Augmented reality still has some challenges to overcome. For example, GPS is only accurate to within 30 feet (9 meters) and doesn’t work as well indoors, although improved image recognition technology may be able to help.
People may not want to rely on their mobile devices, which have small or mid size screens on which to superimpose information. For that reason, wearable devices lor augmented-reality capable contact lensesand glasses could be the solution. In the near future, you may be able to play a real-time strategy game on your computer, or you can invite a friend over, put on your AR glasses, and play on the tabletop in front of you.
There is such a thing as too much information. Just as the «CrackBerry» phenomenon and Internet addiction are concerns, an overreliance on augmented reality could mean that people are missing out on what’s right in front of them. Some people may prefer to use their AR iPhone applications rather than an experienced tour guide, even though a tour guide may be able to offer a level of interaction, an experience and a personal touch unavailable in a computer program. And there are times when a real plaque on a building is preferable to a virtual one, which would be accessible only by people with certain technologies.
There are also privacy concerns. Image-recognition software coupled with AR will, quite soon, allow us to point our phones at people, even strangers, and instantly see information from their Facebook, Twitter,Amazon, LinkedIn or other online profiles. With most of these services people willingly put information about themselves online, but it may be an unwelcome shock to meet someone, only to have him instantly know so much about your life and background.
Despite these concerns, imagine the possibilities: you may learn things about the city you’ve lived in for years or the one you are visiting just by pointing your AR-enabled phone or tablet at a nearby park or building. The future of augmented reality is clearly bright, and there is a trend to «democratize» its development. Thus,Metaio is releasing platform-independent, augmented reality production software that unifies all of its software in a language that it calls AREL (AR Experience Language).
It unites a shared codebase, built on HTML5, JavaScript, and native application code. The tools, including an SDK, allow people to augment nearly any image or object outdoors or indoors by providing an AR production method that has scalability, according to the company. Augmented reality (AR) is, of course, a label for the various ways of adding digital information via on-screen flags to the video feed produced by a smartphone’s or tablet’s camera.
And Metaio additionally introduced a brand new version of its Metaio Creator, a simplified desktop publishing tool that is aimed at non-developers looking to play around with AR.
