Weekly Mashup 43
July 24, 2014
Weekly Mashup 43
Interactive storybooks for kids come to life
Starting them early on augmented reality is Canadian tech startup Mercury Active, who have created Incredebooks, a series of interactive storybooks for children which burst into life when looked at through their app.
Gloves just got really, really smart
A wearable smart glove developed in the US gives users two robotic fingers - which respond intelligently to human movement - and will allow people to perform two-handed tasks with just one.
Augmented reality explained in colour
Print Power discusses our acquisition of Layar and illustrates the power of augmented reality when used in marketing via a hyper-detailed (and hyper-coloured) infographic.
A Commonwealth Games shuttle bus service is using augmented reality technology on their buses. First Glasgow placed images on the back of the bus seats that users unlock using the First Scotland AR app.
AR comic book artist seeks funding on Kickstarter
A Melbourne-based interactive comic artist named Sutu has created an AR comic book called Modern Polaxis which comes to life with a digital layer via smartphones. He is seeking AUD$9,000 on Kickstarter to fund the project.
Microsoft patents AR smart glasses
New patent filings suggest Microsoft is working on manufacturing smart glasses which use augmented reality technology to recognise objects in the physical world and predict their behaviour.
AR turns wall-climbing into a scary game
Wall-climbing in Finland just got a whole lot more fun. Researchers are using Kinect sensors and augmented reality projectors to throw virtual objects into the climber’s path, and show them where their ideal next move is.
IN THE NEWS
Can you work in tech without being a ‘techie’?
Our CMO Jess Butcher talks to Fortune magazine about co-founding Blippar, and explains that there needs to be a shift in the perception of what a ‘career in tech’ actually means.
Blippar features in Brother’s retail trend round-up
We get a shout-out in Brother Spark, the Brother blog, as one of three hot growing trends in retail technology, alongside the Amazon instant shopping #hashtag and the HiperKinetic shelf which tracks shopper habits.
Why the phrase 'augmented reality' should be retired
Find out more about why our dear term 'augmented reality' should not be used and how we are instead creating ‘a physical world domain’, where consumers can use objects as the physical keys to information or rewards online.
The Drum Live and its admirably ambitious use of Blippar
The Drum posts a behind-the-scenes video of the day their team created an entire magazine in 24 hours, and our Opportunities Director Stephen Shaw explains how making the entire issue blippable ‘certainly put our self-service platform Blippbuilder through its paces’.
How Blippar makes print engaging and interactive
A review of Blippar’s presence at The Drum Live, and how making print interactive helps it work harder, get more attention and give readers the best of both the online and offline worlds.
