User at Makerfaire trying out the CastAR (via Technical Illusions)
Augmented reality has been around since its dawning in many science fiction novels, writings, and movies, presenting us with an imaginative take on technology that may await us in the future. Much like Jules Verne’s early sci-fi works that inspired the design of submarines, AR (augmented reality) tech is just about in the hands of anyone thanks to its rapid innovation through entertainment based gaming technology.
At MakerFaire 2013, Technical Illusions - a spinoff of the Valve Corporation most famous for its Half-Life and Left for Dead series - announced the release of its very first product: the CastAR. This new gear will pioneer the start-up company’s venture into the augmented reality market, backed by a team of hardware and software developers well versed in AR and interactive gaming.
The CastAR consists of a surface - currently small and held down by tape on a tabletop. Nonetheless, it is well equipped for an engulfing AR experience: infrared LEDs on the surface detect the motion of an interactive infrared wand, and a set of coils at its base are used to detect RFID chip loaded objects placed on top of it. The AR glasses used project light at the surface at a rate of 120Hz providing a smooth and fluid 3D picture that can be seen from all directions by the user. A camera sitting on top of the prototype glasses is incorporated for position detection, thus the virtual image changes accordingly as a user walks around the CastAR surface.
Tech Illusion’s tent at Maker Faire also included a gaming demo of an interactive Team Fortress 2 experience. By placing cards loaded with an RFID, users are able to call up TF2 characters to the gaming map depending on the card type and placement. A multi-player option presented an even more unique gaming experience brought on by the novel AR tech: players intimately share the same playing surface but, by using multiple glasses and gaming controllers, interact with independent virtual images. Each person has a unique perspective of the game.
The Cast AR was very much still in its prototyping stage at Maker Faire, but grander things are on the horizon. Technical Illusion developers have already re-designed the glasses to integrate its camera into the frames. They eventually hope to expand the glasses’ functionality by incorporating smartphone compatibility. An early CastAR starter-kit price has been mentioned at the sub $200 USD price level - a Kickstarter page will go up in late summer/early fall to help fund early production.
See a video of the system in action after this link.
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