Augment reality with Sony's SmartAR tech
Get more from your photos and posters.
Imagine viewing a poster or a photo through a Sony smartphone and seeing additional information leap from that source dynamically on to the screen.
Say hello to Sony's newest invention, SmartAR.
Virtual objects, images and text can all theoretically appear when an object is viewed through the smartphone device. To your eye, the object will look normal, unremarkable.
You'll even be able to interact with the spawned information by touching it on the smartphone screen.
The clever bit comes from SmartAR requiring no marker to produce flashy augmented reality content. Remember PlayStation 3 AR card game Eye of Judgement that used PlayStation Eye? Each card had a barcode as a marker from which the game spawned on-screen 3D monsters.
Using technology created for robots, SmartAR does without markers and can apparently track and recognise objects at high speeds.
Sony will continue experimenting with SmartAR with an eye to adding "new value to various services and business applications such as advertising and games".