The Galaxy Tab was unveiled this Thursday and the fellas over at PC World already have a nice comparison chart for iPad vs. GT. The tablet runs Google’s Android operating system, version 2.2.

Here’s to hoping that the AR features will make Apple push extra hard to unveil the augmented reality software that I’m sure they’ve been working on for at least 3 years.

Automatic recommendations:

1. Layar’s Augmented Reality Web for mobiles: finally layered information
2. Augmented reality games, but what’s reality doing there?

If you still haven’t already succumbed to skipping my ramblings—go watch the demo of levelHead by Julian Oliver! (embedded video below.)

levelHead Video

levelHead v1.0, 3 cube speed-run (spoiler!) from Julian Oliver on Vimeo.

Main points of fascination

• Physical object interaction; virtual worlds are dependent- and intertwined with physical objects (the cubes) in the environment. (Opposed to displaying virtual objects that have no connection to reality, which in my opinion is removing the “reality” out of “augmented“.)
• The cube, simple as it is, gives the impression of a gateway into an entirely different world.
• Simplicity. With the environment shaded and lit, the flat white character is simple and adds a mysterious touch to the experience.
• The cube is the controller as well as viewer; an intuitive solution for containing the game experience entirely within a simple paper cube.
• The game is easy to replicate if desired; all you need is the right program and a paper cube with printouts.
• Considering the Future: Remember Myst? I can easily envision an entire game in that style: purely contained within a paper cube, or even interchangeable shapes such as orbs or other simple ones for different environments (perhaps even a few in-game tools).

LevelHead information excerpt

Using tilt motions, the player moves a character through rooms that appear inside one of several cubes on a table. Each room is logically connected by a series of doors, though some doors lead nowhere (they are traps).

The player has 2 minutes to find the exit of each cube, leading the character into the entrance of the next.

Work is also being done to use invisible markers such that the cube itself appears entirely white to the naked eye.

Visit the project page of Julian Oliver’s levelHead

Thanks for an inspirational game concept, Julian!

Automatic recommendations:

1. Augmented reality games, but what’s reality doing there?
2. Useful augmented reality tool shipped by US Postal Service

LittleDog video – 2010

The size of the bot compared to a human hand is shown near the end of the video. Sign me up for a robotic-pet version. The summarized specs of LittleDog as described on Boston Dynamics’ site:

LittleDog has four legs, each powered by three electric motors. The legs have a large range of motion. The robot is strong enough for climbing and dynamic locomotion gaits. The onboard PC-level computer does sensing, actuator control and communications. LittleDog’s sensors measure joint angles, motor currents, body orientation and foot/ground contact. Control programs access the robot through the Boston Dynamics Robot API. Onboard lithium polymer batteries allow for 30 minutes of continuous operation without recharging. Wireless communications and data logging support remote operation and data analysis. LittleDog development is funded by the DARPA Information Processing Technology Office.

For detailed specifications check out CLMC’s paper on LittleDog research (PDF), published at the 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (one of four Best Paper Award finalists).

It’s worth mentioning that USC was the only team to outperform the government program’s guidelines on 5 out of 6 tests, achieving an average speed of 8.7 cm per second. (Congratulations to the team—Mrinal Kalakrishnan, Peter Pastor, Michael Mistry and Jonas Buchli).

Cry ‘havoc’ and let slip the dogs of war

The research is funded by DARPA and carried out in collaboration with MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, USC, Univ. of Pennsylvania and IHMC.

While the scientists working at Boston Dynamics and collaborating institutes envision the ‘bots being used for various purposes, DARPA’s point of view is to use them to haul equipment and luggage wherever needed on a battlefield. The first versions for fieldwork are called Legged Squad Support Systems (LS3); a type of completely autonomous robots, very similar to BigDog, that will be able to follow a human leader through rough terrain using computer vision and GPS systems. The LS3 program is jointly funded by the US Marine Corps.

The first “walk out” for LS3s is scheduled for 2012.

Automatic recommendations:

1. Boston Dynamics Unveil BigDog Progress
2. Modular Snake Robots From CMU’s Biorobotics Lab [Video]

The image recognition tech sounds exciting—image search and recognition in real time! I wouldn’t be surprised to see Google and Apple go heads on in a bloodsport match as they race towards the AR advertising market (incidentally bringing with them a wave of exciting apps and even AR goggle interfaces. Real ones.).

But, it’s best to let the video do the talking (read: I’m lazy). Here’s Google Goggles.

Automatic recommendations:

1. Wikitude AR – Augmented reality on Google Android
2. Layar’s Augmented Reality Web for mobiles: finally layered information

The Advanced Human Interface Group (AHIG), MIT Media Lab. The ICONC System, demonstrated by Hrafn Th. Thorisson, Summer 1993. The system enabled the use of co-occurring, natural speech and gesture to interactively describe the arrangement and movements of objects in a room. The computer would interpret the user’s actions and figure out which objects the user was talking about and how to arrange them based on spatial information in the user’s speech and gesture. [Excerpt from the YouTube description, continued below]

[If you can't see the video, click here to visit the post]

The main authors of this work were David Koons (spatial knowledge, multimodal integration) and Carlton Sparrell (gesture recognition), directed by Richard A. Bolt. This technology is described in part in the paper “Integrating simultaneous input from speech, gaze, and hand gestures” by D B Koons, C J Sparrell, K R Thorisson (1993).

UPDATE (Oct. 30th, 2009): The article stated, wrongly, that this took place in 1994. This has been corrected.

Links & references

• Kristinn R. Thórisson’s website at Reykjavik University & at the MIT Media Lab
• YouTube page for this video

Automatic recommendations:

1. Emergence of Creativity in Intelligent Complex Adaptive Systems
2. Wii Real-Time Head Tracking [Video]

Layar 3D makes use of OpenGL, the accelerometer, the GPS and the compass of the phone. Developers can place 3D objects in their content layers based on coordinates. Objects can be optimized in size and orientation to create an immersive and realistic experience. The 3D capabilities support live downloading and rendering of 3D objects. Actions such as “open link” or “play music” can be assigned to 3D objects. [Press release]

Looking forward to early results from the minds of their developers.

Embedded videos after the jump

Boeing 747 flyby

3D tagging in augmented reality

Arcade game animation (Pac-Man)

Links & references

• Layar’s main website
• Layar’s 3D demo page
• Layar’s press release (Sept. 22nd, 2009)

Automatic recommendations:

1. Layar’s Augmented Reality Web for mobiles: finally layered information
2. Augmented reality games, but what’s reality doing there?

Visual comparison of Layar & Wikitude

Comparing the first mainstream AR application to the second, Wikitude to Layar, there’s a noticeable improvement in user interface. The radar looks cool, but is it just a compass?

And FINALLY someone implemented layers. It’s what it sounds like; visual data is organized on layers that can be made invisible/visible. Like Photoshop. And the infinite number of layer’s are for sale to companies with good ideas (—that’s their business model).

Layar’s video shows examples for a real estate guide service (good choice for an early layer—encapsulates the idea, potential). They’re currently requesting layer ideas from companies, but I’m sure they’re working on making people able to create and share their own layers. That’s what I would do.

The videos embedded below show Layar in June ‘09 and Wikitude in October ‘08 (pre-release).

Layar promotional video (released June ‘09)

Wikitude demo video (released October ‘08)

Layar’s not the world’s first browser—it’s the first augmented reality web

The world’s first augmented reality browser for mobiles. So goes Layar’s tagline. But, uUnless I’m mistaken, they don’t actually mean it’s the first augmented reality browser for the Web (as in the World Wide Web). It’s the first browser for the web they developed, an augmented reality web! So the browser is a first, but only because the web it browses is a first. So the tagline isn’t technically wrong, it’s a marketing mistake perhaps, but not wrong. The Augmented Reality Web aspect is the cool part and should be scream of the brand. Including the term “browser” in there just confuses things. But nevertheless, they’re getting full media coverage.

Layar is high on my list of “AR companies that get it”—understand one of the unique opportunities in mainstream augmented reality. Respect where it’s due. They’re developing a well designed product with potential, deserving of success.

Hat tip to the SPRXMobile team; Raimo van der Klein, Claire Boonstra, Maarten Lens-FitzGerald. Well done.

Links & refs

• What people are saying right now about Layar (Twitter)
• Official Web presence: Website, Twitter user, Android Market entry

Automatic recommendations:

1. Wikitude AR – Augmented reality on Google Android
2. Augmented reality games, but what’s reality doing there?

Created by int13 the game is marker based (meaning that the software uses pattern on a paper to know how the world is oriented) and features some cute cuddly Pokémon-styled creatures that you train and control (to fight). See the embedded videos below.

Augmenting reality to ignore reality

Love of the AR concept leaves me blind to shortcomings, but my girlfriend stayed vigilant and posed an observation: How does AR enhance this particular game? And she’s spot on.

Other than providing a flat surface, the real, physical environment plays no part at all in Kweekies’ gameplay. Making that surface virtual would provide more or less the same experience and remove the need to lug around a fragile piece of paper with inkblots on it (can it even be folded without producing errors?). But it does look cool, I’ll give it that. The portal concept and design is nice even though it looks like it’s just bling. Maybe Valve could do something functional there.

Is augmented reality in virtual reality’s footsteps?

This does beg the question whether primitive AR implementations will cause people to write them off as ‘cool… but pointless‘, thereby slowing down AR development. After all, that happened to virtual reality in the 1990’s: creating viable consumer products was impossible but we still made some primitive demos that spread hype like a nuclear shockwave. Time passed. The only things that remained exciting were machines with sky-high pricetags that even game arcades could hardly afford. Public demand decreased and VR R&D crawled out of sight and into the shadowy corners of labs, hospitals, military bases. By the time we had everything to make killer consumer products (ca. 2005)—people had lost all interest.

But maybe the masses will love all AR applications regardless? They’re cool, there will be others like Wikitude that’ll do practical stuff. One of the most popular iPhone games is a ‘yo momma’ joke generator. So who knows?

[Kweekies via VR Geek Blog]

Automatic recommendations:

1. Sony moves to augment reality with EyePet
2. Augmented reality app running on iPhone

Read on for videos and specs.

Video and specs

The video (see below) shows the precision and awesome dexterity of Motoman as he puts together a dismantled camera, much to the dismay of a tired and confused Japanese actor put there to emphasize how awesome the robot really is. Chefs and musicians beware: Motoman can also play drums and cook.

The robot is being developed by Yaskawa Electric Corporation and is pending commercialization. They began taking orders on December 1st 2008 and expect to sell 1,200 units in 2008, 2,400 units/year for 2009, 3,000 units/year for 2010 and after.

Motoman is 135 centimeters (4.5 ft) tall and weighs 220 kilograms (480 lb). It has 15 joints: 7 in each arm (similar to humans, I believe) and 1 at the center of its torso.

Links & references

• Yaskawa Press Release
• Motoman Humanoid Robot Cooks Okonomiyaki With Manual Precision (Bornrich.org)

Automatic recommendations:

1. Machine Interpretes Your Dreams, Robot Enacts Them [Art]

Now, the Wikitude AR Travel Guide, created by Mobilizy, is an augmented reality application for the G1/Google Android. Judging from the video demonstration, the graphical overlay is quite a few notches smoother than Enkin.

According to Mobilizy’s website Wikitude should already available—but I didn’t find it in the Android Market, and the few 3rd party reviewers I looked at didn’t showcase the AR function. Perhaps there are two versions? In any case, reality is inching closer to augmentation.

Automatic recommendations:

1. Augmented reality app running on iPhone
2. Sony moves to augment reality with EyePet

[Subscribers, visit the site if you can't see the video]

Automatic recommendations:

1. Modular Snake Robots From CMU’s Biorobotics Lab [Video]
2. Boston Dynamics Unveil BigDog Progress

[Subscribers - visit the post if you can't see the video]

You can view more- or create your own art with Algorithm Ink.

[via Hackzine]

No related posts.

William’s “Imperial March” With a Floppy Drive

[Floppy music (YouTube) via Hackzine]

Beethoven’s “Für Elise” With a Scanner

Vivaldi’s “Spring” With a Scanner

Van Halen’s “Jump” With a HDD

This last one is crazy. No idea how it’s pulled off (is it real?). Edit: The arm’s vibration is used in a similar fashion as a conventional speaker is.

UPDATE – Dec. 2010. Regrettably, the following video has been pulled from YouTube by Time Warner on grounds of copyright infringement.

Enslaved by whatever law-induced social conduct superseding rationality—the action demonstrates lack of respect for innovation; for fans’ tribute to the music they love.

My thanks to the reader that brought this to my attention.

No related posts.

The 2005 short film depicts aftermath of aliens running out of energy and landing on Earth; becoming stranded beggars. Using a documentary narrative he raises an eerie sense of realism emphasized by likeness to apartheid in South Africa.

Discovered in Tim’s transition post from Kuipercliff to Ubiwar.

No related posts.

Automatic recommendations:

1. Modular Snake Robots From CMU’s Biorobotics Lab [Video]
2. Anthill Metropolis Filled With Cement and Excavated (Video)