Augmented Reality has been predicted as a trend for 2010 and we’re already starting to see real life examples coming into play.
One of the Japanese companies that promptly employed AR technologies is Toppan Printing Co Ltd. It began testing a terminal that looks like a vending machine and features AR functions and functions to showcase products at three Ito-Yokado supermarkets in October 2009.
For example, consumers can use their mobile phones to read the QR codes that are printed together with sample product information on electronics fliers available on Toppan’s Website. After completing member registration on the Website, they receive a QR code. When they show the QR code to the camera equipped on one of the terminals, they can get a sample product.
Furthermore, when the package of a sample product is shown to the terminal’s camera, the display on the terminal superimposes the description of the product on a real image.
Here’s another great example of Augmented Reality from a Coca Cola Zero and Avatar advert:
