The appstore is now starting to fill up with AR applications. The next is Robot Vision thanks Tish for Tweeting it 🙂
So there we go, open up the things already on the device to the development community and we have leapt from a really subtle launch of what we used to call location based services for those simpler apps, “find an x” near me. Almost overnight in tech terms we now have magic window and magic mirror Augment Reality apps on a highly used highly consumer orientated device.
There is not really even time to use the word tipping point is there!
So the question is, when will we see AR in cars.
Imagine a Head Up display overlaid on the windscreen that pointed out points of interest, nearest McBurger etc as you drove along. Pretty neat but a recipie for an accident no doubt.
I think we are starting to get HUD’s in vehicles. Some of the german high end cars and even a Honda I think have atleast an option for some of the dials to be projected out on the windscreen. In many ways the things we do where we have to take out eyes off the road to look at the speedometer, then back onto the road again (where in most cars the focal length needed to read the dial is not set at the same point as the outside world) may be regarded as dangerous and ripe for improvement through HUD.
Only having to pay attention to those things you need to know rather than mentally scanning the environment and filtering out the superfluous also may have benefits. Clearly a screen full of spam and adverts may be distracting 🙂
I am sure there is lots of research going on, but I am also sure there is a need for such things and they will happen anyway.