There have already been many companies taking advantage of the enhanced capabilities for augmented reality (AR) present in Apple’s ARKit to create or improve apps that can make the real world a little easier, or more colourful, such as offering AR navigation, or decorating walls with AR graffiti. Placenote AR is hoping to go further and offer a new user interface for reality.
Being in a new place can be difficult, especially when its a location you don’t know. Finding out where everything is can be tricky. Placenote allows users to leave messages behind to advise other Placenote users, such as pointing the way to the nearest toilet, or offering recommendations for a great restaurant nearby. Developed by Canadian company Vertical, Placenote AR has been designed as a way to redesign reality to make it easier to use.
For people who use AirBnb, its easy to leave notes for guests to advice on how to work the oven, or what day to take out the rubbish for collection, or just where the pots and pans are. More sophisticated uses are also available for museums and art exhibits, where users can tap on a note in Placenote to see a more detailed description, and even links to articles or pictures for further information. This has advantages for displays in different languages, allowing museums to cater to multiple languages without needing to take up vast amounts of space with written descriptions.
Curiously, Placenote does not use GPS for location data, instead relaying on a custom 3D mapping engine and the tools built in to ARKit.
Vertical are currently searching for users willing to beta-test the application. Further information can be found on the Product Hunt website.
VRFocus will continue to bring you news on new applications developed with ARKit technology.