Part 1 of an Interview with metaio’s Trak Lord on Augmented Reality Dirt- listen as he gives insight into metaio’s research, vision and roadmap [podcast]
The newest version of junaio is now available for iOS and Android- read more and download it today! [newsletter]
“Testing Out Augmented Reality” – Adi documents playing around with the metaio Creator and junaio [blog]
“Augmented Reality coming to the pages of the Atlantic”, QR Code Press [article]
XYQ Named Official Augmented Technology and New Media Partner of INDYCAR [press release]
Interview with metaio on NTV (German, but great clip) [video]
Metaio Announces Brand-New Pricing Model for Web SDK [blog]
mediagrand: 3D Object Tracking Augmented Reality [blog]
insideAR 2012: Save the Date, and contact us for speaking proposals and sponsorship information [Early Bird registration good until July 31st! [newsletter]
there are things happening
New patent shows Apple’s interest in its own “Project Glass” [article]
Japanese guy takes Pop Star Hatsune Miku out on [abusive] Augmented Reality Date [video]
Google demonstrates Project Glass whilst Skydiving [video]
Hatsune Miky is an adorable, completely digital Japanese celebrity created by Crypton Future Media in 2007 using YAMAHA’s “Vocaloid” Software. The (evidently) 16-year-old, 5’2” songstress’s voice has been samples in thousands and thousands of user-generated videos, audio tracks, animations etc. Her albums have even topped the Japanese charts- not bad for a girl that doesn’t exist!
Hatsune Miku may be a digital construct, but the great thing about Augmented Reality is that we can take digital and 3-D content and breathe life into it by placing it in the physical world. A virtual entity could assume all three dimensions and interact with the real world- and that’s exactly what we did for the beautiful Hatsune Miku in this most recent development for Toyota.
Toyota has been enamored with Hatsune Miku for quite some time now- they’ve produced numerous (and clever) video spots featuring the star interacting with people as though she were a real person, as well as print ads, billboards (they’re everywhere here in San Francisco) and an integrated social media campaign. We were happy to be able to (literally) bring a new dimension to Hatsune Miku’s recent introduction to the states.
iOS users can immediately access the experience by downloading the free Toyota Shopping Tool App in the iTunes App store. An Android update is coming soon, but until then users with Android devices can download metaio’s free mobile AR browser, junaio, and search for the “Hatsune Miku” channel to get the same cool performance. Once the app is launched, just point the camera at the image below (called a “ToyoTag“) to see Hatsune Miku singing “Big Dream” and dancing alongside her favorite vehicle, the 2011 Toyota Corolla.
metaio used the junaio Plugin to develop this app for a Toyota, a feature that combines the technology, audience (1.7 Million Downloads) and accessibility of junaio, the most advanced mobile Augmented Reality browser, with the added value of a custom branded white-label application. We were able to use the same superior image recognition technology and tracking algorithm as we use in junaio to integrate this experience directly into Toyota’s mobile app as if it were a white-label application. Even better, the modular structure of the Plugin allows content to be easily and efficiently modified and changed, making the junaio Plugin a great development and branding solution.
Read the full press release here, and be sure to stay posted on all of Hatsune Miku’s exploits in America with Toyota. And make sure to check out this great video of the experience below:
Posted by Trak 
