Designingenjörerna AB (DING) has excellent knowledge of Augmented Reality technology and is one of the Swedish pioneers in this field. As early as 2009 we started working with AR and registered the vacant domain name augmentedreality.se. On this page we go through how the technology works and how we can help you develop your AR production.
What is Augmented Reality?
One can describe Augmented Reality (AR) as a combination of reality and a visual layer of data. A really good Swedish translation is not available but Augmented Reality is sometimes called "Enhanced reality".
To be called Augmented Reality, three things must be fulfilled:
- The sense impression will come from both reality and digital at the same time.
- The two worlds should match each other geometrically.
- It should happen in real time.
How does Augmented Reality work?
There are several different frameworks and programs that can be used to produce an AR application. When the AR application is started, it will look for a marker, a surface or another reference to place the AR object on. When found, the application knows what type of information is to be displayed, such as texts, images, video or a 3D object.
The AR application can be built to function as a program on the computer, to a mobile phone or be completely web-based and run in the computer's web browser.
Mobile-AR
Many AR applications for mobile phones use the built-in GPS to view POIs and additional data. Sometimes working in unison with the phone's camera to find a surface to place the 3D object on, an example of this is the popular game Pokémon GO. As the phones get better, it is now also possible to display 3D objects directly on the ground, or use object recognition to place the augmented layer.
DING works primarily with the Vuforia framework for marker-based AR for iOS (iPhone and iPad) and Android.
Marker/Pattern
Many AR applications use a marker (or pattern as it is also called). The task of the cursor is to provide information to the AR application where the 3D object is to be displayed and its orientation. To get the right orientation, the image of the cursor should therefore be asymmetrical, so that the application knows what is "front, back, up and down". The pattern can be a flat image, but in more advanced AR applications, the application can recognize objects from, for example, a video stream.
Applications
It may sound like a cliché, but with AR it is the imagination that sets the limits. Below are a few examples of how we helped our customers use the technology. Maybe you want to develop an application similar to any of these or something completely new? We can help you realize your vision.
Selection of AR productions
Here we present some of the AR productions we have completed. Below you can also see video clips from these.
Mazda Drive
Can one drive a car in a piece of paper? We developed a Facebook application where it was possible to get into themselves and a friend in a Mazda6 in Augmented Reality. You could then drive the car in a game, where the cursor was used as a steering wheel.
Save the Children - Different
“Different” the book contains markers that can be displayed against the webcam; whereupon 3D models, sounds or images appear in Augmented Reality. The book was produced as a collaboration between Save the Children and the Pocket Publisher where the proceeds of the book's sales went to Save the Children. Read more >
Currently
On behalf of the company Superlativo, we produced an AR production for the digital and interactive exhibition For The Moment. The exhibition was shown in Stockholm, Malmö and in Brussels. Two three-dimensional objects, an armchair and a football field, appeared when the camcorder found the markers placed on a pair of boxes. The drawers were able to lift and rotate, which made it possible to see the object from all angles. The football pitch also had a small football that could be steered depending on how the user angled the box.
Mazda Drive
Sweden's first AR book; Different.
Augmentedreality.se is owned and operated by Designingenjörerna AB (DING)