I’d like it if my computer could convert images or food and make them real.” — Joanna, Age 10

These requests don’t seem too radical if you’ve ever encountered MIT’s SixthSense technology, which transposes digital information onto everyday, physical surroundings, and relies on more instinctive, gestural interactions:

Playing “digital” pong on the Boston subway with SixthSense.

For kids today, true synchrony between physical and digital worlds is becoming an expectation rather than a novelty. And the demand for it is expanding beyond the realm of visual media. “Currently, we have the ‘iGeneration’ understanding of device as simply an extension of oneself—and we still think that’s pretty novel,” said Reinis. “But kids are showing us that the next step with be exactly the converse of that. It’ll be a shift from smartphones that can go anywhere to The Internet of Things which is everywhere.” There may be openings to apply mobile RFID/sensors, or even something like Stickybits (which allow people to attach digital content to real-world objects) to register and socialize offline activities through smarter device interactions. HopeLab is currently developing gDitty, a wearable device for kids that records and converts physical activity to points which can be redeemed for “virtual goods and real-world rewards, including customizable avatars, gift cards, even the opportunity to make a donation to a cause.”

Regardless of physical world integration, the vast majority of participants (83%) desired technologies capable of highly intuitive interaction. They requested responsive virtual environments, 3-D games, “homework help” computers, telepathy as a form of device input (4% of all submissions), etc.

“Virtual mind-reading games” — Mark, Age 12

Future Request: Content Interaction (vs. Device Interaction)

Kids are already thinking about 3-D effects for in-home gaming and media viewing, an offering which is just beginning to hit the market as 3-D-enabled TVs. This anticipation of the near-future suggests that visually immersive features alone won’t satisfy any audience for long. “We’ve been investigating a number of emergent media trends and this big idea always comes through; essentially, that users are, more and more, desiring additional ways and means to interact with content—to interact with it and to personalize it,” explained Reinis, who has worked on 3-D studies recently and specializes in interactive advertising research at Latitude.

Kids today approach technology with matter-of-course acceptance—and greater expectations. “It took my 7 year-old son, Alex, under 10 seconds to figure out how to turn it on and unlock the iPad’s screen, and no time whatsoever to understand that touching icons launched apps. Or that swiping the screen controlled pagination. Or that pivoting the screen revealed different data presentations,” wrote Barnes in a recent blog post. “I’m hard-pressed to envision his generation entering college and enrolling in required courses with names like ‘Introduction to Computing,’ to learn about file systems, Microsoft Office, the worldwide web, and email. As I watch Alex, in fact, the idea is as nonsensical to me as offering college courses on how to read an arrow. It’s become that obvious.”

So what might next-generation interaction be like? Based on study findings, it seems that, eventually, each user will crave the ability to architect his or her own content experience: to step into it, to interact with characters, to add and remove plot constraints—ultimately, to alter the course of future events. It would mean the difference between interacting peripherally with a technology, and interacting with the actual story being told through the device.

*Some names have been changed to protect the participants’ privacy.

This entry has been cross-posted to ReadWriteWeb.

Latitude is an international research consultancy exploring how new information and communications technologies can enhance human experiences. Latitude’s user-centered research approach unites generative, media-based methods with robust quantitative analysis to identify concrete opportunities for Web-based innovation. “Children’s ‘Future Requests’ for Computers and the Internet” is one installment of Latitude 42s, an ongoing series of open innovation research studies which Latitude publishes in the spirit of knowledge-sharing and opportunity discovery. For more information on this study and its applications to your business, email Neela Sakaria.

Header image courtesy of busbong’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved; body image courtesy of Pranav Mistry/TED.

Click here to download a 2-page PDF summary of study findings.

Yesterday, we unveiled the first results from our food innovation study (co-launched by Latitude Research and Shareable.net) which explores the impact of information accessibility on real-time decision-making through a quantitative analysis of participants’ personal narratives; specifically, it examines ways in which in-the-moment answers can help us to make food choices that are healthier and more sustainable for the environment. It also considers ways in which offline retail environments (like groceries stores), integral to our daily lives, can work with us–not against us–to get the information we need. Today we’ll focus on the technology solutions that our participants generated to solve their own information dilemmas.

We’re more motivated than ever to make informed decisions, understanding that the information we desire is out there, lurking somewhere in the vast expanse of virtual space–but just out of reach in many offline contexts when having that information would have the greatest effect on our actual behaviors. We have busy lives with limited time and patience to pre-research and rummage for the brand that has transparent labeling and happens to match our preferences. The study found that time spent shopping offline is rarely for discovering new food products or recipes–it’s time to grab what we need (with as much attention to food origins, health, etc. as possible) and get on with the rest of life.

I’m cruising through our local grocery store with 2 kids–ages 3 and 5. No time to waste because the attention span of the tots accompanying me is at an all-time low. It’s a last-minute after school, after-work mad-dash to grab the “staple” items quickly. Well, I’ve been trying to buy more items locally–everything from meat and cheese and milk to orange juice. Okay, this is where I hit my wall. There is no easy way to figure out which items are actually local… none of the foods are clearly marked. I don’t have time to read labels and sift through stacks of cheese.”

Excerpt from participant submission, “The Interactive Future of Food”

According to users, solutions for the near-future of food might include:

1. Mobile applications–especially ones which provide information that is richly, contextually relevant to our offline environments (and objects in them). Regardless of the type of information sought, 3 in 10 participants (which was 6X the number who actually used smartphones while shopping!) suggested a mobile phone solution to their information problems, with 43% of these participants specifying the use of a mobile application. Whether they needed to know official standards for “organic” eggs, or simply needed to locate organic eggs in some nearby aisle, participants were equally likely to suggest a mobile phone solution to satisfy their varied information requests.

   One current offering, an iPhone application called RedLaser, better connects users with comparison cost information by providing online price listings via barcode scanning of an in-store item.

   RedLaser from Jeffrey Powers on Vimeo.

   It’s a solid start but, in the context of food shopping, some users feel that it only gets part of the way there, largely because it lacks a local focus. “Grocery items that are on sale are not [called out] in Redlaser’s listings; local grocers are also not listed,” explained one participant who currently uses the app. “The result is that I miss out on sale items which can have a big effect on the bottom line. A more ideal solution would be a RedLaser app that cross-compares brand and sale prices for local grocery stores.”

2. Seamlessly integrating information into our physical surroundings, such as via mobile QR codes/barcodes and RFID scanning–technologies which 16% of participants suggested to fill their own information gaps. (Topically, Stickybits recently hit the market, bringing barcode scanning for mobile users further into the mainstream as a way for individuals to “tag their worlds”; Stickybits are adhesive barcodes readable by iPhone and Android applications which allow users to attach digital content–from YouTube videos to Wikipedia pages–to real-world objects and places. They are then accessible to other users via the Stickybits app.)

   Barcodes for shopper use, attached to products and shelves in food stores, could offer information (and visual media), making official labeling standards, farming practices, food origins, and user reviews and recommendations easily accessible in real-time. “QR codes or something similar, standardized across the food industry, would help all of us smartphone users a lot with getting information about the food item we’re currently looking at,” remarked one study participant.

   

   Stickybits barcodes, unveiled at SxSW Interactive 2010.

   Augmented reality, which overlays environmentally relevant Web information onto a smartphone’s camera view, also came through as an emergent trend for better “embedding” information into physical spaces.



Smartphone screenshot of a location-aware augmented reality application.

The information being accessed by users might relate either to “background” facts and food standards which would help to recognize more healthy or environmentally-friendly products, or to more “logistical” information for comparing prices or navigating a store (efficiently and with minimal frustration!) to find the items we need. But one thing is certain–information must be highly relevant in context and access must be truly hassle-free. Even those shoppers motivated enough to whip out a smartphone mid-aisle currently sense the disconnect between physical and virtual information spaces:

… but then you find yourself looking at a list of low-relevancy search results that are almost never applicable to the specific item you’re holding.

–Excerpt from participant submission, “The Interactive Future of Food”

So who is ultimately responsible for making material improvements in information accessibility–for realizing these solutions? Participants were more likely to suggest solutions which positioned their local stores (over product suppliers) as information sources, creating a natural opening for retailers to step up and supply the kinds of digital tools which facilitate informed purchases. Nearly half of participants (45%) suggested portable solutions, which might take the form of mobile applications–or store-provided barcode scanners, among a number of other possibilities. Stationary solutions in stores, however, were also popular, with 31% of participants suggesting them.



Friday’s post will offer a selection of “outliers”–non-representative solution ideas that we felt were worth acknowledging–directly from participants’ narratives. Tomorrow’s post will focus on local, sustainability, and community-oriented implications for food and food-purchasing environments.

Lead analyst on “The Interactive Future of Food”: Marina Miloslavsky.

This entry has been cross-posted to Shareable.

Latitude is an international research consultancy exploring how Web technologies can enhance human experiences; our people-driven research approach unites generative, media-based methods with robust quantitative analysis to identify future opportunities for Web-based innovation. Latitude’s 42s are a series of open innovation studies covering diverse topics, unified by a common digital thread, which address everyday problems of great personal and societal relevance. Explore life-connected.com for other 42s, or email Neela Sakaria (nsakaria@latd.com) to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of Customers Rock!

The iPad Haiku Contest voting is closed. @JulieVanK received first prize with @InSoOutSo and @lefauxfrog as runners-up. @luciuskwok and @jonacon remain honorary haiku finalists.

Last week we launched The iPad Haiku Contest to capture some of the quirky, well-informed, on-the-fly feedback we were hearing about the new tablet.

We’re offering $100 to the individual with the best haiku, and $25 each to 2 runners-up.

We received excellent response to the contest and had difficulty narrowing all the entries down to a manageable number—5 finalists—for open voting.

Real-Time Results

The iPad Haiku Contest is now closed!

1st place (47%) by @JulieVanK
The big unveiling: / “That guy has a huge iPhone,” / my 6-year-old notes.

2nd place (37%) by @InSoOutSo
A large iPod Touch? / Maybe a small Macbook Air? / Neither, yet it is.

3rd place (10%) by @lefauxfrog
Apple helps shy geeks / We can now ask each other / “Your iPad or mine?”

4th place (3%) by @luciuskwok
iPad: Glass tea tray / For to tumbl and to tweet / “Eating a sandwich.”

5th place (3%) by @jonacon
Judge will I not be, / If blessed with funds were I / Then iPads I’d buy.

Live audience polling was provided by PollEverywhere; header image courtesy of mattbuchanan’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved

Series Recap: 3 Emergent Trends for Device-Content Experiences

User “needs” are now growing expectations created by emerging solutions.

This post is part of a series which discusses three high-level themes we’ve deduced from emergent technologies like the ones showcased at CES last month.

Our first theme centered on seamlessly shifting media across devices: the user desires (“problems”) & current solutions, as well as the potential opportunity spaces, surrounding this increasingly desired experience.

Theme #2 – See Me, Hear Me, Touch Me: Growing Expectations for Immersive Content Experiences

Audiences get a multitude of options for deep interactions with content, from touchscreen tools to information-rich apps on connected TVs, to… yes, we’ll say it—3D.

Thus, mainstream adoption of new technologies faces the additional hurdle of converting a “wish” into a “need.”

User needs in this space aren’t “problems” per se, but rather growing expectations created by the emerging solutions. In other words, as possibilities for greater immersion with content increase, so too will user desires.

This means innovators in this space must understand that mainstream adoption of new technologies faces the additional hurdle of converting a “wish” into a “need.”

What Do Users Desire to Make Their Content Experiences More Immersive?

Information

• Problem (Growing): What song is in this commercial? Viewers increasingly crave in the moment details about content—currently engaging in multi-screen/gadget behavior to solve the need. But, as this expectation grows, the desire to eliminate a second device will too.
• Solution: Gracenote’s MediaLink provides in-the-moment program information about scenes, songs, actors and more, and goes the extra media-shifting mile with its “smart synchronization” feature, automatically shifting music and video mid-stream as users move across devices.

Play

• Problem (Growing): The desire to engage with characters and storylines in playful ways deepens, as does the expectation for “virtual couch” interactions with friends/family while viewing.
• Solution: Social viewing options expand with internet-connected TVs integrating Skype calling (though, for now, TV-viewing must halt when a Skype chat begins), online viewing room tools like Zorap, and content providers taking offline integrations to the next level (ex. Bravo recently announced a partnership with FourSquare).

Visceral

• Problem (Latent): While audiences aren’t necessarily screaming to get closer to content in a literal sense, the mainstreaming of touchscreen and motion control tools sets a new expectation for rich visceral interactions.
• Solution:
  • Touch was everywhere at CES this year, but especially impressive was Light Blue Optics’ Light Touch holographic laser projection (HLP) technology and its limitless possibilities to turn any flat surface into a touchscreen.
  • 3D – Also everywhere, with Panasonic leading the pack. But challenges persist, as 3D remains for now a solution to a much less immediate “problem.”

Read the follow-up post, which identifies opportunity spaces for immersive content experiences.

Latitude is a research-driven consultancy for technology and media companies. We work with clients to discover and develop opportunities for next-generation content, software, and communications technologies through a combination of web-based applications and innovative research methods. Email ischulte@latd.com to learn more about working with Latitude.

Header image courtesy of good-karma’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

The iPad Haiku Contest voting is closed. @JulieVanK received first prize with @InSoOutSo and @lefauxfrog as runners-up. @luciuskwok and @jonacon remain honorary haiku finalists.

long vacation gone
busy people flock to jobs
and misspell “ipod”

Latitude is sponsoring a Haiku Contest around Apple’s iPad launch!

We’ve heard some wonderfully astute, humorous, and just downright interesting commentary on the new tablet—and the big issues surrounding it, such as lack of flash support, questionable utility (in light of smartphones), renewed hope for print media companies, and eBook pricing disputes—to name a few.

We’d like you to give us your reactions to the iPad–in haiku.

Rules

Each individual may submit up to 3 haikus. Haikus must be in English, and conform to a 3-line format with 5-7-5 syllable count. (Examples here.)

Haikus can be tweeted to @latddotcom, or emailed to life-connected@latd.com.

Prizes & Voting

One first prize winner will receive $100. Two runners-up will receive $25.

All submissions must be in by Friday, Feb. 5th at 11pm EST. We’ll begin open voting for the finalists on Tuesday, Feb. 9th.

Latitude is a research-fueled consultancy at the forefront of learning how users interact with physical and electronic media. We use generative research methods and Web-based technologies, engaging participants in creative exercises to articulate—and propose solutions to—key problems affecting organizations of all types. Learn more about Latitude here, or email life-connected@latd.com.

Header image courtesy of mattbuchanan’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

Cartoon by Jessica Reinis.

Jessica is an analyst for Latitude Research with proclivities for creative doodling and human-centric technology projections. She is the leading analyst on the current Latitude 42, an innovation study on Web technology featuring children ages 12 and under (read more on this study). Currently, her other focus areas include digital content access and new payment models, as well as next-gen advertising.

This post is guest-authored by Jack Graham as part of a series on augmented reality.

Part 1 – The Stuff Augmented Realities are Made of
Part 2 – Augmented Reality Steps Out of the Lab

Augmented reality is what the Industry Standard calls a “disruptive technology.” What this means is that certain types of organizations need to adapt to AR quickly, before those who have assimilated this technology eat their lunches.

If you’re a travel guide company, search engine, directory, local shop, or restaurant, AR has the potential to either benefit or damage your business.

The Risks

One is safety. If you’re walking down the street looking into augspace with your phone, you lose your peripheral vision. The first time I tried playing Spec Trek, I was having a great time — until I stepped into a very real pile of dog leavings while chasing down an AR ghost.

AR apps that allow public tagging of buildings leave homeowners and businesses vulnerable to harassment and vandalism via augmented reality sticky notes. And AR apps that do facial recognition threaten to further erode our privacy, taking away our ability to remain anonymous in public places.

The Benefits

The future of AR holds a great deal of promise. Better devices, such as heads up display glasses, are already appearing and will give augspace even greater immediacy, freeing the user from having to pull out their phone and look through it. (They should also reduces one’s chances of stepping in dog poop while chasing invisible spectres).

Gestural and wearable interfaces will let us click on an object or building in a scene and bring up information on it, or allow complex interactions with phantom objects (a la Tony Stark’s engineering software in the Iron Man movie).

Industry standards for tagging places and objects with AR content will allow apps to access public AR channels. And educational AR apps capable of recognizing parts in a machine from the scene in the user’s camera could be used to coach workers through assembling and maintaining complex devices.

Emergent AR Technologies

Two research projects generating tantalizing near term results are MIT’s SixthSense and a project at Cambridge University to create better outdoor positional tracking for camera-based apps. SixthSense is a wearable device (a pendant) created by MIT’s Fluid Interfaces lab.

Built on top of a cell phone, it uses the phone camera to recognize objects and a tiny projector to project information back onto the object. It could project information about a person it recognizes onto their chest or the status of your flight onto your scanned boarding pass. SixthSense is particularly interesting because it’s in the small class of working AR applications that don’t display their output on a device monitor of some type.

The Cambridge University effort addresses a more abstract problem: determining the exact position of a camera in relation to the scene it’s showing. For an example of why this is important, imagine a developer who wants put a block of color over a building in a navigational app to highlight it as the user’s destination. The block of color will need to change according to rules of perspective as the user moves closer to the building, or it won’t match up with the image of the building coming through the camera. The Cambridge team figured out how to generate a 3D model of a building using image recognition on the 2D camera picture. At the same time, the device collects GPS data. It can then distort the model — and any graphics tied to it — as the camera moves.

Future Implications for AR

In the next few years, we’ll see the emergence of open standards for building and tagging augspace, search engines selling premium AR placement, location based AR audio, and spam (along with spam filters). Farther out, augmented reality will completely transform how we compute. It will allow us to put a user-defined skin on reality, radiate and interact with personal area social networks, and wear graphics like clothing. It will enhance our intelligence, providing instant information on anything we look at and cueing us if we forget a name or a face. It will erase the boundary between the real and the digital, turning the world around us into a search engine whose results are displayed on thin air.

Jack Graham is Senior Interactive Producer at Vantage Travel in Boston. In his spare time he writes sci-fi, designs games, and habitually calls his Android phone a “jeejah.” His blog, which is about interactive marketing, social media, and emerging technologies, can be found by turning on your phone’s GPS and looking through the camera at: jackgraham.net/exmachina/

Header image courtesy of leonardlow’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

This post is guest-authored by Jack Graham as part of a series on augmented reality.

Part 1 – The Stuff Augmented Realities are Made of
Part 3 – The Promise of Augmented Reality: What to Expect

While not the only devices currently in use, smart phones are ideal platforms for augmented reality applications because they pack all of the needed capabilities. AR applications have also been created for handheld game consoles, PDAs, and computers.

A Few Notable AR Apps, & How They Work

Augmented reality applications are appearing rapidly. Directory apps like Superpages and Layar use GPS to find where the user is and the accelerometer to tell which way they’re facing. They then position markers over the scene based on user-entered search terms.

Enter “restaurant” into Superpages and point it down a busy commercial street, and your camera will show you the street with graphical tags positioned over every restaurant in your field of view. Thumbing a restaurant’s tag will bring up search results on it. If you’re too far away for the app to show any results on camera, you can switch to an overhead map view to look at a wider area.

SpecTrek for Android and Ghost Hunter for the Nintendo DSi are games that challenge the player to hunt down invisible ghosts. In SpecTrek, the ghosts show up as bogies on a radar-like display generated from GPS coordinates and a street map of the player’s location. When the player closes in on a ghost, he can switch to camera mode. The ghosts appear as graphics superimposed on the player’s real surroundings, growing larger or smaller with distance. The player points his AR crosshairs at his quarry’s virtual GPS coordinates to capture it. If the player gets too close, the ghost will notice him and run for it, darting and weaving in the player’s display as it does so.

Columbia University’s ARMAR, or Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair, uses AR goggles to help army personnel perform repairs on equipment. ARMAR flags parts in a device with AR tags, guiding the user through the steps in a repair job. ARMAR links to damage control systems, showing the user where on the equipment repairs must be made. The prototype uses an Android phone as the handheld portion of the interface.

Not all AR apps make deep use of locative technologies. Some are simply toys, but no less clever for it. For the 2006 World Cup, Siemens developed Kick Real, a game that lets you kick an AR soccer ball with your real foot on the phone’s screen.

Pop-AR

Some readers might wonder why I’ve not so far mentioned the Esquire Augmented Reality Issue or the toy line for Avatar, both of which were well publicized applications of AR.

The Avatar toys let the user hold a card with fiduciary markers in front of their web cam. The software then draws a three-D graphic over the space delineated by the markers and moves it around as the markers move. On screen, it looks like the user’s fingers are disappearing into a solid object — a helicopter or an alien Na’vi.

Esquire’s AR issue does a similar trick with the pages of the magazine. While slickly executed, both efforts use AR in its most limited form, in that they require a computer and a webcam. This combination of devices breaks the immediacy of viewing through a palm-sized mobile and pretty much shackles the user to a desktop while using the app. The experience is more like at-home greenscreening than true AR.

To conclude, tomorrow’s post will discuss likely future developments in AR.

Jack Graham is Senior Interactive Producer at Vantage Travel in Boston. In his spare time he writes sci-fi, designs games, and habitually calls his Android phone a “jeejah.” His blog, which is about interactive marketing, social media, and emerging technologies, can be found by turning on your phone’s GPS and looking through the camera at: jackgraham.net/exmachina/

Header images courtesy of orse’s flickr & idrewuk’s flickr, (cc) some rights reserved.

Contributing editor: Kim Gaskins.

This cartoon was inspired by a new TV prototype from MIT’s Media Lab that achieves “a level of interaction that nobody’s ever been able to do before.” (Chris Grayson brought to our attention that Apple had actually patented something similar in 2006.)

The concept is “an everyday LCD screen [that] has been modified to ‘see’ the world in front of it in 3D” and respond to it accordingly. (Gestures are the new remote!) Gestural interfaces, of course, constitute a core foundation of MIT’s SixthSense technology, and are being incorporated increasingly into everyday personal electronic devices.

Cartoon by Jessica Reinis.

Jessica is an analyst for Latitude Research with proclivities for creative doodling and human-centric technology projections. She is the leading analyst on the current Latitude 42, an innovation study on Web technology featuring children ages 12 and under (read more on this study). Currently, her other focus areas include digital content access and new payment models, as well as next-gen advertising.