Video games have been entertaining us for nearly 30 years, ever since Pong was introduced to arcades in the early 1970s. Computer graphics have become much more sophisticated since then, and game graphics are pushing the barriers of photorealism. Now, researchers and engineers are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and integrating them into real-world environments. This new technology, called augmented reality, blurs the line between what's real and what's computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell.
On the spectrum between virtual reality, which creates immersive, computer-generated environments, and the real world, augmented reality is closer to the real world. Augmented reality adds graphics, sounds, and smell to the natural world as it exists. Both video games and cell phones are driving the development of augmented reality. Everyone from tourists, to soldiers, to someone looking for the closest subway stop can now benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in their field of vision.
Augmented reality is changing the way we view the world -- or at least the way its users see the world. Picture yourself walking or driving down the street. With augmented-reality displays, which will eventually look much like a normal pair of glasses, informative graphics will appear in your field of view and audio will coincide with whatever you see. These enhancements will be refreshed continually to reflect the movements of your head. Similar devices and applications already exist, particularly on smart phones like the iPhone.
The basic idea of augmented reality is to superimpose graphics, audio and other sensory enhancements over a real-world environment in real time. Sounds pretty simple, right?You might think that television networks been doing it with graphics for decades. However, augmented reality is more advanced than any technology you have seen in television.
Augmented Reality in your smartphone
While some of you might be amazed by the idea of augmented reality, some primitive versions of augmented reality are already there on some smart phones, particularly in applications for iOS and Android operating system. However, Bunon is working to come up with the more updated version of those applications, named “AugWorld”. With the help of AugWorld, smart phone owners can gather information about their surrounding area.The application use the phone's camera and GPS capabilities to show information about restaurants or other sites in the area, overlaying this information on the phone's screen. You can even point the phone at a building, and the application will tell you if any companies in that building are hiring, or it might be able to find photos of the building on Flickr or to locate its history on Wikipedia. Moreover, using your phone's GPS and compass, AugWorld will display information about local restaurants, including ratings and reviews, on your cell phone screen. You can touch one of the listings to find out more about a particular restaurant.
What’s next to AugWorld?
In future, people may not be comfortable to handle their cell phone due to its large size (since they are getting bigger in each new version) or they may find it difficult to look at the phone screen while walking on the road. For that reason, bunon from
www.bdappstore.comis planning to make augmented-reality capable contact lenses and glasses that will provide users with more convenient and expanded views of the world around them. In the near future, you may be able to play a real-time strategy game on your computer, or you can invite a friend, put on your glasses, and play on the tabletop in front of you.
AugWorld is still not matured enough to be released but Bunon of bdappstore team is dedicatedly working on it. They are working day and night to make it a life-changing app.
The future of augmented reality is clearly bright, since it already has found its way into our cell phones and video game systems. But, unfortunately this technology is not so popular in Bangladesh though we have a large group of people who are using smart phones and internet on a daily basis and the number is increasing day by day. Therefore, Bunon is taking the initiative to introduce Bangladeshi smart phone and internet users with all these latest trends of technology.
