Just a few days ago Facebook launched a new camera platform for developers that pushes augmented reality forward. Augmented reality (AR) plans to change the way we interact with photos, restaurants, museums, sports, and for all its worth- life. It takes your basic 2D photos and transforms them into 3D and/or 360-degree photos.
At the recent F8 Developers Facebook Conference, Mark transformed his simple bowl of cereal and O.J. into a shark tank with swimming virtual sharks that knew object relativity well enough to not run into the cereal bowl. Crazy, right?!
The world got a taste of augmented reality when Pokemon Go was released, but this takes it to a whole new level. This AR will not only allow you to add 3D effects to your photos, it will also allow you to access a “virtual world” if you will.
You can eat at your favorite restaurant and order your favorite signature dish, then snap a photo and add a review right there in this “alternate” world. Now anyone who visits this restaurant will be able to see the various reviews, all inside their smartphone. It is like a secret Yelp universe that you can only get to through augmented reality.
In a nutshell, AR means that we will be able to transform our photos into moving, interactive, life-like experiences. The plan does not stop there; many believe that in just a few years holograms will be added to the list.
All of this means that now people will be able to snap a photo of their coffee and add interactive emotions, such as moving steam or swimming sharks. Or they can transform a boring photo of their office space into a candy store and fill it with Skittles. The opportunities that will follow this breakthrough are endless, especially when talking about the sporting realm.
These augmented reality enhancements will revolutionize the way we experience and consume sports. You can now fill Wrigley Field with bouncy balls or water snap a review of your favorite tailgating spot and add it to a AR Yelp.
Gone are the days of a simple mustache filter on Snapchat; say hello to swimming sharks in your coffee.
We want to hear some of your thoughts on the future of AR! Tell us in the comments below.