What it is

Augmented Reality allows you to view enhanced content virtually overlapping images we see every day.

Brought to public light with science fiction movies like Minority Report, it is now reality thanks to the power of modern smartphones.

How it works

Augmented reality works by framing the surroundings through your smartphone or tablet camera and is activated through the recognition of reference images called Markers.

Framing a photo, a flyer, a book or an object the augmented reality app will recognize the reference image and allow you to superimpose virtual content.

Marker

The marker is essentially the very same image the system will have to recognize to activate the virtual content. Thanks to the evolution of this technology, a marker can now be any type of image, and it is no longer necessary to enter specific graphic patterns in order to activate its recognition (as is the case for QR codes).

This means that any image that has already been printed, such as a catalog, a brochure, a magazine or advertisement can become a reference marker, making the need to place specific graphical objects obsolete and requiring no additional printing.

The QR Code is a two-dimensional bar code consisting of a matrix of blacks squares which allows, if framed with a dedicated app, to transfer text information such as links to websites, part numbers and anything that can be represented by a string of letters and numbers.

The QR Code cannot however allow you to get information about its three-dimensional localization in real space, making it impossible to superimpose virtual images on it.