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I recently threw together a list of things that might be ‘big in 2009′. On of which was Augmented Reality (AR). One of the best ways to get your head round it is to see it, so check out the video above.

So what is it?

‘Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data’

Sound like something you’ve only seen in films?

Not exactly, you’ve actually seen it all before. When we watch the weather report we’re experiencing augmented reality (AR), in reality the weather man (or girl) is just standing in front of a blank wall, but in the augmented reality we view through our TV they’re in front of a fancy image of the country informing us that those dark clouds are on their way. But in 2009 we’ll be seeing AR bring us a lot more than just rain.

Lego are already using the technology in their stores. Customers can view themselves on a screen, and when holding a specific Lego product box, their image will include a fully assembled model seemingly on top of the box so they can see exactly what all those bits should end up as. So AR can bring you the product before you actually have it in it’s physical form. Of course this could be extremely useful for those selling online, you could see exactly what that sofa looks like in your living room, or what that hat will really look like on you without actually having the product.
The mobile phone and the Internet are changing the way we can use AR. Our mobiles provide us with a portal into our augmented world, and the internet is building and maintaining this world. Soon (or now at a basic level on some phones) you will be able to point your mobile at anything in the ‘real world’ to reveal information from the ‘digital world’. For example walk down any street and point your mobile camera viewer to see a world that includes information about the things in front of you such as road names, shop names, restaurant review ratings, or any other information the internet might have.
It might not be long until our desire to view AR drives us to have devices that allow us quicker access such as glasses or even contact lenses. Look at anything and be delivered all the Internet has to offer, look at the cup of coffee a person is holding to find the nearest coffee shop, or look at the person to see their facebook profile.
We might not be there yet, but you might want to make sure you’re a firmly established part the digital world before it becomes fully augmented into the real world.