App of the week: Layar Augmented Reality Browser
Filed under: Android, app, augmented reality, BlackBerry, iphone, Smartphone
If you haven’t already discovered Augmented Reality I suggest you do because this area is set to grow in the coming years. With the rise of the smartphone with HD camera and dual processors, powerful AR is now available to the masses.
I’ve been nuts for augmented reality recently, and I really love the Layar Reality app. This is an augmented reality browser, it’s similar to a web browser but it uses your camera and applies layers of digital information over the view through the camera. The Layar platform allows you to develop your own AR content either by coding and hosting on your own server or by using a number of third party builder tools. The app connects to the Layar platform and extends real world locations to the virtual world (eg). All of this really means you can discover all kinds of information related to the world around you displaying related video, audio, 2D and 3D information.
I’ve been developing (playing) 
with the platform via the really awesome BuildAR. This feature rich AR development tool is Australian, really simple to use plus the team at BuildAR are friendly and supportive. You can find my layer by searching for Layers of Learning within the app.
Layar displays information called “layers” into your smartphone’s field of vision. There is also a more recent feature called Layar Vision. These types of layers can now recognize real-world objects and display digital AR experiences on top of them. This means a book cover for instance can trigger a 3D character from the book, or a wall in a laneway can trigger a virtual poster. All this is achieved by scanning images, such as magazines, restaurant/takeaway menus and advertising posters with the Layar Vision part of the Reality Browser app.
The applications for Tourism, education and marketing are endless and I’m sure there are loads of new applications coming.
The Layar platform is already in use by over 10K+developers who work to build AR experiences for smartphones all over the globe. The app has been installed 10+ million times, and now has over 2.5K+ layers to explore.
Check it out to really appreciate the possibilities, and make sure you view the local layers to see what some Australian developers have created.
The app is built for these phones
That’s really cool Brendan…
Can you share with other handset’s, Ipad’s & PC’s etc?
Hi Dave, Glad you like the post. Not sure what you mean by share? Layar works on most mobile operating systems and each device can see the same augment in the layer. Have you downloaded the app for a play?