AUG - Building Blocks of AR Lesson

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Building Blocks of AR Lesson

Okay, so AR is very cool, but how do you create it? Believe it or not, it's easier than you think to get started. You can't make HoloLens or Pokemon GO quality products, but you can make AR very quickly using simple tools. In this lesson we will talk about how to make a simple AR app. Because all of the AR tools require some type of login, we will focus on how they are made. Actually making them will not be required, but you can certainly make them if you'd like.

In short, augmented reality needs to start with the reality. It might be a location that is detected by your GPS sensor, or a target image which is recognized by your camera, or some other part of your reality as measured in some way or even a combination! You augment it by adding images, objects, or other things that you want to use.  All you have to do is associate your target location or image or other data with your "augmentation." The image below shows some great examples of these types of technologies.

 

Examples of Augmentation Technologies Image Yelp's Monocle App A great example of this is Yelp's Monocle app. As you walk around a location, you can look through your phone, and using your camera, GPS sensor and Gyro sensor it can tell which direction you are facing from your location, and overlays of restaurant reviews superimposed on your screen. You can click on the reviews or just follow then as they lead you to the restaurant, TaleBlazer Another example was made by MIT, with all of the free software to make your own AR app. It is called TaleBlazer, and it can be used to make a geolocation game, or target image AR. They have examples of a zoo and a museum using it to enhance the experience of their visitors, but they also made some games you can download and play, and even modify if you would like to make your own!

 

 

 

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