Layar

Layer adds real-time real world object recognition

August 8, 2011 By Paul Worthington

Amsterdam-based Layar is beefing up its open platform for mobile augmented reality by enabling phones to recognize real world objects and show digital content on top of them.

Layar Vision uses detection, tracking and computer vision techniques to augment objects in the physical world, the company says, “taking augmented reality to the next level.” It detects up to 50 target objects on which a wide range of augmentations can be displayed. Combined with existing location-based layers that host audio, video, and animated 3D objects, they can create truly immersive experiences, the developer says.

With Layar Vision, the platform is now able to enhance existing media like print with augmented reality experiences, Layar adds. “These experiences offer brands and publishers new ways to engage with customers.” When holding their phone over posters, magazines and newspapers users are able to view and interact with these digital experiences through the Layar app.

The Layar platform is now used by more than 10,000 developers worldwide to create augmented reality experiences for smartphones, and is installed on 10 million mobile devices, the company says.

More information is here.

A video demo is here.

Filed Under: All Posts, Mobile & Internet Tagged With: Augmented Reality, Layar

Skyhook adds location to Layar

September 20, 2010 By Paul Worthington

Augmented reality browser platform Layar is improving its Android application’s location results with Skyhook’s “Core Engine.”

Layar displays information on a phone’s display, overlaying the real-time camera view.

“Because the purpose of Layar is to only show content within a user’s immediate surroundings, precise location is critical for our app,” the company says. “The Skyhook SDK provided greatly improved accuracy and speed over the native Android platform.”

Skyhook says its geo-location technology fulfills “hundreds of millions of location requests every day across millions of handsets, netbooks and cameras.” Skyhook’s location system uses a combination of Wi-Fi, cellular and GPS readings to produce a single, accurate location quickly and in all environments.

Filed Under: Mobile & Internet, Spotlight Tagged With: Augmented Reality, Layar

Layar lists AR content

June 7, 2010 By Paul Worthington

“Augmented Reality is starting to behave like a true mass medium,” says leading AR developer Layar. “It is becoming scalable with the introduction of its own discovery mechanism. We know that real-time location-based content discovery drives frequent re-use of the Layar browser.”

Layar’s Reality Browser version 3.5 adds a list view of the most interesting content at their location is sorted by time, location, proximity, popularity and preferences – meaning, the company says, users will immediately see the most interesting content nearby whenever they open the Layar Reality Browser, without entering a search query or opening a specific layer.

Last week the published layer count passed 700, the company claims, and its there are more than 2 million users of its browser.

Layar B.V. is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands