Augmented Reality News News
News: Google Adds New AR Galleries & Audio Guided Tour to Arts & Culture App
With NFTs taking the art world by storm, it's a bit refreshing to know that you can enjoy world famous masterpieces in the comfort of your own home via augmented reality without emptying your cryptocurrency wallet.
News: Microsoft Wins $21 Billion Contract to Produce Military-Grade HoloLens for US Army
After years of testing and modifications, the US Army is moving forward with its customized version of HoloLens 2 from Microsoft.
News: Niantic Previews the Future of AR Gaming with Codename: Urban Legends Demo
As if teasing its own smartglasses weren't enough, augmented reality gaming developer Niantic gave gamers a glimpse of how 5G speeds can revolutionize how they play mobile games in the near future.
News: Google Maps Expands Live View AR Navigation Capabilities to Airports & Shopping Malls
The AR walking navigation feature in Google Maps, which is arguably one of the most useful mobile augmented reality to available to consumers, is about to get even more indispensable for travelers.
News: Inside Microsoft Mesh, What Is It & How Does It Work? We Have the Answers
When Microsoft unveiled Mesh a couple of weeks ago, the move revealed a major part of Microsoft's next steps toward dominating the augmented reality space, particularly with regard to enterprise customers.
News: Pizza Hut Delivery Now Comes with Slice of '80s Gaming via Pac-Man in AR
What is old is new again. In this case, a classic arcade game gets the augmented reality treatment. In a new promotion playing off its ad campaign featuring actor Craig Robinson (The Office, Hot Tub Time Machine), Pizza Hut has turned its pizza boxes into a virtual Pac-Man game via web-based AR technology.
News: Snapchat's Body Tracking AR Tech Lends Hand for Organ Donation Education
Sure, Snapchat AR Lenses can be fun, but they can help communicate complex issues as well. While our Facebook news feeds were filled with references to 311 Day, March 11 is also World Kidney Day, the United Kingdom's National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) used the occasion to educate its constituents about organ donation.
News: Google Arts & Culture Drops AR Synth Exhibit That You Can Play
Museum curators typically frown upon visitors touching paintings, sculptures, and artifacts, but not when those exhibits are displayed in augmented reality.
News: USA Today Teams Up with 8th Wall to Launch AR Basketball Game for March Madness
Just as the NCAA men's basketball tournament is set to start later this month, USA Today has decided to trot out an augmented reality mini-basketball game to promote its bracket competition.
News: Google Adding Stereo Depth Support for Dual Cameras to ARCore Starting with Pixel 4 & 4XL
In response to Apple's implementation of LiDAR sensors in iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro models, Google is looking to leverage the dual-camera setups in recent flagship devices as depth-sensing components.
News: Epson Boosts Display Specs, Adds Optional Android Controller in Moverio BT-40 Series Smartglasses
The average business person likely recognizes Epson for its printers or even its projectors, not the futuristic AR wearables.
News: Visit WandaVision's Reality-Bending Living Room with This Facebook Messenger AR Portal
The new WandaVision series is perhaps the hottest TV show on the Disney Plus streaming service since...well, its own The Mandalorian wrapped up its second season late last year.
News: Prehistoric Creatures Return to Life via New iPhone AR App from Celebrity Historian David Attenborough
Apparently, we learned nothing from Jurassic Park, as scientists are still working on bringing extinct species back to life. Until that day comes, you can interact with long-lost animals through augmented reality...if you have a newer model iPhone.
News: Magic Leap's Latest Lumin OS & SDK Releases Focus on Features for Enterprise Customers
A year and change into its shift towards enterprise customers, Magic Leap has updated Lumin OS and the corresponding Lumin SDK with some key prerequisites for the business sector.
News: You Can Land & Drive NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover in AR with the Smithsonian Channel's New App
Two years ago, the 50th anniversary of the moon landing gave flight to a handful of Apollo 11 augmented reality apps and experiences, including one from the Smithsonian Channel.
News: Lego Takes on TikTok with Vidiyo Music Video Playsets & AR App
Toymaker Lego has been on board with building AR into its playsets and mobile apps since the launch of ARKit.
News: Google Launches TensorFlow 3D Using LiDAR & Depth Sensors for Advanced AR Experiences
After the mobile augmented reality platforms of ARKit and ARCore moved Google's previously groundbreaking Project Tango (the AR platform that gave us the first smartphones with depth sensors) into obsolescence in 2018, we've seen a bit of a resurgence of what was then a niche component for flagship devices.
News: 8th Wall Revs Up Realism for Web AR Experiences with Real-Time Reflective Surfaces
Since launching its web-based AR platform in 2018, 8th Wall has continued to push the boundaries of what brands can do with AR experiences outside of native apps.
News: Snapchat Can Turn Your 12-Pack of Labatt Blue Beer into a Virtual NHL Arena
Bud Light being the official beer sponsor of the NFL just makes sense for American football. But what about the NHL, with hockey being the official winter sport of Canada by decree?
News: Rockers Palaye Royale Conjure Creepy Immersive AR Music Video via Jadu App
Up and coming Los Angeles-based rock group Palaye Royale has managed to grow a substantial social media following, and now the group is looking to grow its fan base through the power of augmented reality.
News: Corona Taps Blippar to Promote Its Hard Seltzer Line with AR Games & Recipes
Despite the unfortunate social media-driven association of Corona beer with the virus behind a global pandemic, beverage maker Constellation Brands has pushed its marketing forward like a lime through the mouth of a beer bottle.
News: Microsoft Debuts HoloLens 2 Industrial Edition for Pharmaceutical & Semiconductor Enterprise Users
Ever since the US Army awarded Microsoft's HoloLens a $480 million contract, the battle for enterprise augmented reality has heated up in earnest.
News: Magic Leap Founder Launches the Company He 'Really' Wanted to Start, a Film & Music Studio with Virtual Artists
The company augmented reality that Rony Abovitz was trying to build at Magic Leap apparently wasn't working out the way he hoped it would. That company, built on dreams, music, and future-looking entertainment, rather than truly new technology, came with a $2,300 price tag for a device using dynamics most mainstream consumers have never even tried.
News: New Wallace & Gromit Game Amps Up Job Simulations with AR Interactivity
While most established media brands are satisfied with copying Pokémon GO to jump into augmented reality gaming, at least one property is taking a slightly different approach.
AR Snapshots: Anime Makeovers, Mandalorian Helmets, Twerking Muppets & More on Snapchat
In the three years since Snapchat launched Lens Studio, developers and artists have created more than 1.5 million AR camera effects with the desktop tool.
News: Samsung Beats Apple to the Punch with SmartTags+ & AR Finder
Over the past two product cycles, Apple has been rumored to be preparing to reveal its Apple AirTags tracking devices that can help iPhone owners find their possessions with augmented reality.
News: Magic Leap CEO Teases Secret New AR Virtual Meetings App Called 'C3' Being Used Internally
The past year has revealed a gaping hole of opportunity in the world of business called virtual meetings. Some existing players like Zoom hopped on that opportunity, while others like Skype seemed stuck on the sidelines, and Google Meet just managed to catch up in time to snag some of the shift in remote work.
News: Magic Leap Made Me Cry, Probably for the Last Time. Here's Why That's the Good News
A lot of digital ink has been spilled heaping scorn on Magic Leap. Much of that media schadenfreude was due to what some believed were unmet promises versus some of the early hype around the product. Others just seemed to be rubbed the wrong way by the startup's Apple-esque secrecy and penchant for attempting to coin new terms and frameworks for things that were, mostly, already in play.
News: The New York Times Reinvents the Crossword Puzzle for Augmented Reality via Instagram
At first glance, it may not sound like there's much value in doing a crossword puzzle in augmented reality, but The New York Times has managed to revamp the pastime as an immersive game.
News: 8th Wall Powers Netflix AR Experience for George Clooney Film 'The Midnight Sky'
Help me, George Clooney. You're my only hope. If that mash-up of cultural references doesn't make sense, it will momentarily.
News: Snapchat Delivers Augmented Reality Gifts with New Holiday AR Lenses
You won't have to ask Santa for holiday-themed augmented reality experiences, because practically any social and shopping app that offers AR effects has them available now.
News: Welcome Baby Yoda into Your Personal Space with Google Search AR
Google, you have something that I want. You may think you have some idea of what you are in possession of, but you do not. In a few moments, it will be mine...and it can be yours, too, dear readers.
News: NR30 Innovator in Augmented Reality Spotlight: Aidan Wolf
This year, as part of the Next Reality 30, in partnership with Snap, we're spotlighting an up-and-coming innovator in augmented reality. Specifically, we were searching for an independent developer or creator who embodies the bleeding edge spirit of AR and its ability to leverage machine learning. This year's honoree is Aidan Wolf.
News: Google & Red Bull TV Premier 'The Last Ascent' with Synced AR Experience That Puts Nature in Your Home
In recent weeks, Google managed to capitalize on the hype surrounding the Star Wars streaming series The Mandalorian with an AR app that was not only exclusive to Android but also available only for 5G-equipped devices.
News: How You Can Put Street Art Legend KAWS & Even That Mysterious Alien Utah Monolith in Your Own Home via AR
Sure, you could leave a random monolith in Utah and get some notoriety for your street art. Or, you can let others put your art anywhere they'd like with augmented reality so they can appreciate it where they are.
News: Google Gifts 5G Android Smartphones with 'The Mandalorian' AR App
With the new season of The Mandalorian underway, Google has launched a new AR app that enables some Star Wars fans to connect with virtual characters in between new episodes.
News: HBO Rolls Out 'His Dark Materials' AR Experience To Bring Characters to the Real World
In this year of everything going virtual and remote, it makes even more sense now that Hollywood is leaning heavily on augmented reality. In this case, it's HBO using AR to promote its highly-acclaimed original programming.
News: Nintendo Crafts AR Content for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
The Animal Crossing series has been a big hit for Nintendo, so in a bid to enhance the experience even more for users, the game is getting the augmented reality treatment.
News: Snoop Dogg's Cali Red Wine Pours Another Glass of AR via 8th Wall's WebAR
When Treasury Wine Estates released 19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red this summer, named for its new partner in wine, rapper Snoop Dogg, it already came with the brand's signature AR-enhanced label.
News: Manscaped's Brand Hype Grows into Augmented Reality via Snapchat Lens
If you're a man and subscribe to podcasts or YouTube channels that cater to masculine interests, then you've almost certainly encountered sponsorships from Manscaped. And that means I don't have to explain what the company is selling you (for the uninitiated, it's a company dedicated to helping you trim your body hair—most notably, your nether regions, in addition to other areas).