Oh, Brother. The AirScouter

Coming to you from Japan...eventually, the ( protoype) Brother AirScouter, a retinal scanning HMD for AR applications.

Although, in in trying to research this, I found another HMD to watch: The Kopin Golden-i :

Here's the video from the SlashGear review:

Pricing on these units are still a bit hefty, (and I'm holding out on a Vuzix Wrap 920AR) . Time, and marketing, will tell.

Go, and see.

GEAR: The Samsung Galaxy S Smartphone

"Where have I seen this, before?"
Here's a contender in the AR-capable category, The Samsung Galaxy S.
Android 2.1, and Layar equipped, this Bad Boy has a lot going for it. Check out the full specs HERE

Dimensions: 64.2 X 122.4 X 9.9 mm (119g)
Processor:1GHz ARM
Display:4.0” WVGA(480x800) 16M SUPER AMOLED mDNIe(Mobile Digital Natural Image engine)
Samsung Android 2.1 (Eclair)
Camera:5.0 Megapixel AF camera
Light sensor:Accelerometer sensor, Proximity Sensor, Digital Compass
Additional Features:Layar Reality Browser powered by Tele Atlas
Swype, Write & Go, ThinkFree, Aldiko e-book

Read a review of this TechnoBox at  V3.co.uk

How to make interactive, well, interactive.

So far, we've learned to see. But the Digital Art Layer of AR is , (or should be) so much more than a passive viewing experience. So, we need a way that we in "meatspace" can actuate things in the Digital Layer.As time, and technology, progress, we're going to veer away from the "magic Lens" metaphor, where holding your phone to your face is "so 2010". How might we interact, then?

The Data Glove?

Nintendo Power Glove
Ah, the old standby. I remember one of these for my old Nintendo NES.(1989). An idea before it's time.

Too old? Too lame? Not "advanced enough"? Not anymore:

Power Glove 20th Anniversary Edition -- Build Video from Matt Mechtley on Vimeo.

This Bad Boy is an Arduino-controlled, Bluetooth-and-accelerometer-laden beast.

Matt, you have my highest regards!

All technology can be feasable, give the right impetus.

Okay, okay, not all of us can hard-wire a glove from component parts. How about "off-the-shelf" and ready gloves? Fortunately for us, the VR community has done plenty of work in that area. Here's an example of a 'modern' (2002) VR data glove, the P5:

Good, for it's time. Certainly slick looking. But will Mr. And Mrs. Average Consumer go for this? Probably not... especially at "VR Equipment pricing' range. For the hardcore, such hardware will be a badge of technical prowess, a Technomage's Ferrari,  where we all aspire to surf the FutureNet of Johnny Mnemonic :

Yeah, sign me up for some of that!

Or, how about the interface in Minority Report?

Yeah, that's a bit closer, I think.

Guess what? "Hollywood, no more"

TED Talks..you gotta love them!

 Or, they could move on to eyeball tracking, but that's, again, not for the "average consumer". And I dunno if I want a company like Microsoft (creators of the BSoD) to have a hand in shooting lasers into my eyes.)

Again, pretty advanced stuff. If AR is to be commercially viable, it has to be cheap, and quite honestly 'ID10T proof". Something like this:

Fairly clean interface concept.

Or, maybe we're over-analyzing it all. Look at the interface in Cyber Figure ARis. Just an ARTagged paddle. Cheap, simple, and fairly ID10T proof. Perfect for the mainstream consumer.

Perhaps, in the beginning, we'll just get an inexpensive "Cracker Jack" ring, with 3 sides (Point/click/drag), coded with ARTags, that act as a positional, and dedicated interface for our field of vision.

Again, the range of interface possibilities is as varied as the applications they will be used for, and new answers are evolving all the time.

Go out, and see.

Stay Augmented

C0deHex Theory "Fashion"

 "And the Freak shall inherit the Earth"

Well, like any other other "subgroup" of the technomancer sphere, a c0deHex Witch will have certain visual 'attributes', that will develop over time. Aside from other groups like Otaku, Goths, SteamPunks, CyberPunks, ect that carry their own certain stylistic appeal, a C0deHex Witch can be any of those, and more, because they weave the DAL. However, even though not all have "eyes to see" the magic that they weave, there will be trace elements that define them, mostly in the way of C0deHexes, and that, more often than not, of the ARTag variety. Mind you, we're talking about the "Magic Lens" metaphor moreso than the "Magic Mirror" metaphor. A brief explanation of the two: (images from ARTag.net)

"Magic Lens" The C0deHex is viewed through an 'enchanted' device, (like a AR-compliant smartphone, or in the below example, a pad) :

"Magic Lens" Metaphor

"Magic Mirror" The C0deHex is viewed through a webcam/monitor setup.

"Magic Mirror" Metaphor: What The Blind see, vs. what a Seer sees.

The "Magic Mirror" approach is already in place (in a way) , specifically in the 'fashion' sense. Advertisers are jumping on the AR bandwagon, and maketing their products in new, and interesting ways, Like the Ray-Ban Virtual Mirror, or the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute for Telecommunications ' Virtual Mirror .

Already, you can see, the C0deHex will be something that stands apart..no matter what else you wear, even if it's as simple as a PaperTweet3d T-shirt from Squidder:

PaperTweet3d: Augmented Reality T-shirts from squidder on Vimeo.

Even "just a t-shirt" is no longer mundane, to those that have the eyes to see.

And, speaking of "eyes to see", regardless how one carries their hardware, whether it be 'in hand', backpack/messenger bag, ect, on thing that will seperate the casual from the hardcore will be the eyewear. THE hot item, hands down, will/should be the Vuzix 920AR. Tell me these won't stand out in a crowd. :

Oh yeah...*shivver*...must have.

I used to have an old pair of Virtual I/O i Glasses, "back in the day". Sadly, the software side of things wasn't really "there" , yet, so they became nothing more than an wearable monitor. I'm thinking things will be much different, this time around. Imagine carrying around a Digital Baby Dragon on your shoulders... that only those with the eyes to see can appreciate. Or, the back of your jacket animated with a YouTube video. The possibilities are only limited by your skill and imagination.

Want something even more radical? (who wouldn't, right?) Check out this concept from FrogConcept:

StormTroopers start at an early age.

The (visualized) view from within.

A London artist "Cassette Playa" recently went so far as to have an entire 'Neuromance' Fashion Show showcasing AR, and it's fashion possibilities. Yeah, A C0deHex Witch is gonna stand out.

CASSETTE PLAYA AW1011 - AUGMENTED REALITY from Amazing Grace on Vimeo.

 Or, how about an AR Fashion show, on your tabletop, or in your room? The people at Laboratory4 can make it happen.:

And, let's not forget the special "AR Edition" of Esquire Magazine.



I like where this is going.

How about the "Next Big Thing" in Skin Ink? AR Tattoos!

Tell me this isn't cool, and I'll call you a Luddite!

Stay Augmented.