Digital: Augmented Reality

Last month, I found myself wandering around the streets of Manhattan and what struck me about my surroundings was how surreal it all felt: the characters, the imposing buildings…the larger than life electronic billboards. So when I read this post, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might have felt like to appear onscreen in Time Square.


Times Square Billboard by Space150 from Cliff Kuang on Vimeo.

Augmented Reality has always struck me as a Back To The Future type of invention: a seamless combination of the digital and real world. What’s more is that it is an application that can be adopted for many uses. Some cool examples are:

A public service announcement in Amsterdam that drew attention to the aggression and violence faced by public service employees. In the video (much like the Forever 21 one featured above) a previously shot footage of paramedics being beat up is played on the screen while a camera records the audience watching the video. What makes this application ingenious is the way it addresses the problem. Onlookers are notorious for watching and not doing anything. This video reenacts the scene in real time, causing people to think....or take pictures *nods head*

This online augmented shopping video by Zugara points to the future of online shopping. Nothing like trying your new clothes in the comfort of your bedroom.



If it were up to me I’d create augmented reality apps that enabled users to relive their memories.