Layar has struck a deal with Telefónica I+D to get their Visual Search Technology – IRIS, and integrate it into its augmented reality platform/service. Using IRIS, Layar will be able to recognize real-world objects without any special codes, eventually bringing a more intuitive user experience.
Here’s what you need to know about Telefónica I+D (from the press release):
The goal of Telefónica’s IRIS project is to develop a service that provides information related to an object just by taking a picture of it. The object needs no special packaging, tag or marker. For this objective, Telefónica I+D has developed and patented proprietary visual recognition technology. This technology enables the identification of objects such as supermarket products, logos, posters, or paintings among others. The collaboration of this project with Layar is framed within the Open Innovation initiative of Telefónica I+D.
Sounds promising and we can only hope Layar will be integrating this technology in its augmented reality browser in the near future…