there’s a meeting for that

June 4–5, 2013 Santa Clara Convention Center augmentedworldexpo.com Augmented World Expo

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Until this year, AWE was called ARE — the Augmented Reality Expo.

Exhibitors

1,163 Attendees

Good Vibrations The Hydraulophone or Waterflute is the world’s first musical instrument to make sound from vibra- tions in liquids.

Really Really Real I

t’s time to pull the plug on virtual reality. Technology isn’t going to duplicate or simulate or replace the

real world. It’s going to complement it. Improve it. Augment it. From smart devices and “wearable”

gadgets like Google Glass to cloud computing and 3D printing, augmented reality (AR) is changing how people interact with each other and the world around them. It has implications for medicine, law, business, education, arts and entertainment, and more — hence the multidisciplinary, fourth annual Augmented World Expo (AWE).

104 PCMA CONVENE AUGUST 2013

What is AR? “In very simple terms, augmented reality is about adding com- puter-based support to the real world,” said Ori Inbar, founder and CEO of Aug- mentedReality.ORG, which produced AWE. “It can help make whatever you do more interesting, deeper, and more knowledgeable. It enhances or aug- ments the different senses of a person, mostly through visual interface, but also sound and gesture technologies.”

How about an example? “Imagine a pool table that augments your expertise and allows you to master the game

of pool instantly, even if you’ve never played before. It does it by tracking different balls on the table and showing you the ideal angle to hit the ball every single time.”

Why an expo? “One of the goals is to help create more awareness of where the augmented-reality industry is at this point in time.”

What was new this year? “A pavilion for companies that are solving business problems using augmented reality.”

. —Christopher Durso PCMA.ORG