Weekly Mashup 61

Augmented reality comes to the graveyard Startup Smart

An Australian startup named Eternal Memoria is planning on turning a visit to a cemetery into an interactive digital experience – by putting QR codes on gravestones to enable mobile users to access photos, videos and dedications online.

© Peek

Eye-testing app could help millions without access to optical healthcare Mashable

A British team of eye care specialists and product developers are crowdfunding for Peek, an innovative mobile app and adaptor kit that can conduct high-quality eye examinations anywhere in the world.

© Holoroom

Use augmented reality to renovate your bathroom The Record

Canadian department store Lowes has introduced an augmented reality simulator, Holoroom, allowing people to ‘see’ what renovated bathrooms and other home improvements will look like before making a purchase.

© Comedy Central

Superb tech advancements mean virtual reality is something we’ll actually use Tech Crunch

Laughed off the market a decade ago, astonishing developments in terms of quality, speed and functionality of the technology have made virtual reality products such as Oculus Rift a realistic proposition.

Consumers now have ‘scan reflex’, heralding 2015 image-recognition app boom Mobile Commerce Daily

With more and more people understanding that ‘blipping’ physical products unlocks their secret digital identity, apps such as Blippar can expect to soar in popularity over the next year.

The future of mobile marketing is augmented reality The Financial Express

More brands are choosing to incorporate AR capabilities into their marketing campaigns, as they realise its power to encourage active participation and engagement from customers.

© Quikkly

Quikkly offer action-specific QR codes (but they’re still pretty clunky) Tech Crunch

The Quikkly app scans an Action Tag that might take the mobile user to a brand’s Facebook page, a Spotify playlist, a Twitter feed or a location on Google Maps.

© Google

AR glasses set to play a big role in warehousing and shipping operations The Loadstar

German logistics giant DHL’s director of trend research Markus Kuckelhaus believes such technology will become mainstream in warehouse operations, particularly picking and packing, where operatives ‘typically a have a list and a handheld scanner’.