As Augmented Reality (AR) technology finds its way into variety of applications such as advertisement, promotion, games, as well as search technology, marketers started to use AR to promote products via interactive AR applications. One such example is the 2008 LA Auto Show, where Nissan unveiled the concept vehicle Cube and provided visitors with a brochure which, when held against a webcam, showed alternate version of the vehicle, also in August of 2009, Best Buy ran a circular with an AR code which allowed the users with webcam to interact with the product in 3D. One of the companies who is involved in AR research is Son. Sony started its research on this technology back in 1994 with the help of 2D barcodes recognition (marker approach), followed by development of VAIO “PCG-C1” personal computers which was equipped with a special software capable of automatically recognizing “CyberCode”(2D barcode for enabling AR applications). Based on these technologies, Sony announced the development of “Smart AR”, an integrated AR technology that allows additional information such as virtual objects, or images and texts that usually can not be identified by visual perception alone to be displayed on a device such as smartphone, when capturing visuals through camera of such devices. The new technology incorporates the markerless approach ‘object recognition technology’ for recognition of general objects such as photographs and posters, eliminating any requirements for special markers such as 2D barcodes. The new technology also incorporates Sony’s proprietary 3D space recognition technology, which has been acquired through research on robots such as “AIBO” and “QRIO”. Through use of this novel technology the object that has been captured by the camera is quickly recognized and can be tracked at a high-speed along with the movement of the camera, as it is displayed over the actual 3D space. Though use of this new AR technology information can be acquired or navigated by simply touching the AR information directly on the screen of the smartphone or other devices, resulting in an intuitive and seamless user interface. Sony will continue its effort on SmartAR technology with an aim to add new value in business applications such as advertisement and games.
