When Microsoft surface first came on the scene I was excited to say the least. It seemed like allowing individuals to touch software interfaces in order to interact with a tradeshow booth demo was an obvious evolution. In some of the research I’ve been doing lately it is clear the evolution continues.
There are some interesting concepts being presented or in use at events that go beyond the obvious uses of augmented reality for registration, navigating the venue, and connecting attendees on-site. For example imagine a kiosk at an event where you can leverage materials (either downloaded beforehand or available at the kiosk) that allow you to instantly create a 3-D model of a product that you can manipulate and control. This doesn’t have to be limited to just a 3-D model of a product it could also be an interactive example of a concept or solution or an artificial intelligence that can engage with the person at the kiosk. Of course this is contingent on the event producer enabling technology on site.
What if the technology was something you could bring with you? Some of the folks at MIT have been working on project they call the sixth sense. This allows the user to wear a device (albeit a bit clunky at this time) that would allow them to interact with any external object in a virtual way.
For example one could take a picture of anything simply by creating the frame using their fingers. No more worries about forgetting the camera or not busting it out in time to take the shot. Another example would be if you wanted to have a quick brainstorming session but don’t have an interface for taking notes or creating quick diagrams, with sixth sense you can draw on any surface just using your fingers. My favorite thing is the prototype costs a whopping $350. That isn’t much more than a PS3 or a Wii but infinitely more adaptable. The below video is a little long but if you go about 4 minutes in you will see some very cool examples in action.