Toronto-based Teehan+Lax has been tinkering with augmented reality in its Labs – an independent unit within the agency that explores creative uses of technology – and came up with Touch Vision Interface. The new and improved AR methodology enables touch interaction through a smartphone’s camera to connected surfaces in the device’s view.
Jeremy Bell, partner, Teehan+Lax, says it allows users to interact with multiple surfaces without interruption. “We posed the question to our Labs of how AR could be improved, because it typically puts something between you and the object you are looking at,” he says. “Ultimately, only the person using AR on their phone can experience what they are seeing and nobody else can. I don’t want [a] superficial experience where only I can see it, I want to be able to control the environment in front of me.”
Bell says the Teehan+Lax team has not seen technology like the Touch Vision Interface before, and now are looking for ways to deploy it. “The first thing we thought of was to use the technology with large digital screens like Yonge-Dundas Square,” he says. “If done correctly, brands could have multiple people interacting with the screen at the same time. It could also be used at the movies during the ads. We are looking for additional ideas though, because we see this as a blank canvas right now.”