Xenium‘s latest AR app Close up with Stars was delivered in quick time for Dharma production’s movie “Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani” in association with Mindshare , OMD and Hindustan Unilever. Closeup, India’s Market leader in gel toothpaste segment for over three decades, is collaborating as the partner of Dharma Production’s upcoming Bollywood movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Closeup has launched a limited edition of a toothpaste pack. Each pack includes a Closeup friendship band autographed by Ranbir Kapoor & Deepika Padukone. Due to our Indian Metaio-colleague, Sudhanshu Kapoor, they are both “currently the biggest heart-throbs in India”!
Sudhanshu Kapoor, Business Development Manager OEMs at metaio, with Naina in the perfect CloseUp moment!
The occasion witnessed the launch of a Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani – centric Closeup TV commercial introducing the special Closeup packs with autographed friendship bands. In addition, with a live demo, the lead pair of the movie – Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone also announced the launch of a unique ‘closeup with stars’ augmented reality application, now available on Google play store and soon for iOS. The stars also publicized an online event on May 28, wherein they would host an exclusive webchat on http://www.facebook.com/closeupindia
Get up close with Badtameez Bunny and Nerdy Naina in a whole new way! Customers could watch the stars of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD) rock to Badtameez Dil on the special new CloseUp pack. All people have to do is download the CloseUp With Stars app on your phone and scan the crazy duo’s pic on the pack. And voilá, the pic comes alive on the phone. What’s more is that you can enjoy exclusive access to music and videos from the movie and even get a pic clicked with Ranbir and Deepika!
Xenium provides comprehensive solutions for Mobile AR app. For this special case, the programming team used the most advanced AR software tools from Metaioand the design team optimized the video and animation content create this very special AR experience. N. Md. Parveez, CEO of Xenium, says: “After overcoming all challenges and successfully launching the Close up with Stars-App, new doors of opportunities are opened for Video AR technology on mobile devices.”
As promised last week on our junaio Blog, we decided to provide you with more information on the incredible application ‘Find Brutus’ created by Bradley A. Henry, Software Developer/Engineer at Ohio State University. The app helps students to explore the Ohio State Campus through their mobile Android devices. Named after the school’s mascot, Brutus Buckeye, the augmented reality application cleverly uses voice recognition, geolocation, artificial intelligence as well as intelligent tutoring systems to provide the service to the campus community.
In an interview given exclusively for metaio, Bradley A. Henry is speaking about the idea behind, the technical facts and the ongoing working processes.
What actually is ‘Find Brutus’?
In technical terms: Find Brutus is an Intelligent Mixed Reality (IMR) application using a Virtual Tour Agent (VTA – patent pending) framework. An Intelligent Mixed Reality (IMR) application is the inclusion of Augmented Reality (AR), voice-recognition (VR), geolocation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) into a mobile accessible user experience.
In broader terms: Find Brutus is a Mobile Virtual Tour Guide designed for incoming students and visitors to the Ohio State University designed specifically as a graduate research project. A user will explore campus through pre-defined target locations on campus. As the user approaches the location 3D Brutus will appear in mobile view as the indicator that they are approaching the first target. When the user identifies the location, as seen through their mobile device, the user will prompted with a few questions, including hints, about the target to answer. As the user answers each question they will then move to the next target. Version 2 is where VTA gets really exciting, see below.
Is it already a working application and in which context did you create it?
Yes, the beta version is complete. We used the free version of the Metaio SDK for Android. We are going to begin working on the iOS application over the summer as well as for Google Glass. Because the most exciting news is that this project is also part of the Google Glass Explorer pilot. We will be using Google Glass with the application to study student interactions and cognitive processing. The design of this version is study the affect of an incoming student to the university. The goal is to increase the students knowledge of the university campus and resources while acclimating them to their surroundings. If successful this should increase the students experience their first year attending The Ohio State University.
How many people were involved in the development on the application?
‘Find Brutus’ is the framework for my PhD thesis. But nevertheless a lot of players are involved: It is truly a community of engineers working on this application. I have counted over 80 people that have touched this project to some degree, currently over 8 of the Colleges and 6 departments at the university. To me this is what it looks like when organizations and people work together.
Included was also the College of Engineering Capstone project, which just won the CETI best in class project. This was a pretty extraordinary surprise, considering the level of competition. I have been blessed to work with some of the most amazing individuals. I was overwhelmed that the project was selected.
Virtual Tour Guiding has been a dream of metaio for a long time now and we are sure to bring the concept of the ‘Augmented City’ into real life. In which fields do you feel a real value for VTG?
Long-term objectives for it is to use the framework as a mechanism for navigation of locations, and buildings and as an educational device that will include simulations that work within real-world environments. Example, educate professionals or students, such as nurses or doctors in their work environment. How this would work, using an emergency room, fully equipped, a learner would wearing a pair of Google Glasses and would be required to resolve simulated problem-based scenarios that interact with the environment. A doctor would interact with a virtual nurse using to perform surgical procedures.
Could you think about other examples of using AR and Virtual-Tour-Guiding in educational environment?
Another example could be the Thompson Library Foundation Stones Tour (Submitted idea in the OSU AR Hackathon): A student would view the foundation stones through their mobile device. The stones would provide information, such as origin, ethnicity, world regions, and text and voice translation capability. The student could tour the stones, seek information on specific origins, request information such as publications, videos, research that is available through the OSU library or tour the library. An additional concept idea submitted by the University Archives includes a historical view of the campus through time. Using AR a user can explore the campus in any given decade using Glass. Example, you can be on the oval wearing Glass and prompt the VTA to view the campus in 1850. As your line of site moves images, and information, of the campus in 1850 would appear in the glasses.
What future projects are already in the line?
We are also putting on a one day display at the Columbus Museum of Art, fellow students, the Ohio Film Commission and Columbus Fashion Week will are also participating. We are currently discussing a fall project. In addition, we are also discussing a live DJ event with augmented reality later in the year. I work with a very creative group of people.
Version 1 capabilities:
• Mobile accessible
• Augmented reality
• Geo-location notifications
• Includes the first approved 3D Brutus Buckeye through OSU licensing. Version 2
• Voice activation (Siri type functions)
• AI/Intelligent computer interactions (Collaboration with the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of Technology)
• Geo-location direction service (ask for specific outdoor directions from your current location)
• First scanned 3D Human Agent
• Web Accessible Agents (Collaboration with the University of Memphis FedEx Institute of Technology)
Metaio and Junaio partner Concepteers GmbH has released yet another very cool project. This time, they worked with Toshiba Germany to place Toshiba products directly into the mobile user’s living room using augmented reality. Or office, or car, or basically anywhere you could use a phone!
The Toshiba Digital Living Room app works together with Toshiba’s Product Catalog to allow mobile users in the DACH region to visualize reduced-scale products like L4, M6, L7, M8 and M9 Televisons or the Qosmio X870, Satellite P870 and Satellite U920t notebooks.
Michael Mathieu, Managing Director of Concepteers, says: “We went with Metaio as the AR provider since it is widespread and offers an advanced AR feature set that allows us to develop the best possible AR experience for our customers.”
Concepteers is a valued partner of Metaio, and continues to deliver amazing augmented reality projects with our technology. Check them out on Facebook or visit their website to learn more about the company and the projects they release.
The app is available today for both Google Play and iOS devices. You can visit Toshiba’s website to learn more about the augmented reality app at http://toshiba.de/ar or just scan this convenient QR code with your device (hopefully using Junaio!) to be directed automatically to the experience.
Brought to you by the same minds that brought you- well, Augmented Minds, this is a brand-new service that allows people to attach real-life sentiment in the form of digital greeting cards, anchored to everyone’s favorite snail mail: postcards. With pixories, friends and family can upload their own special videos and send them anywhere in the world (hopefully, to someone you know) to be accessed through the pixories app in true augmented reality fashion.
Pixories is currently available as a free download for iPhone and iPad, with an Android version soon to follow. This incredible app was built with the powerful Metaio augmented reality software, available for free download right from our website, http://metaio.com/products.
From pixories:
“Many of us tend to store their postcards in special places like a picturewall or on front of the fridge and with pixories the memories stored in those cards can be accessed fast and easy”, states Markus Ambrus, CEO and cofounder of pixories. “The possibility of storing digital data in real, common objects like printed postcards fascinates me. Digital Videos now can be wrapped in a real gift without the need of hardware like USB-Sticks or CDs and DVDs.”
Video:
“But where do they get these wonderful postcards?!” you might be saying to yourself as you wring your hands through your hair. Fear not! You can make them yourself through the pixories website, right here. “What about shipping?!” Well, they do that, too.
Wondering what they’re doing now? Stay up to date with this great new service at their blog, on Facebook, or even on Twitter.
The best interactive augmented reality CMS gets brand new user interface and experience for print media
MUNICH & SAN FRANCISCO, 31 OCTOBER 2012: Metaio, the world leader in augmented reality (AR) software and solutions today released the latest version of its Metaio Creator, the only commercially available desktop drag-and-drop content authoring software optimized for all print media.
“Publishers and design professionals aren’t necessarily experts in Augmented Reality yet,” said Peter Meier, Metaio CTO. “The Creator makes it easy for them to not only launch an experience but also to scale their content – massively.”
The newest version of the Metaio Creator is the most powerful Augmented Reality content production system available. It’s the ideal tool for publishers and designers who want to bridge the digital and real worlds to add content to their print media- magazines, t-shirts, posters, logos, business cards, catalogs- nearly any image or object is just clicks away from being augmented. Publishers, Designers, Brands and Agencies don’t always have access to Augmented Reality developers. This tool allows them to easily integrate and manage augmented reality content in their mobile ecosystems. Over 300 million magazines and catalogs have already been delivered in 2012 powered by Metaio Augmented Reality technology. The Metaio Creator will enable a content explosion for augmented reality, the likes of which have not seen since the beginning days of the internet. Learn more and download the free version athttp://metaio.com/products/creator
The Metaio Creator deploys to the Cloud and major mobile platforms like Android and iOS. Publish to the Junaio Augmented Reality Browser or a native app using the powerful Metaio SDK. Powered by the Augmented Reality Experience Language (AREL), the Metaio Creator lets nearly anyone produce mobile AR interactions without any coding necessary. Watch the video to get started, or visit dev.metaio.com/creator/tutorials/the-basics/
We recently conducted a lovely survey of some of our users and developers in the hopes that we would get their thoughts and feedback on the metaio Mobile SDK, one of the best platforms out there for developing robust, vision-based augmented reality applications for Android and iOS.
We promised that one lucky winner, chosen at random, would receive a free Custom Branded Option (~$6k value) Mobile SDK and we’re happy to announce that the winner is Paul Lewis of mediagrand!
Paul was ecstatic about his good news:
Winning a copy of the metaio Mobile SDK custom branding option (CBO) is fantastic news and I’m really excited about it.
Having a copy of the CBO version means we’ll be able to significantly reduce the cost of development, which is great news for our clients. It will also help us to establish our position in the growing augmented reality industry which is a great boost.
Looking ahead, we have clients wanting to create their own AR apps that reflect what they’ve seen in other apps on the market. Being able to reduce our costs will hopefully provide the impetus for those ideas to finally move into production which is great for business, and for the growth of augmented reality as a whole.
Great to hear, Paul. Hopefully this lucky win leads to a slew of cool, upcoming projects!
Both iOS and Android users can download the amazing IKEA Catalogue app for free(!) to discover all 43 pieces of augmented and activated content when the publication finally hits mail and IKEA stores around the world.
Check out all the great press around this innovative product catalog:
Mobile devices are evidently the warmest place to hide.
metaio had the opportunity to develop this very cool mobile application with Universal Pictures to promote the highly-anticipated prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter cult-classic of the same name, out in theaters October 14th. We wanted to create a game that drew on the same suspense, horror, and isolation of the film while generating excitement for its release.
After downloading and launching the free THE THING: Flamethrower application for Android or iOS, players assume the role of one of the surviving Antarctic scientists, trapped in a virtual laboratory and assailed from all sides by creepy alien hybrid versions of their former colleagues.
Sounds like fun, right?
We really mean all sides, because this game is played in 360 degrees- players will have to move their mobile device in real life to defend themselves from the attacking aliens. FYI- it’s dark, the lighting quality is very poor, and you only have a limited amount of flamethrower fuel.
Try to hold out as long as you can, but as fans and people familiar with the film know- it’s very difficult to survive THE THING.
After playing, check out the INFECT YOURSELF feature that uses our advanced Facial Recognition AR capability. Watch as THE THING literally rips your face apart. Even Danika of @twitt_AR fame succumbed to the crafty invasive life form:
This game utilized metaio’s advanced Mobile SDK, the most comprehensive solution to create Augmented Reality applications for iOS and Android. Featuring a high-level API and the latest image recognition technologies, it allows developers to produce high-quality applications with low effort. And best of all: we’re releasing a free version in the near future.
Once again- the film hits theaters this Friday, October 14, so get out to your local cinema and happily cringe to this great horror thriller that more than does justice to the 1982 film.
For more info, check out the press release and don’t forget to download this amazing game.
metaio is pleased to announce that the latest version of our Design software is now available for download.
Once again, AR is neither a sci-fi fantasy nor something limited to gimmicky one-off applications. Our design software enables anyone with a Windows PC to produce rich, interactive content. Our clients and partners use Design in trade shows, integrated marketing campaigns, classrooms, commercial applications, internal demonstrations and much more.
If you’re not already familiar with Design, you may have heard about our wonderful project with LEGO, now deployed in every LEGO-branded store in the world.
For the new 2.5 update we’ve rolled out the following updates:
New features:
Facetracking: for tracking a users face and overlaying3D content (e.g. hats, glasses etc.)
Extensible tracking: for tracking in unknown environments the system automatically creates and updates an internal map of features for tracking based on the camera image. This allows you to move around freely with your camera and the system adjusts on the fly.
A Design license (post-activation) is bound to the user’s PC, so moving / transferring the license is not allowed. There are however cases where a user would need to transfer a license, such as when uploading to a new machine. Starting with Design 2.5, license holders will have the ability to transfer their licenses twice.
To send a request or purchase a license dongle, contact sales (at) metaio (dot) com.
To transfer your license, go here. Enter your activation key and click Get Licenses.
Has this ever happened to you: You are in a store, you’ve found the perfect kitchen appliance, but what about the color? Will it fit with your kitchen at home? Does the vendor have any better alternatives? If you could only try it out!
This is what the new iPad 3D Studio App by Bosch (developed by metaio) does for the buyer. ColorGlass kitchen appliances from Robert Bosch Hausgeräte GmbH, from ovens to microwaves, have received various design awards and can be delivered in a range of colors and surface styles. The free app helps the buyer make the right choice. Take a picture of your kitchen, select the type of appliance you are interested in and pick a color. With the help of Augmented Reality the chosen appliance can then be placed, correctly scaled, on the image of your kitchen in order to let you see how it looks. Feel free to experiment with all colors and styles available.
Alternatively, if no picture of the user’s kitchen is at hand, the app offers a choice of kitchen scenes. This app is a brilliant idea to remove any nagging uncertainty and to guarantee the right choice for a significant purchase of this kind. Be sure to watch the video and visit the links above for more information, and easily start designing your new kitchen!
Posted by anglmaslov 
