It feels like magic or a technology from the distant future, but it’s here now, and anyone can use it.  In this inspiring TED talk, Matt Mills shows us his latest work on image recognition that triggers an augmented reality experience.

The opportunities are limited only by your imagination.  With this level of image recognition, and the seamlessness of the application, it becomes even easier to connect physical objects with digital content.  Sure you can create links now with QR codes, barcode scanning, even SMS.  But with this image recognition technology, and the seamless way the augmented reality overlays on the image, you can begin to see how awesome the opportunities can be.  Although simple links to digital content offer some amazing opportunities, the cool factor here is that the physical object becomes part of the digital content, rather than just linking off to a separate file.

Imagine product packaging that animates to expand on nutrition or health benefits.  Clothes that try themselves on a 3D image of you, in store.  Augmented reality instruction manuals that show you exactly what to do and how. Newspapers that update on the fly.  Recipes that burst out of food packages or from magazines.  Augmented reality movie trailers that jump out of a bus shelter or magazine.  Postcards that deliver a video of your holiday experiences.  Print DM pieces can become completely interactive.  Virtual city tours.  Art galleries that come alive.  Real estate floor plans that animate and let you  fill them with your furniture.  Virtual graffiti and messages for friends posted on walls or in public spaces.

Start thinking about what you would do, because it won’t be long before this is happening all around us.