BWild |
February 25, 2013
Metaio makes a breakthrough in augmented reality
Metaio, a pioneer of augmented reality technology, has long held a focus on software for mobile devices. The company specializes in augmented reality and has produced many of the world’s most acclaimed AR applications, with an emphasis on showing off the capabilities of the technology. Metaio is now looking to expand into the realm of hardware as it works to ensure that mobile devices can live up to the demands of augmented reality.
AR Engine to expand the capabilities of interactive technology
Metaio has partnered with ST-Ericsson to develop a new hardware chipset called AR Engine. This is the first time Metaio has developed hardware for the purpose of augmented reality and the company believes that it will help expand the capabilities of the technology significantly. The AR Engine is designed to be implemented into a new generation of smartphones and tablets and the entirety of its processing power will be devoted to augmented reality. This means significant improvements in the speed and performance of the technology.
Large-scale augmented reality experiences possible through new chipset
The chipsets exclusive focus on augmented reality will make AR applications run more smoothly on mobile devices. It will also boost performance, allowing for large-scale augmented reality experience, which Metaio suggests could encompass an entire city. The AR Engine also includes improvements to power consumption for particular mobile devices, allowing for “all day” augmented reality capabilities. Metaio CTO Peter Meier suggests that the AR Engine will do for the technology what the GPU did for the game industry several years ago.
AR Engine help realize Augmented City concept
In 2011, Metaio introduced the concept of the Augmented City, the idea of an environment that is completely powered by augmented reality. The firm demonstrated this concept at conferences all over the world, showing how augmented reality could be used as more than just entertainment and navigation. With the AR Engine, Metaio believes that it could move one step closer to making the Augmented City concept a reality.
Looking into the future of AR technology shows possibilities in the automotive sector.
Though augmented reality has been making its mark in many different areas, such as in glasses, video games, publishing, and advertising, the automotive sector has been drawing a great deal of attention in terms of this cutting edge technology as it has been suggested as a convenience and safety tool.
The way that it would be applied in this industry would be to work the technology into windshields.
People have been speculating for some time now about the benefits of augmented reality windshields in vehicles. In 2004, BMW recognized the benefit of placing driving related information right in the line of sight of the driver by introducing the first color Head-Up Display (HUD). That same automotive manufacturer started work in 2011 on HUD acquiring a functionality that is “Contact Analogue”, which would allow a virtual marking to be superimposed over various real world objects in the view of the driver. This opens up the potential for displaying safety and navigation information right on the “screen” of the windshield.
It is precisely this type of feature that could be provided through a windshield with augmented reality.
An augmented reality windshield provides warnings of potential hazards, driving directions, and other relevant information in a way that the driver would never have to take his or her eyes off the road in order to see it.
The automotive industry has been embracing high tech solutions for years and as the release of the driver-free car draws ever nearer, the technological innovations become increasingly dazzling. A feature such as an augmented reality windshield would fit right in with other offerings that are already available, such as active park assist, attention assist (a drowsiness detector for drivers), active cruise control radar, collision warning with full auto brake, active city safety, and pedestrian detection, not to mention blind spot obstacle detection and Bluetooth.
These systems, and potential augmented reality features that can offer tremendous increases in the efficiency, safety, comfort, and convenience of the driving experience and traveling by car regardless of whether it’s in the city in a familiar area, or traveling across the country on unknown adventures.
