Prediction: Apple releases initial support to iPhone augmented reality apps before September 15th, 2009. Actual: Announced 11 days after the prediction; Apple’s iPhone OS 3.1 supports augmented reality applications; expected release is in September (as predicted).
Only eleven days after the prediction news began rushing in; among many others reporting, MacRumors said on July 24th 2009:
The L.A. Times reports that Apple will begin allowing developers access to the tools they need to produce augmented reality applications starting with upcoming iPhone OS 3.1. [So far, AR applications] have used unpublished APIs which prevent them from being allowed on the App Store. Apple, however, told one developer that the tools necessary would become available with iPhone 3.1. [MacRumors]
In short, Apple is releasing their initial support to augmented reality applications. The Los Angeles Times posted the article that broke news that Apple told developers of the Nearest Tube AR train finder (Acrossair) that augmented reality apps will be allowed in the iPhone App Store in September, as predicted… let’s see if it turns out to be September 15th
Recently there’s been an onrush of news and Web searches for augmented reality (AR), for the fist time surpassing interest in its cousin, virtual reality. Think Artificial’s article on a prototype AR toolkit for the iPhone saw a 224% visitor increase and was cited in a CNET News article.
Several AR apps hit the market and the now-famed Dutch augmented reality Web (and browser) caught more media attention than anyone expected. But augmented reality is barred from the optimal mobile device: the iPhone’s own development suite doesn’t allow access to vital components.
Finally. An augmented reality application of superb execution. Layar is a Google Android OS application and an iPhone 3G S version on its way. Publicly announced on June 14th by Dutch company SPRXMobile. Many AR apps have hit the scene since Wikitude AR Travel Guide first appeared in November 2008—but Layar ups the stakes by being able to hide and show different types of information.
The US Postal Service has begun using a pretty neat online augmented reality (AR) tool. Developed by AKQA/DC, the Virtual Box Simulator is a marker-based AR applet that enables you to use a webcam to find a box size and shape that fits a shipment item.
Stand inside the AlloSphere—a giant metallic sphere that displays real live images of scientific data. In the video below JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, creator of the sphere, demos a flythrough his colleagues brain. Simply awesome. See video below.
For an instant “aha” in conversation with non-scientists, I often use science as an example area that benefits from improved artificial creativity. The mention of medicine does especial wonders to exercise people’s often-skewed ideas about intelligent machines.
Earlier this month reports of a “robot scientist” made their rounds telling of a robotized lab and AI system that generated its own hypothesis, ran experiments to test them and with the process “discovered new functions for a number of genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, aka brewer’s yeast.” The robot, called Adam (cute), is being developed by Aberystwyth University and the University of Cambridge in the UK.
Kweekies is a new augmented reality game that’s tuned to hit iPhones, Nokia Smartphones and Windows Mobile sometime this summer.
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.
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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?
The notification came yesterday and what a delightful wake-up call. I knew there’d been about a thousand submissions last year, and that they’d had to make a delay this one due to an increase, so it was quite unexpected. (Each category is drastically different—but it still makes my head spin to be on a list with Ars Technica! Awesome.)
My thanks go out to the judges, bows to the fellow finalists and best wishes all around!
Just a quick note about the newly created Facebook page for Think Artificial. Followers can upload images & videos, share links and have some discussions. Facebook’s ‘discussion board’ sucks about as much as the economy, but posting comments on individual pics, links and vids could be fun. If you’re interested then please be my guest to join and post some cool artificial stuff.
Dear readers of Think Artificial—my apologies for not having posted sooner. As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, there are some things weighing on my shoulders. This is, among school and other things, a burning desire to help rebuild on Iceland’s ashes of economic collapse.
Only yesterday the police employed gas to disperse a crowd for the first time since 1949 when Iceland joined NATO. The people are protesting the government’s poor management in the months since the collapse.
I’ve been brooding on ideas of how to introduce innovation as a key component in the new society. This is not an easy thing to do—Iceland is drenched in history-based economic models to make decisions. When that model goes too far, as it has royally, it does not favor innovation, startup companies and extensive research; businesses tend to put their money where its safe, not into the abyss of new ideas that may- or may not revolutionize the world.
This compels me to do something; try to help steer this country into something less extreme, more innovative. I’ve been doing presentations about how special, unique and rebellious ideas can bring about great things if done right. There’s much more planned for 2009, and also: I’m learning about politics—can you believe that?
There’s a lot on my mind—but Think Artificial is not dead. Or if it is, then it’s only because there’s the new Think Artificial of 2009 waiting to take its place. I hope to see you and your comments around. I humbly thank you for reading in 2008 and for sticking around!
Prediction: Apple releases initial support to iPhone augmented reality apps before September 15th, 2009.
