Thing 14: Augmented Reality

The first time I became aware of augmented reality was around 2 years ago at a course specifically designed for librarians and how to make use of multimedia tools. I remember it very clearly because I was just so impressed, it was almost like a magic trick! The course instructor asked me to open my wallet and take out a note and place it on the table. So I took out a ten pound note and placed it on the table with Charles Darwin facing up. the instructor then proceeded to hover a tablet over the note and to my complete amazement Charles Darwin sprung to life and the little bird next to him began to fly around. Prior to this I had not even heard of augmented reality so the look of amazement on my face must have been something very similar to a Victorian being given a demonstration of a telephone for the first time!

I was working in public libraries at the time and I was also given a demonstration of how augmented reality can and is being used to really bring children's books to life. The example I was shown was 'The fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore' the instructor would hover his tablet over the page and then you could move the tablet around as though you were inside the illustration. I think this will be such an incredible way to really get children engaged with reading from an early age.

But the possibilities for AR go even further. Much has been made by tech companies in recent months about the benefits that truly mobile applications can bring to health care and the training and development of medical professionals. Anatomy 4D is a great example of this. I am really excited about AR and how it is going to develop in the future.