Developing With Augmented Reality in the Real World with Eric Weber
When developers get together and talk about what they are excited about in the dev world, you start to get a sense of what has the potential to be a game changer. There is a feeling of possibility when something new is being explored. One such example is innovation in augmented reality. DevFest New Haven presenter Eric Weber gave us a rundown of how Augmented Reality is creating a new realm of possibilities for developers.
Eric is the founder of mobile strategy, design, and development firm Prolific Interactive. With a mix of engineering and design experience, Eric leads his team in developing innovative approaches to client engagements. As a programmer and creator, Eric is naturally curious about new technology and the unique ways to harness it. He is currently exploring IoT, AI, and AR.
For most of us, our first glimpse of AR came in the form of Princess Leia projected from R2-D2, with a plea for help to Obi Wan Kenobi. What was once just silver screen magic is becoming a reality with some very creative and practical implementations of AR. One example of this is a project that Prolific Interactive worked on with home improvement retailer Build.com to develop an app feature that allows users to actually see what a product would like like in the room they want to place it in. In the app, you can even go so far as to turn on lights or a faucet and get a visualization of what that would look like in your home. This type of development has a huge potential to help convert browsers to buyers.
With AR becoming increasingly accessible to developers, thanks to Apple’s AR kit and Google’s cross platform AR Core, the door is open for innovation. Augmented reality is such an exciting medium because it blends so fluidly with the real world. Where Virtual Reality is more about immersion, augmented reality is about integration into the world around you.
Adding to the possibilities are the various devices that augmented reality can be used on. Aside from your computer or cell phone, AR technology is finding its way into immersive headsets, glasses, car windshields, and so much more. Visionary developers are actively testing the limits of AR technology on a wide variety of devices.
There are some key things to consider when it comes to the development and utilization of AR. From a development standpoint, keep in mind that what makes AR so appealing is that it is a seamless integration into the world around you. We live in a 3D world, so you will need to have the ability to develop and design 3D content. From a utilization standpoint, it is important to consider the user and what the user experience will be. Augmented reality isn’t for everyone or everything. As mentioned before, the great thing about AR is the way it blends into the real world. Finding ways to do this that makes for a unique experience, is where the value is.
Augmented reality is an exciting technology, and one we look forward to exploring with Eric. Don’t miss your chance to learn more about AR and other cutting edge technologies at DevFest New Haven.
Checkmate will be partnering with GDG New Haven and other local organizations to bring GDG DevFest to our state on November 4th-5th. As our DevFest approaches, we’re taking a few weeks to talk with some of the guest speakers and presenters that will be attending, and sharing the exciting topics they will be bringing to the DevFest 2017 audience.
