Is this the smartest application ever to be invented?

Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Editor
19 Oct 2009

Until now it has been solely the preserve of sci-fi films such as Iron Man and Star Trek - a gadget so intelligent you can simply point it at an object to find out about it. Now it's coming to a mobile phone near you.

A new generation of applications for mobiles are using a technique called augmented reality, or AR, to superimpose information about your surroundings on the screen.

For instance, point your phone at the Albert Hall and not only do you see the building, but also a whole host of information about it.

Point it at a Tube station, and you can see maps and even live departure boards.

"Augmented reality is without doubt the most exciting technology of the year, and has a huge amount of potential," said Tom Dunmore, of Stuff magazine.

"It's a bit like supercharged satnav, and for consumers it will open up a huge number of possibilities."

Although the technology is new, there are already several augmented reality applications available.

For instance, one application called Wikitude uses information from online encyclopedia wikipedia to provide information about nearby buildings and other points of interest.

Another, called nearest Tube, can point you in the direction of the closest Underground stations and tell you exactly how far away from them you are.

The technology behind augmented reality is a combination of old and new - satnav and the compass.

Using global positioning satellites, the phone is able to find exactly where on the planet you are to within a few metres.

Then a compass in the phone checks which direction you are facing.

Next, an accelerometer - similar to those found in Nintendo's Wii controller - checks whether the phone is facing up or down.

By combining all this data, the phone is able to work out its exact location and orintation, allowing it to overlay the information on screen at exactly the right point.

Although the initial applications are still relatively basic, and only work on the most powerful phones such as Apple's iPhone 3GS, experts say the potential is vast.

"The first applications are relatively basic but I think we are just seeing the beginning of what is going to become a hugely exciting area for technology," said Dunmore.

"It could also give retailers a new way to interact with people. For instance, a restaurant could not only show you where it is but also show special offers as you walk towards it."

One of the most interesting pieces of AR software to be released is called Layar, which is launching this week on both Apple's iPhone and Google's Android handsets.

It allows users to easily create their own AR searches, but using web search engines such as Google to search data, then show it on screen.

"The idea really came from the sci-fi films that were around in the Eighties," said Maarten Lens-FitzGerald of Layar.

The service allows people to simply search Google for nearby pizza restaurants, for example, and then have the results shown on-screen.

Computer giant IBM has also experimented with the technology, most notably at Wimbledon this year.

It set up a system which can overlay the traditional on screen graphics we see on TV onto your phone. Point the handset at the court and you can see exactly where serves have landed.