Reality check: Adidas launches augmented reality trainers

London – Consumers wearing Adidas trainers can now connect to a 3D virtual world, thanks to one of this year’s hottest technologies: augmented reality (AR).

‘The foundation of augmented reality lies in adding a layer to the real world,’ says Chris Barbour, head of digital marketing for Adidas Originals. ‘We have taken a real-world item and added a fantastic virtual world on top of that.’

Sneaker fans gain access to this fantastic virtual world by logging on to the Adidas website and holding their shoe in front of the computer screen. Once the computer’s webcam has recognised a marker embedded in the trainer’s tongue, the animation appears on the screen. The shoe can then be used as a controller to navigate around Adidas’s virtual world.

Physical items will increasingly be linked with online worlds through AR in 2010. The technology has already made news within the mobile market, where mobile AR services are estimated to be worth $732m (£458m; €510m) globally by 2014, according to Juniper Research.