The world is yours: Project demonstrates augmented possibilities

Cambridge, Massachusetts – A new wearable interface could add a whole new layer of interaction with our surrounding environment, and change the way we communicate with objects in our lives. The ‘SixthSense’ project by MIT student Pranav Mistry employs a camera and a tiny projector to visually augment any surface or object users interact with, allowing them to engage with the augmented-reality environments through simple hand gestures.

Augmented reality lets us mash together current visual technologies with physical objects to increase our exploration of our surroundings. Companies such as GeoVector and Total Immersion, who are pioneering these new environments, are putting these technologies to work in increasingly approachable and realistic solutions that brands may use to increase the interaction between their products and their customers. It might not be long before consumers are able to pass their personal augmented viewing device over the olive bar at the local grocery store, to be presented with interactive digital images of Tuscan olive trees waiting to be harvested by hand.