AR (Augmented Reality), thanks to the iPhone Application called “Sekai Kamera” which allows you to see virtual tags users attach to real world views through iPhone camera, is attracting a lot of attention in Japan. It is starting to be used for sales promotions and marketing purposes all over the world.

If we imagine the “Scouter” in DragonBall or “AR glasses” in Dennō Coil, it seems like a technology set in the future, but how is it like in the real world? Here I examine 5 cases of AR as used in business in the present moment.

1. Zugara – a service which allows you to have your virtual fitting room

This is one of the most famous AR examples and has caught the imagination of many bloggers. You print out what they call “markers” prepared for each item of clothing and show it to the web camera, fitting it to your body. The marker will then change itself to the clothing you picked up. Once it is set, you don’t have to keep holding it. The feature of this service is that it allows you to control with motion-capture in addition to AR. You can change the color or design and purchase the clothes using the scroll button that appears in the window, just like “Minority Report”. It isn’t a finished product and not commercialized yet as you only can try on 2D catalog pictures, but it may well be that it becomes the prototype of future online shopping experiences.

2. Lego DigitalBox – Lego box on which kids can see the completed model

Showing how cool the finished model is, will capture the attention and imagination of kids. Here is Lego Digitalbox which is developed by Metaio, a leading AR company in Germany. So what is Lego Digitalbox? Lego Digitalbox is a special box on which the completed model will show up when you show it to the special monitor which is set up in a Lego shop . Some people joke that it is so cool that kids will be satisfied with seeing the “Virtual Lego” and won’t buy an actual one.

3. My.IKEA – a service that let’s you try out virtual layouts before buying furniture.

IKEA is also trying out AR (Augmented Reality) for their promotions. IKEA also uses Markers like Zugara. If you print out Makers prepared for each item and show it to the web camera, the furniture pops up on the monitor. You can try out this cool service from “My.IKEA”, but at this moment (July 1st 2010) I can’t find that page and have no idea how to access it. Please leave a comment if you know how. In the meantime, you can watch the demo to get a general idea of how it works.

4. USPS – Virtual box simulator

“The Virtual Box Simulator”, a service USPS has started, is another cool AR service. With this service, you can check which box size you need using a virtual 3D box. Feature of this service is you can change the size of the virtual box by clicking the box icon on the site. You also can adjust the transparency so you can see which side is too long. There is no other way to check if it’s the right size than actually you put your item in the box. From that point of view, this virtual box is a good example of how to use AR.

5. Ray-Ban – a service that you can try on virtual glasses.

This is a service it enable you to try on virtual Ray-Bans with AR.
Unlike trying on clothes, only your face needs to be shown to the camera. So it might be one of the best services that combine AR with a web camera. You can download what they call “Virtual mirror” from here and set up. Unfortunately, this service is available only on Windows.

Today I covered 5 Augmented Reality services which are being used in business. Unfortunately, at the moment there are not many opportunities we can feel and touch AR, but you can extrapolate how our lives might change with the current examples. With other technologies like location-based services and motion-capture services, AR will be part of the future revolution of the Internet.

If you know of other ground-breaking examples of AR, please tell us via the comments.

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Tags: AR, ikea, lego, ray-ban, sekai kamera, usps
This entry was posted on July 1st, 2010 at 1:58 pm and is filed under lifehacks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.