When thinking of augmented reality, images from different science fiction films and TV shows likely come to mind. In so many of them, there are different lenses or even prosthetic eyes that produce different types of data over the world that we see to show us personal info on the people we see, buildings we enter, and more. Various AR experiences we’ve seen are slowly starting to replicate these experiences that were once just fantasy on the fringes of our mind, and Blippar is one of the companies leading the charge.
With the Blippar app, users are “blipping” everyday objects and unlocking different experiences based on whatever is seen. For example, by blipping a pizza a user may be shown different recipes or the closest places to get a slice. Blippar apparently even added facial recognition to their application, according to a report by Business Insider.
Once a user blipps or scans in an image from a photo or even on television, you’ll be able to access an augmented social network profile for recognized faces. When you view such a profile in the app, a halo made of different social networking app logos and widgets appears over the person’s head. The halo will be a place to not only link people to your social network accounts, but also share your interests, hobbies, and mood.
The app is said to have a database of over 70,000 public figures and the ability to create your own with the selfie option in the app will be coming sometime soon. I personally would err on the side of caution with the social aspect of an app like this. While the possibility of being able to connect with people in such a way sounds cool, having your identity out in the open in such a fashion could be risky. There may be security options in place other than those set by the social networks themselves and we’ll know a bit more when the option to add your own profile goes live. The Blippar app is currently available on Android and iOS.
