There’s a whole flurry of tweets and articles popping up today about Esquire Magazine’s Augmented Reality issue. For background reference, in case you haven’t heard, Esquire has released a print magazine that features visual barcode blocks that can be held in front of webcams. The user runs an application on their computer, and holds up the magazine to view special video-based content. View the details here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/esquires-augmented-reality-issue-hits-newstands/

But that doesn’t make it Augmented Reality (AR). That’s just media tagging. I’m sure there’s some other buzzword out there for this type of interaction, but AR is not it.

This is where all the dismissive article writers are falling short; They are assuming, incorrectly, that AR is about taking something from the real world (the magazine) and extending it into the virtual world (web). See http://www.hanskmeyer.com/archives/86 and http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/opeds/oped_esquires_augmented_reality_misses_the_point_141838.asp for examples of articles that “miss the point”.

AR is about interacting with the virtual world; It’s about making the real world part of the virtual world. Granted, Esquire’s attempt at Augmented Reality is a weak one, as it doesn’t truly involve the person (you interact with the magazine instead), but it is interactive. You can control the video in real-time with your actions. The video is in 3D, and you can tilt and pan across it by moving the magazine in the direction you want the video to move. You can move it in a particular way to activate different sections of the video. That’s the AR part.

And that’s what marks this as a bit of a milestone event: It’s one of the first times an AR interaction has been marketed in a major way, with the intent of generating profit.

I can’t completely fault the article writers though; Esquire is at fault for posting the video.

David Granger is not really demonstrating the real functionality. He just waves the magazine in front of the screen, and when he tries to tilt the magazine, it’s even out of range of the webcam. The video should have clearly demonstrated that the magazine is an extension of the real life reflected video, and that it is a real-time overlay on top of the magazine as you hold it.

I do find it amusing, however, that many articles are saying Esquire should have allowed people to virtually try on articles of clothing in the fashion section. Here is an example of some experimental Augmented Reality art I created in 2007 for Scotiabank’s Nuit Blanche art exhibit in Toronto.

Where do you see Augmented Reality going in the next few years? Is there a market for AR, or is it just a fad? Chime in by posting a comment! And please feel free to share or tweet this article so we can see what others think.

Andy Morris
Hotcakes New Media