Augmented Reality Gets Wallet-Sized

very cool, but what do each of these little business cards cost to make?

Wouldn't this be fasinating if you could attach this to a computer and control the display from software, create different designs or models.

Yes, but does it build crowds? Guaranteed?!

I'm not sure if this video is fake or real. I'm wondering, how did this person cast an image into thin air? Generally, light is ONLY visible to the naked eye IF it hits an object and is reflected into the eye. There are no objects in this video. My feeling is that the creator of this video superimposed CGI on a video of him holding this card. Any thoughts, anyone?

Its an augmented reality card. The computer tracks the shape on his card, and overlays a virtual image on the real image.

What do I do guaranteed? I punch stupid guys in the face who have stupid business cards...guaranteed...

But seriously about the Augmented reality...

This is the future of marketing and computer interaction. It's only a matter of time before the iphone turns into the first wearable computer device, with glasses and sensors to detect hand movement and voice recognition. When that happens, the augmented reality steps in with the ads floating in the air, and text messages that appear in front of you as your walking down the street.

Basically it's like the scene from minority report, only minus the holograms, and replace them with everyone wearing PAN (Personal Area Network) glasses and seeing it all via augmented reality.

all this in no less than 5 years...GUARANTEED! :)

You all have got to be kidding me. This is "computer augmented reality". Meaning you record a video, and then augment it with digitally generated images. The cool thing about this, is that the computer that renders the images, is capable of distinguishing and tracking a moving object like a business card or your hand. This is nothing more than a digitally enhanced video.

Gosh you all are gullible.

Go to his website, he even says that the business card video is actually two videos blended together. One of him holding a blank business card, and the other a digitally altered video of his face while he talks.

Blend the two together and there you go. Don't get me wrong very impressive, but no magic business card....sorry.

@AreYouKidding: Are you kidding me? You obviously don't subscribe to this magazine.
Does anybody on here even understand what augmented reality is? This process (exactly like the one used for the cover of the July issue of PopSci) uses LIVE video feed from your computer's camera and applies a script to it. The script says essentially: Track this logo on the card (aka tracking point) in 3 dimensions based on position and skew from the computer cameras perspective. Apply that data to a PRE-Recorded video, and what do you have? What is known as a 1:1 ratio of a virtual element laid on top of a real time video updated with every frame; to seem like it's real when you see this video with your own eyes watching the screen at the same time. It's not floating in front of you in real life, but looks like it on your screen. This guy also says that the video laid on top of the real time capture has a script he applied to it that updated the color blocks with each frame and is extruded based on brightness. That was applied to the video before hand so there would be 3 dimensions of data to receive and display based on whomever turns on their web cam, goes to the site on his business card, and experience it for themselves. All skeptics just need to go try it and it will become obviously clear this isn't trying to pull a scam on anyone visually, it just seems like it because your viewing a video that isn't live for you, but was for the person holding the business card in it.... Do you guys get it? It's a pretty cool thing that has many applications, in this case a business card that shows a short bio/video clip. Much more lasting impression than any business card I've gotten.

Wow, that's hardcore stuff.

Maybe one day when augmented reality business cards become more affordable for the average american businessman, we'll see those around more.

I especially liked the youtube video on the bottom.. that guy is absolutely right! Business cards are crap they look like crap, nothing about them stands out. And I wouldn't throw away his business card ahah, it looks too nifty.

the cost will probably not very expensive because popsci did the same thing with the covers of the july issue and once you get the program up you can make as any buisness cards as you like for around the same price as standered buisness cards

Lol I can tell you for an absolute fact that augmented reality business cards cost the EXACT same as regular ones. If you know how to use the open source code (yes it's FREE,) then you have absolutely no reason to assume that printing a logo on a card for tracking would cost more than just printing a logo on a card. The power of this technology is in the CODE, not the CARD and the code is free. Double sided business cards always cost more to print, whether its for this or not, there's no difference!

There is no way the first video is real. They had to layer a video over the recorded video to show what appears to be a hologram that they wish they could produce. It simply looks fake.

About the second video. I would really like to know what this guy guarantees. Every business can't afford to spend $4 for one business card. Who spends 25 years to design a business card anyways. He is probably bankrupt 25 times over.