Category: Augmented Reality Technology

AR is becoming increasingly popular, with more invested into this tech than ever before.

There are many forms of technology that are taking off in the mobile sphere, and among them, a great deal of attention is being focused on the augmented reality app and the potential it has for a range of different purposes.

From real time guides for mechanics and surgeons to digital consumer products, it has potentially limitless uses.

This year, there will be an estimated investment of $670 million into the development of an augmented reality app of one form or another. These applications can be as serious as those providing guidance to heart surgeons who need to be able to track the location of various circulatory pathways, to jet engine repair instructions, to entertainment as seemingly simple as telling children’s bedtime stories or bringing a child’s drawings to life.

These two categories of augmented reality app forms are considered to have equally lucrative potential.

The Colorapp, for instance allows a child to be able to color in printable drawings that appear to then spring to life when they are viewed through a smartphone or tablet that is running the application. Of course, this is far from the only digital toy that uses this tech for kids. Tocaboca provides another range of AR options, including the Toca Hair Salon Me, the Toca Doctor, and Toca Builder, all aimed at entertaining children.

This is quite appealing to parents, as well, who enjoy the fact that their children have a highly appealing and entertaining option that is non-competitive, open-ended, and that does not include violence – an achievement that is increasingly rare in today’s children’s toy marketplace.

For adults in business, on the other hand, there are also some applications that can help to bring back appeal in areas that could otherwise be rather drab. A traditional line of slides can be dressed up for the audience using eMaze, which provides a range of professional looking templates that enhance a presentation.

It is expected that this type of augmented reality app, as futuristic as it seems today, will be nearly commonplace by the end of next year as a growing number of companies discover ways that they can use it to appeal to customers and clients.

This AR technology has been used by TexTales so that it can be woven right into the child’s bedding.

TexTales is a newly launched product out of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, which uses augmented reality for kids worked into sets of bed sheets for children, so that they can bring bedtime stories to life.

The images appear to come alive directly out of the printed patterns on their bedding.

When a tablet or a smartphone is directed at the bed sheets with this augmented reality for kids, the bedding displays three dimensional images of fairy tale characters. When the sheets are purchased, they come with a free accompanying app that gives parents the ability to either play pre-existing stories or to create their own special stories. These can then be played for their children during playtime or before bedtime.

The images that are created on the fabric are recognized by special software using augmented reality for kids.

When the app is open and the device is aimed at the images on the sheets, the custom made software detects these specific images and activates various elements, allowing parents and children to be able to interact with those images, that appear to move around on the screen.

The TexTales app is compatible with devices based on Android 2.3 and higher, as well as those based on iOS 5 and higher. To work with the AR technology, they have to be equipped with a rear-facing camera. This product was developed based on another project that had been previously pursued by Kristi Kuusk. It is considered to be a collaborative venture among studio Toer, Unit040, Johan van den Acker Textielfabriek, and the Eindhoven University of Technology. It is also part of a greater project which is known as CRISP Smart Textile Services.

In order to be able to raise the funds to create the sheets with augmented reality for kids, and to be able to develop the project so that it would be possible to create more characters and stories, TexTales launched a Kickstarter campaign. This allowed them to custom create the software necessary for these added elements.