Awesome Augmented Reality

Looking for something fun to do today? Why not visit with a giraffe, a zebra, or maybe a penguin? Thanks to Google, you can enjoy the company of 50 new animals using augmented reality tech on your phone. Using the Google mobile app, search for an animal, then tap “View in 3D” to invite these virtual pets into your world.

Firefighters need every advantage they can get. Sam Cossman of Qwake Technologies met with Adam Yamaguchi of The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation to show off the mask his company has developed which can overlay high-contrast outlines and heat signatures of objects even when they’re obscured by smoke or darkness.

Artist and programmer Cyril Diagne shows of a slick tech demo of an augmented reality app that can snap pictures of real world objects and drop then directly into Adobe Photoshop. Simply point, click, and aim your phone where you want to paste the object. Source code available here.

Watching live theatre can be challenging for deaf people. Sign interpreters and captioning boards help, but this new tech developed at the National Theatre in London gives people with hearing loss a much better experience – displaying captions that float right in front of their eyes. Freethink explains how it works.

This innovative headset gaming system turns a blank tabletop game board into a richly interactive 3D environment. Players wear special glasses which let them see holographic imagery, and control the game using a wireless wand. It looks legit, but it’s not a cheap setup for multiple players.

Celebrate your love for space exploration with this duo of official NASA goodies from Astro Reality. You’ll get a nifty mug inspired by the the abstract shapes of space, along with an embossed hardcover journal, each of which pair with an augmented reality application to display imagery and information about space travel.

Learning to weld can be a daunting task. But with this slick bit of technology from Miller Welders, students can practice using an augmented reality welding headset which lets them practice all they need, and get detailed feedback on their progress.

Minecraft Earth is an upcoming free-to-play augmented reality mobile game for iOS and Android devices. It will let you build small or life-size structures with the real world as your canvas, as well as collect and battle mobs. A closed beta will launch this summer 2019.

AstroReality celebrates NASA’s 60th Anniversary with an augmented reality gift set, which includes this beautiful notebook. Available with a white or gray cover, the notebook has a few pages that feature animation and enhanced content when viewed with AstroReality’s mobile app.

Here’s something that all online shoe stores should have. Wannaby’s Wanna Kicks is an augmented reality app for iOS. It projects 3D models of commercially available sneakers on your feet. The models are sized to your feet and accurately change perspective when you move.

Fologram combines computer-aided design with the holographic capabilities of Microsoft’s HoloLens headset to help in assembling even complex objects. The hologram can overlay exactly where each piece of the build should go, as well as an outline of the finished product.

Nissan is working on an augmented reality system called “Invisible-to-Visible” that uses sensors on the car as well as data from the cloud to enable drivers to see what’s around and ahead of them via a pair of glasses or a heads up display.

Students from the University of Washington created a technique that can create 3D animation out of a single photo. Called Photo Wake-Up, it also lets the user change the pose of the person. Viewing the effect in virtual or augmented reality is also possible.

Rocketbook’s Rocketboard is a set of four beacons that let you cleanly digitize the contents of any whiteboard, even when photographed off-angle. Simply place the markers on the corners of the whiteboard and use the app to capture and share its contents.

Bose’s Frames are sunglasses that have miniature speakers in their temples, directing sound into their wearer’s ears. You can also use them to take calls and call up voice assistants. Bose will also plans to release an app which delivers contextual audio based on location.

Samsung ups its PC mixed-reality headset game with its latest device. The HMD Odyssey+ has AMOLED displays which double the perceived resolution to 1233 ppi, reducing that annoying screen-door effect. It has a wide 110º field of vision, built-in sensors, 360º sound, and more.

Amazon’s mobile app has a new augmented reality feature called Part Finder. It’s meant to identify screws, nuts, bolts or other types of fasteners to make shopping for them easier. Take a photo of the fastener and the app will try to identify it with links to purchase the item.

Lightform’s upcoming system allows anyone with a computer and a projector to create the sort of projection mapping visuals heretofore reserved for the pros. It can scan objects, then generate intricate projected images that perfectly match their surfaces. More on Tested.

Arrim One is a compact augmented reality measuring device for both iOS and Android devices. It uses a laser to measure lengths, angles and even circles. It can also be used as a leveling and marking tool, and makes it easy to save and share measurements.

The NBA’s new augmented reality app features a Portals section that lets you open a virtual doorway into the sights and sounds of the 2018 NBA Finals. You’ll get up close with player intros, huddles and post-game celebrations. Available for iOS and Android.

Nexus Studios presents an amusing short promo film for its goofy iOS augmented reality app. The sole purpose of HotStepper is to superimpose a confident, pear-shaped dancing dude into real world surroundings, giving you a virtual companion wherever you may travel.

This unique lamp has a built in projector, computer, and sensors which allow for the creation of interactive, augmented reality apps on any tabletop. It can recognize objects based on shape, size, and color as well. Keep in mind that the version on Kickstarter is for developers.

Intel is working on augmented reality eyeglasses designed mainly to show information. The Vaunt looks like a normal pair of glasses, and have no cameras or hardware controls. It projects a small red display directly to your eyes, just below your line of sight.

AstroReality offers a set of colorful 3D printed models of the Solar System’s planets – plus Pluto. Each sphere measures about 1.2″ in diameter. Get AstroReality’s augmented reality app and to view add-on effects like Saturn’s rings or the Earth’s atmosphere.

Arvind Sanjeev’s Lumen is a portable augmented reality system in the form of a flashlight. The idea is for it to automatically recognize objects and enhance their function, provide information, display video or animation and more.

GJS Co’s follow up to Ganker. Like it’s predecessor, the GEIO is a combat robot that’s controlled via a mobile app. But it has sensors that enable first person view, auto-targeting and augmented reality features. It also has conquest, scavenger hunt and race modes.