SLARToolkit is a flexible Augmented Reality library for Silverlight with the aim to make real time Augmented Reality applications with Silverlight as easy and fast as possible. It can be used with Silverlight’s Webcam API or with any other CaptureSource or a WriteableBitmap. SLARTookit is based on the established NyARToolkit and ARToolkit. SLARToolkit uses a dual license model and could be used for open or closed source applications under certain conditions. See the License page for details.
There are two samples available; one uses Silverlight’s 3D projection capabilities and the other the 3D game engine Balder. The samples are part of the source code repository, but not included in the binary release.
A webcam and at least the Silverlight 4 runtime must be installed to run the samples. At the moment the beta developer runtime is available for Windows and Mac. Alternatively there are also videos of the samples in action linked below.
The SLAR and / or L marker should be printed non scaled at the original size (80 x 80 mm) and centered for a small white border. See the Markers documentation for details. Then hold the printed marker in front of the camera and move it around. Make sure the camera is set up properly and the scene is illuminated well without hard shadows.
Silverlight Projection Sample
Open the sample and press the “Start Fun” Button or watch the video.
A low-cost, motion and position capturing, data glove for 3D interaction with virtual objects in augmented reality (AR) environments.
What do you mean, really?
The Zerkin Glove, is the most intuitive input device using natural hand gestures – like you’ve only seen in sci-fi movies – with a consumer friendly price.
The glove enables accurate 1-to-1 tracking of one’s entire arm – from shoulder to knuckles – without external reference infrastructure (such as cameras, sensors, scanners) allowing intuitive interaction with virtual objects in augmented reality environments such as games, education, 3D design, training, healthcare and more.
Why is it important?
Augmented reality applications, which promise to change the way people interact with the world, have been largely focused on augmenting one’s field of view with additional information. The Zerkin glove is the missing element for enhancing the interaction in any handsfree mobile AR application.
How does it work?
Thanks to the use of inexpensive off-the-shelf components such as flex sensors, gyros, accelerometer, and compass headings, the glove precisely tracks the slightest gestures in the augmented reality space. Based on a proprietary patent-pending method. The graphics are overlaid relative to fiducial markers using AR tracking software. A pair of see-through AR glasses complements the experience as display for a first person perspective.
FLARManager’s smoothing and adaptive thresholding display algorithms are now broken out into separate classes, allowing developers to implement their own algorithms. see Inside FLARManager: Customization for more info. additionally, custom smoother and threshold display algorithms can be implemented via flarConfig.xml, to allow fine-tuning without recompiling.
Better 2D support
added .x, .y, .z, .rotation2D, .scale2D, and .matrix2D properties to FLARMarker, for easier access to 2D transformation properties that used to be hidden inside FLARToolkit’s 3D transformation matrices.
Better camera management
changes to FLARCameraSource provide better camera management, with less of a chance that the wrong camera will be auto-selected.
FLARManager deactivation and disposal
improved support for de- and reactivating, and for completely removing FLARManager from memory.
Native mirroring
developers no longer need to flip the viewport to achieve mirroring. when FLARManager.mirrorDisplay is set to true (as it is by default), FLARManager internally mirrors the matrices generated by FLARToolkit.
Personalized Media have developed a list of the top 16 Augmented Reality Business Models.
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1. IN SITU:
Aiding sale by seeing projects placed in the environment before completion. The benefit of a customer or client seeing a finished project, before it is complete. For example 1) real estate agents can scan and show an empty house full of stylish furniture or 2) an architect who can show the billion dollar client the skyscraper as a model perfectly aligned with the other buildings on the empty site and 3) Customers who want to see what the clothes look like on ‘them’. The list of applications goes on.
2. UTILITY:
Selling life enhancing AR applications perceived as useful. Development and commercial sale of applications such as underground train orientation, bus stops & times, traffic alerts, airport gates & plane arrivals etc: all overlaid in real space. Sometimes called AR browsers as they cross reference what or who you are looking at with anything or everything off the web.
3. TRAINING:
Hands-on with complex equipment and work scenarios. Using ‘outline’ recognition this allows us to be virtually ‘hands-on’ with complex equipment in difficult-to-practise work scenarios. Bomb disposal, surgery, flight simulation. . Indeed according to wikipedia the actual phrase Augmented Reality was coined by Tom Caudell in 1992 while at Boeing where workers trained to wire aircraft on AR systems. A massive industry for the developer community charging b2b rates.
4. SOCIAL GAMING:
Both connotations of the word, pay-per-play mixed reality games in physical space. The potential to run pay per play (e.g: virtual paintball style) games in physical location and also live connected betting on sports or other competitive play – e.g: You point your iPhone at the horse and wirelessly place a bet – mid race! (odds adjusted of course) or using basic surface AR you play with others in a new kind of ‘games’ room!
5. LOCATION LAYERS:
Blended guides to new places, tourism, enhanced travelling or themed space. For travellers just arrived at your city, theme park or other experience you can provide them with pay for tools that will help them take the most ‘mutually beneficial’ route after they arrive. Free data from wikipedia, local bloggers or more commercial entities add depth.
6. VIRTUAL DEMO:
Display to promote sale, of product in pre-release or remotely via catalogue etc: To promote advance sales before the consumer gismo hits the stores, an AR display or the device/s so potential customers can manipulate it, see it from all sides, even customise the order. We may see future stores displaying the majority of items on the shop floor as AR while the item is shipped to your house before you get home! The reverse of this, an AR catalogue that pops up models to help you build or see the product in 3D.
7. EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION:
Pay-per-visit educational services to museums, ancient sites etc: Pay-per-visit (ppv) to visit highly experiential museums, theme parks, zoos, ancient sites or exhibitions but with a higher purpose of providing deeper levels of information & visual sense than a simple plague or hard to follow guide book ever will. The sleepy animals in the zoo come to life, the ancient fossil is animated into an overlaid Google Earth, the Battle is enacted ‘on the original battlefield.
8. ENHANCED CLASSIFIEDS:
An AR directory that promotes local 3rd parties product & services overlaid at the location. One of the obvious apps where someone in a city or town looking for a specific item could be ‘guided’ to it. A very affiliate model where the company that owns the Augmented Reality listing mechanism will take a slice of any fulfilled sales. A lot more to this of course.
9. 3D VIRALS:
Branded company or personal promotion & ads using ‘cool’ 3D toys. Pattern based 3D model that entertains and is spread virally. The YouTube moment as a million links to cool ‘3D stuff’ that takes place next to you. Already we see some AR apps that allow you to record scenes of you interacting with said ‘3D viral’ and pass those around too, titillation, quirky giveaways– JibJab-type, put ‘you’ in the cartoon but revered, they are with you in 3D space.
10. PERSONALIZED SHOPPING:
Walking around stores made relevant, opt in personalization and targeting. The oft mentioned Minority Report example. But in the pulled model, here you can deliver information to potential customers scanning stores, streets or shelves for discounted or personally relevant products.
11. COOPERATION:
Service industry for augmented virtual meetings. We are all familiar with video conferencing, a few have dabbled in 3D virtual world get togethers but AR meetings are a game changer. The potential here using ‘discrete’ personal screens is to have the inevitable remote meeting with live feeds of your colleagues, blended into your room – pay-per-ARmeet
12. BLENDED BRANDING:
The equivalent of hoardings, virtual poster ads. Once given a reason to be scanning outdoor areas with their AR devices the potential to deliver topical, timely and relevant ads or branding into the scene. Again care must be taken as AR spam (like social network spam) will quickly irritate, but like free to air TV, using various sponsored or freemium biz models will mean a certain amount of branding will be acceptable.
13. AUGMENTED EVENTS:
Pay-per-use of enhanced sport or pop concerts. At live events spectators can pay and then scan their view of the ‘match’ for the latest information on sporting achievement or pop star gossip and of course tracking trails or watching replays in situ, merged over say a static real sporting scene.
14. INTERTAINMENT:
New form experiential TV and films. Following on from my ‘AR story’ post, we know people will pay a premium for a new kind of ‘film’ experience where you ‘live the experience’. How about one that plays out at ‘your’ place. Semi customised marker or location AR apps will layer Brad or Angie into your lounge, onto the coffee table or your ‘composited’ in real time into the latest Mixed Reality TV show. Combined with 3D viewing technology will make Blu-Ray seem so 18th century.
15. UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMS:
Creating AR for internal or exploded views of complex objects. Primarily useful in training or helping sell something where physically taking it apart is not possible a view of a car or other complex object can be enhanced. Labels or even an exploded view in real time can help get the message across.
16. RECOGNITION & TARGETING:
Pushing ‘relevance’ to outdoor consumers – facial recognition linked to online data. To be used with care! It will be interesting to see how privacy laws affect this but in a pushed model you could ‘scan’ visitors to your store, identify their faces, do background links to their ‘social networks’ followed by personal targeting while they are shopping. We all know this is going to happen!
Apple gave users (and developers) the impression that the 3.1 firmware would provide support for AR apps. However, as Orin Inbar points out on Games Alfresco, 3.1 only brings ’semi support’ for AR apps. While developers can now overlay graphics on a live video stream, it is still not possible for developers to actually analyze the live video stream. Many AR apps like ARSights track markers or objects and then replace them with their own info. On the iPhone, this is currently only supported through a private API and, as Inbar notes, chances are that Apple won’t allow such an app into the store.
On the other hand, though, apps that don’t need this functionality and only need to be able to overlay text over a video such as Layar or Wikitude should now be a possibility on the iPhone after they already made their debut on Android quite a while ago.
Today a bird told us that iPhone wont allow access to live video on the API’s 3.1. That means that there wont be chances to make a Marker Augmented Reality app for iPhone -for now-.
For now, AR community’s iPhone developers will have to concentrate their forces into browsers like Layar or Wikitude , based on compass & gyro to create the AR effect.
So.. stop dreaming about pet jumping around a marker… or stuff like that.
We all hope that Apple start thinking forward again as always did…