The Marketing Technologist

Was just a matter of time. This does look like a nice execution though…

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/09/topps-launches-3d-live-baseball-cards-video-cards-on-deck/

This is a few days old, but an amazingly nice implementation of Augmented Reality and it ties in so slickly with their TV campaign.

They are promoting the experience with rich media/video ads and even include their scarecrow character into the piece.

Take the time to print out the marker page and try it out.

http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/augmented_reality

So they introduced this prototype of an wearable augmented reality system at TED.

It’s a MIT offering, so that explains the high innovation and the lack of polish.

But it does make ya think about the potential…

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/06/mits-sixth-sense-augmented-reality-demonstrated-on-video/

Over the last few months a few interesting Augmented Reality examples have come on the scene. Each a little different, but each showing the potential of mapping information and virtual objects or characters on top of real time displays:

Mini’s Augmented Advertising
http://www.campur.net/blog/2008/12/21/mini-cooper-augmented-reality-ads.html

WikiTude and Enkin’s Apps for the Android Mobile Platform. (leveraging camera, GPS and compass functions)
http://www.mobilizy.com/wikitude.php
http://www.enkin.net/

Iphone Augmented Reality
http://gizmodo.com/5027674/iphone-augmented-reality-program-wont-fool-any-girls

Flash Augmented Reality
http://www.boffswana.com/news/

Augmented reality is partially just a “special effect” right now, but it it does have some really interesting potential especially as all of the components are getting more accurate and the programming more sophisticated.

Definately a topic worth following.