MIT’s Technology Review looks a the current state of Augmented Reality, discussing many of the applications we’ve reviewed here on VizWorld, and wonders what is holding it back from widespread acceptance? Their conclusion is both the cumbersome hardware and the currently lack of a “killer app”.
“Your world can be augmented without you having to change your behavior and do anything extra [like] taking out your cell phone and starting an application,” says MIT professor Pattie Maes, who heads the SixthSense project. Maes’s group is also exploring technical applications for AR. “If my car stops working, I might open the hood and an expert might remotely see what I see and [then] project information in front of the engine, saying things like, ‘Open this valve,'” explains Maes.
via Technology Review: What’s Augmented Reality’s Killer App?.
A killer app is closely linked to a killer business model 🙂 Without a commercial imperative, good mass produced hardware and user friendly operation/interface are unlikely. Here are 16 suggested business models I threw into the ether last week – http://www.personalizemedia.com/16-top-augmented-reality-business-models/ – most suggest a range of apps that can become extremely ‘successful’.