Tag: augmented reality application

New ad-blocking app replaces billboards in subway stations with art.

Called No Ad, the augmented reality app can change the advertisements that subway riders see on billboards to interesting pieces of artwork, and all the mobile user has to do to make this happen is launch the app, hold up their mobile device, and point the camera at an ad and watch as the poster for the movie, soft drink, etc. is replaced by digital static or animated artwork.

The app is free and works on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

No Ad comes from Re+Public, a creative collaboration of artists. The AR app was created by Jordan Seiler, The Heavy Projects and Jowy Romano. So far, the app has collaborated with 50 artists and the plan is to grow this number with new partnerships, such as an upcoming partnership with the International Center of Photography, which will provide photographs from its collection. The intention is to display new art on a monthly basis.

According to American Photo Magazine, Artists like COST and Keith Haring “sought to take control over and diversify the imagery with which upwards of 5 million commuters were bombarded on a daily basis.” Essentially, the augmented reality art project gives subway riders something else to look at instead of the same ads everyday.

Furthermore, although the app has been designed for mobile devices, its creators “envision a future where users passively experience AR without cumbersome handheld devices, and instead simply use heads-up displays to experience an augmented public space hands free.”

The augmented reality app will not work on every ad.

There are certain circumstances in which the app will not work. For starters, it will not work if the advertisement has not been catalogued in the application’s system. Some other examples of when it won’t work are if the ad has been altered in some way, there is graffiti on it or there is one dominant advertiser.

Currently, the augmented reality app only works on the one-hundred most popular subway platform ads that are horizontally shaped, which are usually popular products, television shows and movies. In addition, at present, New York City is the only place where the No Ad application works.

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.