Tag: ar tech

Augmented reality makes a splash in China with digitally enhanced nail art

| September 25, 2015

This new form of wearable technology comes in the form of artificial fingernails with digital animations.

An Australia based wearable technology company called Metaverse has now brought its unique augmented reality artificial nails to China, where it is allowing girls to be able to use adhesive artificial fingernails to not only make it look as though they have perfect painted nails, but also to be able to enhance their fashion statement through their smartphone screens.

AR technology makes it possible to add a digital flair to these wearables with holograms and backgrounds.

The augmented reality nails are easy to use. They are applied to the nail just like any other artificial nail, and then they are viewed through a smartphone screen through the use of the Metaverse app. These wearables were first unveiled at the Creative 3 conference at Queensland University of Technology. The founder of the company, Thea Baumann showed off the products while discussing the intentions of the company to use a recent $750,000 investment in order to bring the fashion tech to China.

Metaverse plans to use the augmented reality product as a part of a larger 3D social network project.

Within this 3D social network, it will be possible for users to be able to share their three dimensional animations with their friends simply by aiming their smartphones at their artificial nails. The point is to encourage nail bar customers to be able to use the mobile app while they wait for their nails to be done. The app store at Metaverse offers a range of different hologram options from which consumers will be able to choose.

That same store also sells the brand’s soon-to-launch smart clothing, custom digital designs, gaming designs, and accessories. As the AR technology is accessed through smartphones that users already own, there is no need to have to add any additional electronics into the wearables. Instead, the images are viewed through the app and the mobile device screen.

Baumann explained that “We act as a counter-voice to what is perceived as wearable technology,” adding that “We don’t see ourselves as sitting in that quantified space. We’re embedding wearable technology in the growing nail industry and adding value to what is already a vibrant nail and beauty sector.” This allows the augmented reality to provide a seamless transition between the two areas.

Augmented reality headset may still be five years away for Microsoft

| September 23, 2015

The HoloLens has made it into the headlines quite regularly but may not be available for half a decade.

There are a growing number of entrants making their way into the augmented reality headset realm, but despite the increasingly large number of devices, this category remains quite small, is far from mainstream, and most will admit that the devices themselves have not quite reached the point in which the average user will be using them.

Microsoft appears to be no exception to this trend as their HoloLens now looks to be half a decade away.

The augmented reality head mounted display (HMD) called the Microsoft HoloLens is “really a five-year journey,” said Satya Nadella, the CEO of the company when speaking at the Dreamforce customer conference from Salesforce, last week. Despite the fact that HoloLens is soon to be rolled out on a very slow and gradual basis within certain specific industries. This will be the first slow step that will occur well before consumers ever see it on their own market shelves. This will give the company the opportunity to test the headset before attempting to appeal to the average consumer.

These augmented reality glasses were also supposed to head to space, but were blown up in an explosion this summer.

Microsoft - Augmented RealityStill, the HoloLens is among the products that has generated the most excitement for the company over the last while, as the demos have been quite successful until now. The headset uses AR technology to superimpose digital images over top of the view of the real world. The wearer can interact with those digital images while still being able to see what is going on around him or her.

Despite the fact that this kind of AR technology requires a considerable amount of computing power, Microsoft is determined to make it possible for the HoloLens to function without having to be paired with a computer.

At the same time, packing all that computing power – in the form of sensors, processors, and other gadgets – into what is essentially a pair of glasses (that are attractive enough that a consumer will wear them) is the primary challenge being faced. Because of this, it will require more time before these augmented reality gadgets are finished.