I don’t need to tell you how cool augmented reality is, but it’s definitely got some limitations (e.g. barcodes and markers). But Sony’s new SmartAR technology, which doesn’t rely on real-world markers, may put that issue to rest.
Sony’s main win here is that this new technology tracks objects at a much higher speed than previously allowed:
The object captured by the camera is quickly recognised and can be tracked at high-speed along with the movement of the camera, as it is displayed over the actual 3D space.
To do this high-speed tracking, SmartAR combines “object recognition technology” (for things like photographs and posters) and “3D space recognition technology”. The 3D space recognition makes it so the image on the screen can be anything and any size – from a tiny, pink bear to a man-eating T-Rex. But I think the real test will be seeing how games work with SmartAR. Just imagine having some plumber dressed in red popping through that green pipe that appeared in your room from out of nowhere. [Sony via CrunchGear]