2010: The Year of Technological Revolution

In a year of hung Parliaments, trapped Chilean miners, the end of Big Brother and Spanish victory in the FIFA World Cup, 2010 will be remembered for one thing most of all; technological development. While the Tory- Lib Dem coalition was big news on the world scene, the technology which has been developed over the last 12 months or so is likely to change our lives far more than Nick Clegg making David Cameron’s tea.  Augmented Reality and 3D filming have both been focal points in this revolution, with the masses eager to experience the latest initiates for themselves.

Augmented Reality

2010 has been a fantastic year for Augmented Reality, as more and more people are beginning to see the benefits it can bring. Retailers in particular have been quick to leap on the technology, with many turning to developers of the technology in a bid to boost their sales campaign. Holition, a London based AR firm, has worked with a number of visionary brands, including Swiss watchmaker Tissot and exclusive high end jewellers Boucheron, to produce online applications which allows users to virtually ‘wear’ products from their own homes. Using basic items such as a computer and webcam, users can ‘try on’ watches and rings to see how the products will look before purchasing them.

Using the technology’s interactive settings, users can both rotate and zoom into the item, examining every corner as if in-store. Holition’s AR technology also allows for still photos to be taken which can be uploaded onto social media websites for friends to ‘like’ and comment on.

This technology is truly revolutionising the way we shop. With Augmented Reality, customers are able to better scrutinise a product online, without the hassle of going in-store. Retail shopping has well and truly entered the 21^st century.

3D Technology

Perhaps the most obvious technological advance of 2010 was the development of the 3D movie industry. 3D filming, however, was actually resurrected in 2009 with the release of Patrick Lussier’s My Bloody Valentine in January. Over the course of the year, the public were treated to a number of 3D movies such as Pixar’s Up and James Cameron’s Oscar winning Avatar. Moving into 2010, the production of 3D movies went into overdrive with the public being inundated with the likes of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and dance flick Step Up 3D.

3D technology, however, has not been limited to the cinema world alone. Television Broadcaster BSkyB launched 3D football this year which has amazed viewers at selected pubs around Britain. Sky has also announced that the upcoming all British WBA Heavyweight Title fight between David Haye and Audley Harrison on November 13^th will also be available in 3D. 2010 also saw 3D Televisions being made available on the market, albeit at a high price, as well as the announcement that Sony are developing a 3D version of the Playstation which has excited gamers worldwide.

What this development tells us

The surge in popularity of both Augmented Reality and 3D technology indicates one thing; the public are no longer satisfied with the outdated 2D era in which we have been trapped in for well over a century. While online shopping is still relatively new, is becoming increasingly outdated. When we purchase products online, we do not know exactly what we are buying. Although we can read the product description countless times as well as look closely at each picture available to us, in the end we are at the mercy of the retailer. We only read what they want us to read, and we only see what they want us to see. With Augmented Reality, however, things are a great deal better. We are able to scrutinise each item at will by examining every angle, as well as seeing what the product looks like on us, as seen here http://www.myboucheron.com/myboucheron_int_EN.html. This gives us the accuracy of in-store shopping, without the hassle of going to the local shopping centre.

Has Augmented Reality and 3D technology changed our lives significantly enough to call it a revolution; perhaps not. But 2010 is just the beginning. In the next 12 months or so expect AR, as well as 3D technology, to creep further into general society. When this happens, the 2D Dark Age world in which we have been living in will become obsolete at the hands of its 3D counterpart. Why would online shoppers continue using 2D images when buying a product when there is an interactive 3D Augmented Reality app available to them?

The technological revolution will not be completed by the end of 2010, but one thing is for sure, the process had started.