A Japanese vision of augmented reality

N Building from Alexander Reeder on Vimeo.

This is a vision of augmented reality I thought it worth sharing. A person can hold up a mobile to a building and see the realtime Tweets coming from individuals inside, who are tracked by their location. If you’re worried about privacy, this could make your head explode. Other than that it’s completely plausible. Fascinating use of QR codes as well.

Here’s the accompanying explanation from Qosmo.jp:

N Building is a commercial structure located near Tachikawa station amidst a shopping district. Being a commercial building signs or billboards are typically attached to its facade which we feel undermines the structures’ identity. As a solution we thought to use a QR Code as the facade itself. By reading the QR Code with your mobile device you will be taken to a site which includes up to date shop information. In this manner we envision a cityscape unhindered by ubiquitous signage and also an improvement to the quality and accuracy of the information itself.

December 15th, 2009 we held an opening which included the limited release of an iPhone application made specifically for N Building. If a QR Code is static, what could we do with a dynamic device like the iPhone? Our proposed vision of the future is one where the facade of the building disappears, showing those inside who want to be seen. As you press on the characters their comments made on online appear in speech bubbles. You can also browse shop information, make reservations and download coupons. Rather than broadly tagging, we display information specific to the building in a manner in which the virtual (iPhone) serves to enhance the physical (N Building). Our goal is to provide an incentive to visit the space and a virtual connection to space without necessarily being present.

info (at) qosmo.jp
Project by teradadesign+Qosmo.
Music by Airtone.