Augmented Reality Made Easier...With Contact Lenses

Wearable tech continues to make its way into our everyday lives. Technology developer Innovega recently debuted its latest iOptik product, which consists of modern-looking eye glasses and a pair of contact lenses, that allow the wearer to view not only their immediate surroundings but also their personal digital media.

iOptik glasses

Here's the twist: the wearer can use the special contact lenses just as they would any pair of contacts. They can place them in their eyes and their vision will be normal. It is only after the wearer dons the iOptik glasses that they will have a truly immersive, augmented reality experience with the iOptik system.

View of the world using the iOptik system

This article provides a great overview of this new technology.

World Exploration Becomes a Game

Created by an exclusive team at Google, Ingress is a game that gets you out of the house and into the world. This mobile app, driven by Google maps, encourages users to move through their own neighborhood or locale to play the game. The game directs players to find objects, capture territories and ally with others to complete required tasks. The Android version can be downloaded at the Google Play store, and the game will be available for iOS devices sometime this year. Learn more about it here.

Do you think the release of this game signals the beginning of a trend where more game developers seek to incorporate GPS-like systems into gameplay?

For Your Eyes Only

The idea of controlling a game using your eyes only has been around for awhile. Recently the companies Tobii and SteelSeries developed new, affordable game gear that uses eye tracking to make the game play experience more captivating. Learn more about it in this story.

It is worth noting that this device is actually a less expensive version of the excellent LC Technologies Eye Follower. The Tobii EyeX tool kit for developers is being sold for the low price of $95. 

Would you like to play a game using your eyes only? Just be sure to have some Visine on hand!

The Next Level of 3-D Motion Tracking Has Arrived

MIT has done it again. It's developed WiTrack, the newest generation of motion tracking. This technology uses a wireless network and radio waves to track a person's movement in a room. It can even see through walls, making its applications endless.

Check out the video. It's pretty amazing.

The Nose Knows

Think of it...a game that rewards you not only with points, but also with the smell of buttered popcorn! The company Pop Secret commissioned the creation of an iOS game called Poptopia that can be accompanied by a Pop Dongle, a device which emits the smell of buttered popcorn during game play. Apparently the smell becomes more intense the better the game is played.

Are we finally one step closer to smell-o-vision? You decide.

What do you call a group of Pop Dongles? A herd, a gaggle, a flock?

The "Wright" Way to Gamify Your Life

In a recent interview, Will Wright, creator of Electronic Arts' SimCity and The Sims, explored the idea of constructing a game that connects people to the gameplay of their lives, rather than to fictitious or virtual worlds. Wright explains that he is "extremely interested in making games where reality is the playing field."

What do you think? Do people play games to escape their own reality? Or will they embrace the idea of creating a game world based on their own lives? 

Goodbye Gamification, Hello Gumification!

Forget remote controls and arrow keys. They are so last century. This new iOS game called Gumulon is controlled by mastication. Yup...chewing. Using the front facing camera, players chew to control the game's characters as they swing and jump through dangerous mazes. Developed for makers of the Stride gum, this game gives players a truly original way to play.

Interested in learning more? Read on.