Here’s another great example of how technology took a static medium and made it interactive: an augmented reality billboard set up for Lynx in London’s Victoria Station. In this case, when passersby step into a “hot spot” they trigger an augmented reality animation on a nearby billboard, which can then be interacted with. As you can see in the linked video, the action quite literally stops people in their tracks.
I’ll bet the next step in the use of this technology will be as a way to draw people into retail stores. One could set up a similar hot spot in a main entrance, which allows customers to interact with an augmented reality sequence on a billboard outside. If I were a music store I’d create a sequence in which you could virtually dance with your favorite pop star. For an athletic shoe supplier, perhaps a sequence that challenges you to jump higher than a virtual basketball star. And a game emporium? Well, the sky’s the limit.
Of course there are applications beyond commercial use. The public squares of major cities could play host to augmented reality hot spots linked to nearby billboards. Set up something truly innovative, and the square would become even more of an attraction. And hey, the public might even learn to like billboards.
