16 Top Augmented Reality Business Models
Augmented Reality – for now it’s mostly a buzzword – but I believe in a few years augmented reality will fundamentally alter the way we interact with almost every aspect of our lives: restaurants (image ordering off an interactive menu), shopping, evaluating businesses, furniture assembly, repairs, military operations, games and entertainment, and probably even sexuality (we all know that pornography leads more technology revolutions).
I recently was made aware of this interesting article and compilation of YouTube Videos about augmented reality: 16 Top Augmented Reality Business Models. Most of this stuff ranges from amazing (if you are geeky like me) to pretty silly – the last video is particularly frightening.
Microsoft in particular has taken up the idea in the entertainment world with it’s upcoming Project Natal. Microsoft describes it like this:
Introducing Project Natal, a revolutionary new way to play: no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak you and your friends can jump into the fun — the only experience needed is life experience.
That description barely does it justice; the promotional videos are truly mind blowing. Of course they are just that – promotional videos. The first generation augmented experience on XBox 360 will certainly be far less glamorous. Nonetheless, this will shape our lives in the next decades in ways we cannot even imagine.
Augmented reality is also coming to the iPhone, with capabilities provided to apps by the Layar reality browser platform. I presume Yelp’s iPhone app uses Layar’s API for its augmented reality implementation.
P.S. Another interesting article about augmented reality and Yelp’s iPhone app: Augmented Reality Is Both a Fad and the Future — Here’s Why
