For most people, their interaction to augmented reality might be limited to a game on the PSP or PS3. Others are starting to experience this new dimension of interaction via apps available on their smartphone like the iPhone. Still, the truth is that after the charm wears off, augmented reality apps are clunky and slow.

For those not familiar with the subject matter, augmented reality allows you to look at the real world with an added digital interaction. In games, this can be with you interacting with a character that is not actually in front of you. For real world apps, you can point your iPhone in any direction and view restaurants and their ratings, without being in line of sight.

Now, Sony’s SmartAR is expanding the reach of agumented reality by offering object recognition system focusing on posters, tables, books, and coffee cups with the use of the traditional AR cards which is where the camera or sensor looks to find the information that it needs to display. According to Engadget “objects don’t even need to remain on screen, as demonstrated by an AR pop-up menu that remained viewable even after the object-marker that spawned it left the viewer’s field of vision.” From here, the potential of augmented reality is truly limitless. Start thinking more Minority Report and expanded advertising and retail offerings.

[Via Engadget]