Qualcomm Demos New AR Technology at Uplinq, Turns Tabletop into Gaming Landscape
Qualcomm demonstrated a new augmented reality (AR) technology where apps powered by its Vuforia platform can enable users to transform the physical environment around them into gaming spaces.
Qualcomm used a Sony Xperia Tablet Z to demonstrate how its new augmented reality technology allows you to play games on the go.
Besides its Toq smartwatch, Qualcomm also showed off its new augmented reality (AR) technology at the Uplinq conference yesterday.
Known as Smart Terrain, the breakthrough vision capability provides a real-time 3D map of a terrain (e.g. a tabletop in the demonstration) and brings it into a game. Smart Terrain integrates real surfaces and physical objects which you can navigate game characters around.
In the demonstration, a Sony Xperia Tablet Z equipped with the PrimeSense Capri (a 3D sensor) scans the surface of the tabletop and the objects on it. It then adds a layer called SmartMesh to transform the objects into rock structures, grass, and animated characters. These will subsequently brought into a tower defense game, Amira: Uncharted Lands.
Game characters can be moved around and you can view the different angles of the terrain by physically moving around the tabletop. You can even introduce more characters in the game by scanning other physical objects (e.g. a Snapdragon toy in the second video).
Smart Terrain is still in the demonstrating stages. Qualcomm states that Smart Terrain will be available for developers in spring 2014 with support for the PrimeSense Capri depth sensor.
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