Aurasma debuts 3D augmented reality at CES

LAS VEGAS--Initially launched in July of last year, Aurasma, the augmented reality platform for Android and iOS, has just gone 3D. And did we mention it's a top-10 finalist in this year's Mobile Apps Showdown at CES?

If you're not familiar with Aurasma, it's a bit like a QR code reader that doesn't actually use any QR codes. See, with Aurasma, you simply have to point your device's camera at something, and if the app's image recognition technology fires, then a 3D pop-up will appear. You can watch the pop-up as-is, overlayed on the object you're pointing at, or you can double-tap the pop-up to enlarge it and watch it like a video.

And now, thanks to Aurasma's brand-new 3D engine, the augmented reality elements that pop onto your screen can be perceived from different perspectives. So as you move around a target, the pop-up elements adjust accordingly, which gives the augmentations more realism and a stronger visual appeal.

While Aurasma's 3D overlay does seem a bit raw at this point--with rough edges and less than perfect image quality--it is nonetheless a stunning technology. And since there appears to be a growing roster of commercial partners producing ads with integrated Aurasma components, we can only expect its quality to improve. Plus, we can only hope to see Aurasma bring more dinosaurs to major metropolitan cities.