Being a keen blogger myself I often spend time searching and reading other blogs … looking for inspiration or new ideas. ‘Games Alfresco‘ popped up on my radar as i was looking for info on Augmented Reality (AR). Ori Inbar the author claims to be in pursuit of the ultimate augmented reality game …

So I wondered … had he found it yet?

Doc : Hi Ori, thanks for sparing us a little time, we enjoyed your top ten AR demos blog … how about a quick introduction and some background on the man behind the blog?

Ori: OK … here’s an excerpt from my standard bio:

Founder of Pookatak Games LLC (founded in 2008), a video game company that meshes virtual and real worlds based on a technology dubbed Augmented Reality.

Director of Wiki Mouse - a WIKI Film co-created by a swarm of movie makers around the world.

Author of Games Alfresco - a blog in pursuit of the ultimate augmented reality game.

As Senior Vice President of Solution Marketing for SAP’s platform, I was recently responsible for the positioning and marketing of SAP NetWeaver, Enterprise SOA and SAP’s ecosystem. I lead the development and introduction to the market of more than 15 enterprise software applications. Over the past 5 years, SAP NetWeaver has grown from a mere concept to a billion dollar business for SAP. It has become the primary IT force in SAP’s huge ecosystem, and its visionary approach to service-oriented solutions is influencing the entire business solutions industry.

Doc: Wow that’s pretty impressive, I’m feeling a little nervous now. Let’s talk a bit about Augmented Reality, one of your specialist topics. I’m thinking there maybe some people who haven’t heard of or know much about AR can you explain it in simple terms?

Ori: Augmented Reality is a research field in computer science which combines virtual information with the real world. There is so much more information about things than we can see in the real world; AR helps us seeing it on top of the real world (without the need to Google it…).

This economist article is a great intro: link here

zzz

Doc: We’ve been reading a lot about AR here at Knitware, it certainly seems to be a popular topic at the moment. Why do you think it’s captured the attention of so many people?

Ori: Actually I think it’s only a fringe trend on the internet. None of my friends has ever heard about it (not counting the new friends I made since delving into this topic). However, the few that have heard about it – are extremely excited about it. It spurs the imagination; with AR we can almost taste the future. Once people get it – your see jaws dropping. It’s a first plausible example of how machines can extend our intelligence – and make us super humans.

To quote John Lennon: “Reality leaves room for imagination”

Doc: I’ve seen several demonstrations and different systems of AR, including the top ten from your blog. They’re always interesting but some are clearly more effective than others. If you had to pick one approach to this technology, the one most likely to break through, which would it be?

Ori: The clear and immediate opportunity, in my opinion, is with handheld devices. They are now powerful enough and boast the capabilities required to provide a practical, immersive - yet inexpensive experience. See my lastest post where I review the various handheld options.

Doc: Most of the projects seem to based around the entertainment side of things, do you think there might be other serious applications for this system that we might not have thought of?

Ori: That’s the surprising part. Usually gaming spearheads the adoption of new technologies, but in this case, if you look at the commercially successful AR companies – most of their projects are in “serious” applications such as advertising, tourism, and events. Other serious applications include medical imagery (see MRI data overlaid on a patients head during a surgery), maintenance (now anyone can replace a broken part with visual instructions – displayed your glasses). The military is very serious about using it in combat. If you want to understand how AR will impact our world – I recommend reading “Rainbows End” a fictional book by Vernor Vinge which describes a not so distant future where everybody “wears” technology that augments reality…

Doc: Ori, i always like to ask our guests what sites inspire or influence them … care to share some of your bookmarks?

Ori: What inspires me is the millions of creative brains out there that share their thoughts with the world – without confining themselves to a specific communication channel. I enjoy finding them wherever they are. Haven’t found one specific site that finds them for me, yet … though I spend a lot of time in Facebook these days.

Doc: Like a lot of people we speak to you seem to have a lot of projects on the go … what’s coming up that our readers might be interested in?

Ori: Just published a count down of the 10 best devices for augmented reality games. My next Top 10 list will evaluate the different AR engines in the market.

Doc: Hey Ori it was great talking with you. Thanks for all the info .

Ori: My pleasure!

Tags: AR, Augmented Reality, interview, NetWeaver, ori, ori inbar, Pookatak, SAP, Wiki Mouse