Amazon have been quietly bringing augmented reality (AR) technology to its planned high-street stores, but as yet the internet giant has not brought any great innovations for AR or virtual reality (VR). That may be about to change, as Amazon has secured several patents regarding AR technology for use at home.
The patents builds on technology previously patented in December 2016 and involve a set-up that requires cameras, computers and projectors to display an interactive scene on a physical surface without need for a headset.
“The projected content may include electronic books, videos, images, interactive menus, or any other sort of visual content,” Amazon said in its patent filing. “Various types of cameras and sensors may be used to capture images representing the scene and a person’s hand within the scene.”
There is at present no indication on what the technology is called, or if Amazon are planning on producing a commercial version of the AR technology themselves, or if they are planning to licence it to another company. The AR functionality could be used to add value to Amazon’s vast library of books, movies and TV shows that are available to Amazon Prime users.
Amazon have previously experimented with implementing AR technology at its furniture stores, to allow customers can use AR technology to see how sofas or wardrobes might look when placed in their homes. This technology has not yet been rolled out, so some analysts are speculating on if this projected AR technology could see use Amazon’s physical stores.
VRFocus will bring you further news on Amazon’s AR technology as it becomes available.