Augmented Reality—The Future Is Digital(ish)

I took a look at VR and AR projects this week, and boy was my mind blown! It seems like designers are always reinventing the wheel, but this time it’s virtual and spinning on our coffee tables.

I found a really interesting Kickstarter campaign (unfortunately I was too late to back the project) centered around Augmented Reality board games. Tilt Fives’ Holographic gaming table allows people to play some of their favorite tabletop games without the clean up and, if your friends have one as well, without needing to leave your home on game night. It’s quite pricy, almost $900 for the board and equipment for 3 players, but as game lovers jump on board (see what I did there?) it is sure to lessen in price. I know my brother could use something like this, his board game collection is already spilling out of the closet and with new games being made every year virtual gaming seems like the perfect alternative to a 30 foot tall stack of board games.

I also came across an apple watch application that allows you to visualize your heart beating in real time. This one creeped me out as much as it amazed me—I don’t think I’m ready to see most of my internal organs working outside of my body—but the implications it makes for the future of medical science are astronomical. I’ve had my share of issues trying to describe my injuries to a doctor, but tech like this could leap that hurdle in seconds. If we could see what’s wrong from the inside out it could change the culture of ‘suck it up, you’re being a baby’ forever.