How Will Augmented Reality Technology Impact Lighting?

HowStuffWorks.com has a great article about a technology I’ve been following for some time–augmented reality, or mixed reality. Check it out here.

Here’s a good description they provide:

“Researchers and engineers are pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and integrating them into real-world environments. This new technology, called augmented reality, blurs the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell … Augmented reality adds graphics, sounds, haptic feedback and smell to the natural world as it exists.”

In my opinion, augmented reality has the potential to change education, training, product marketing–possibly all business and personal communication–the way the Internet revolutionized business and personal communication.

I’ve been wondering how this might impact lighting. Imagine virtual product samples that can be placed in virtual mockups–3D renderings of the lighting product overlaid onto an image of the space where it will be installed.

Here are some fascinating visual demonstrations:

Craig DiLouie

See Full Bio