Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 07, 2012, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B5 winnipegfreepress. com BUSINESS WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012 B 5 Bring this page to life Nissan. Driving Innovation. Download the Free Layar app for your Android or iOS ( Apple) mobile device from iTunes or Android Play Store. brought to you by View this page with Layar Download the Layar app Launch the app Hover & tap your device over the Layar- enabled page Wait for floating buttons to appear to unlock exclusive hidden content Device Requirements iOS / Android Wi- Fi / 3G / LTE GPS enabled 1 3 2 Video 4 Audio IT wasn't that long ago people were wowed by smartphone apps that could scan bar codes and pay for items with a single tap. That excitement will soon be eclipsed by the advent of augmented reality ( AR) in the consumer world. For the uninitiated, AR is a concept that has been in various stages of incubation for decades. From military experiments to gaming to advertising, AR has been considered a novelty item that was more science fiction than fact. In simple terms, AR apps serve as bridges that connect the physical world to the virtual one. With AR, pictures, text, links and video content can be superimposed over an image of a physical location, magazine page or computer screen to provide information, trigger reactions or simply enrich the user experience. Technology and media author and former Nokia executive Tomi Ahonen contends augmented reality is the eighth mass medium - a designation only bestowed on technologies that have dramatically changed the way humans communicate and interact. The seven previous channels are print ( 500 years old), recordings ( starting in the 1890s), cinema ( 1910s and on), radio ( 1920s), television ( 1950s), Internet ( 1991) and mobile ( from 1998). Given that AR has been in the making for years, what has raised it into the mass media ranks today? It's a matter of mobile technology advancement and a growing population of users who can navigate mobile devices with ease. It's only in recent years that smartphones have packed enough computing power to run AR apps that turn the everyday world - from street scenes to print pages - into a fully interactive digital experience. With that leap, this medium is on track to becoming an everyday experience. Another major breakthrough has been Amsterdam- based Layar's launch of the first AR browser in 2009. Using a combination of GPS, compass and recognition algorithms, this easily downloaded capability allows users to link, like, share and buy items simply by pointing their devices at an object or page. AR browsing as it is today started out " in the streets" in The Netherlands, where a growing number of people have been using their phones to pull up maps based on their location, find cash machines, virtually browse through art exhibitions, pull up vital statistics on properties for sale or rent, and purchase products, among other nifty ideas. The latest stage has been taking that enriched digital experience to the printed page. Perhaps Ahonen states it best when he likens AR to " magical binoculars, not making things bigger, but showing you something that doesn't exist anymore, or hasn't been built yet, or showing action where there is none, etc." For example, AR versions of the Berlin Wall, the twin towers and historical battle re- enactments have been recreated that can be viewed and/ or photographed through a mobile device. Where AR will take us next is yet to be seen. But one thing is certain - it promises to be a sight to behold. Y OU wake up in the morning and use the bathroom. Your toilet performs a quick health checkup and emails the results to your doctor. Meanwhile, the coffee maker, which has already brewed a morning pot, is talking to the security system so it knows to shut off after you've left. While you're gone, your heating system monitors the house temperature and lighting. If the sun is heating up the living room unexpectedly, the blinds know to close themselves to save energy. When you fall asleep watching latenight talk shows, your couch takes notice and shuts off the lights and TV set. No, it's not the year 2030 - digital home technology is already here, though it's taking awhile to reach the average household. In Japan, Toto Ltd. has been manufacturing the Intelligent Toilet since 2005. The original version of its digital lavatory measured blood sugar, blood pressure and obesity, indexes that are related to diseases such as diabetes, according to distributor Daiwa House Industry Co. The techno- toilet sends its data to a home computer, allowing users to track and graph personal health trends. " It's programmed to send ( information) to each family member's personal computer about each family member's condition. So, if the father's weight is gaining, all the family members know and will judge each other's health," said Kazushige Morimoto, sales manager at Daiwa House California. The sophomore edition of the Intelligent Toilet also analyzes urine, measuring hormone levels that can help women track their menstrual cycles. Daiwa House says 10,000 Intelligent Toilets have been sold in Japan since the product launched, but sales are on hold as the next version of the smart can is in development. A complete digitization of the home could involve the infusion of touch- screen technology, whereby doorknobs, furniture and appliances are programmed to react to different kinds of pressure. In May, Disney researchers unveiled Touch�, which measures different types of touches, such as one finger, two fingers or a palm or grasp. Lead scientist Ivan Poupyrev said Touch� is " very simple technology which can very easily instrument real- world objects to measure not the only the simple touch event, but also gestures and interaction." " For example, you can have a doorknob and when the postman comes over to leave a FedEx, he can touch with three fingers to leave a message. Or, if he makes a mistake, he can press with one finger and that would simply remove the message and he can record again," Mr. Poupyrev said. The technology could be integrated into a sofa or blanket using conductive textiles, Mr. Poupyrev said. " The sofa suddenly can recognize whether you are sitting, whether you are lying down or standing next to it, and then you should be able to map it to anything in the house, map it to the TV, to lights, to sound," he said. Technology that allows homeowners to remotely control lights, heating systems and security is already on the market in Canada. The Smart Home system by Rogers Communications Inc. allows homeowners to synchronize lighting systems, water and carbon- monoxide sensors, as well as alarms, to their smartphones to get instant alerts. " Because all of those things are connected, I now am aware of what's happening in my house. But the kind of the next wave of these things is going to be the automation piece," said Robert Switzman, a spokesman for Rogers Communications Connected Life. " Then more important things that are going to happen is when those things are aware of each other's status and therefore things automatically happen," Mr. Switzman said. The technology is increasingly being updated to allow for more device connectivity, Mr. Switzman said, and the possibilities for event- based programming seem endless. " I'm not home. I set my thermostat to 70 and the system is aware that my blinds are open and because the blinds are open during the day, it's actually increasing the temperature, so my blinds automatically lower to reduce the temperature in the house," he said. " Or the system knows that my home security system is armed, which means I'm not home, and I left my coffee pot on and it automatically turns it off." Setting up a digital home is likely to become easier and less expensive in the near future, as newer technology allows for a cheaper, do- it- yourself approach. Seventeen- year- old Jean- Michel Lalibert� of Boucherville, Que., was recognized at an international science fair last month for his home automation system, which can be easily configured without a technician, he said. " You can install it by yourself. You can plug it in the outlet and after using the software that I made, program it and it takes like 10 minutes to program your system," Lalibert� said. His hardware controller system and accompanying software allow users to control their home appliances via the Internet. " You can control it using a remote control and you can add automatic action like motion sensors, temperature sensors, light sensors and sound sensors about anywhere in your house and make them interact with your house configuration and your appliances," he said. The high- school inventor is now in talks with a local company about commercializing his project. - Financial Post Augmented reality brings out the best in all worlds MARKETING FEATURE DIGITAL LIFE TECHNO- TOILETS and smart couches: THE DIGITAL AGE COMES HOME By Julia Johnson B_ 05_ Jun- 07- 12_ FP_ 01. indd B5 6/ 6/ 12 10: 02: 17 PM ;