A few weeks ago, a client approached us and asked, “What can we do with augmented reality?” Several hours of research later–plus a couple more for this post–and I still haven’t found a simple answer.

A few weeks ago, a client approached us and asked, “What can we do with augmented reality?”

Several hours of research later–plus a couple more for this post–and I still haven’t found a simple answer.

At its most basic, augmented reality (or “AR”), involves adding a layer of virtual information over a view of the physical world, in real-time. A user can visit a website or run an application of some kind and then, using a web-enabled camera, view the immediate area through the device while the application adds context-specific information to the display. The theory behind this technology has been around since the 1970s, but it is with the explosion in numbers of camera-equipped mobile devices that the possibilities are really starting to be explored.

Current applications run from adding notes and tags to your surroundings…

to trying on clothing before you buy it from an online store…

to playing a multiplayer game while running through the middle of a city…

and even creating virtual 3-D paintings.

Augmented reality applications can be categorized into those which add information to an object, such as a business card, or products in a store…

and those which add information to a space, such as displaying the locations of active Twitter feeds.

And of course, there are already augmented reality Pokemon games.

For me, the most compelling of these applications are the ones which require that users be in–or at least have a view of–a specific location, and then enable users to add their own content to that location.

Most smart phones have built-in spatial awareness tools–GPS systems, accelerometers, and compasses–which allow these devices to know where they are and which direction they are facing. This makes it possible to display incredibly information-rich maps in real time, pulling in live information from a variety of sources.

There are a few projects which are starting to blur the boundaries further, with augmented reality extending into the real world. One has users using an iPhone app to play a flight simulation game using a real flying vehicle.

Others–many of which are still in the planning stages–propose using physical pieces such as pixels in hybrid physical/digital displays, both in 2-D and 3-D.

So… Augmented reality applications are all over the board. Hundreds have been produced, and more are being added every day. As of yet (in my non-expert opinion), there is nothing out there that is so engaging and useful that it could replace any of the purely virtual apps available for smart phones. However, once hurdles like bandwidth and low camera resolutions have been overcome, that will undoubtedly change.