Siemens launch “Kick Real” AR World Cup game
Siemens launch “Kick Real” AR World Cup game
Siemens is set to launch an augmented reality (AR) football game for mobile phones ahead of this year’s World Cup in Germany.
Kick Real With World Cup fever sweeping Germany (or at least sweeping the tournament’s sponsors), Siemens has come up with a novel way for cellphone users to practice their kicks (which we think is at least a little ironic, given that Siemens doesn’t even make cellphones anymore).
The company’s “Kick Real” game provides cameraphone users with a virtual soccer field; point the camera at your foot, and you can kick a virtual ball that you view on the phone’s LCD. We can’t wait for this to catch on, so we can get our own kicks watching gamers staring into their phones and kicking the air.
The German electronics firm has combined with Austrian petroleum company OMV and the household appliance manufacturer Miele to bring World Cup fever to our mobiles. “Kick Real” allows players to take virtual penalty kicks by aiming a mobile camera phone at their foot while kicking an imaginary ball.
AR was used to train gas installers through employees sending pictures of the malfunctioning part to a central database that would then return installation instructions. Siemens and Miele have also experimented with using the technology in showrooms, allowing information or graphics to be displayed on actual products.
The new game will be officially marketed in conjunction with the 2006 FIFA World Cup.