Introducing Aurasma

Aurasma is a radical piece of technology that embodies the future of mobile device usage. Created out of industry-leading visual recognition technology that is capable of recognizing and understanding images, symbols and objects in the real world, the app brings the physical and virtual worlds together for the first time. Aurasma takes the smartphone camera's view of the real world, understands what it sees and then overlays this view with the interactive layer of the virtual world.

The Technology

Using a smartphone's camera, GPS, compass, accelerometer and internet connection, the technology combines sophisticated image recognition and a conceptual understanding of the 3D world to recognize objects and images. It then seamlessly merges augmented reality actions into the scene in front of the user. Without the need for barcodes, tags or RFID, the app is able to make its surrounding environment fully interactive, with content including videos, animations, games or web pages.

The app is currently available for iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and more powerful Android devices and can be downloaded quickly and for free from the App Store or Google Play. The technology can also be embedded as a kernel app into an existing app or delivered as a skinned app for a brand or enterprise to personalize with their own content.

How it Works

For the user, Aurasma is quick to understand and even easier to use and share with friends.

Auras

When you start the Aurasma app, users can start creating Auras – augmented reality actions – by pressing the button. This enables users to overlay videos, audio or other interactions over images in the real world.

There are two forms of Aura a user can create, regular Auras and Location Auras.

Auras

are tied to a distinctive image but not to a particular location. This enables users to create and share Auras that are tied to pictures or logos irrespective of wherethey may be.

Location Auras

are Auras tied to a distinctive image at a particular location. This enables users to create and share Auras in locations significant to themselves and friends, for example placing a hidden message for a friend to discover over their front drive or an animated 3D object appearing over the front gate of their school.

Channels

Touching the button from the toolbar allows users to view, search and subscribe to User Generated Channels, Professional Channels, or view the gallery of specially-created Super Auras.

User Generated Channels

Users can view, search for and subscribe to popular, recommended or nearby channels relevant to their interests, or create their own channels for themselves and their friends. Channels, Auras or Location Auras created can then be shared via email, RSS or social media.

Professional Channels

Commercial and media organizations can also create channels to interact with their consumers and customers, either using a white-label skinned Aurasma App or with Aurasma features embedded as kernel in their existing app. Such channels allow for memorable and interactive brand engagements as well as delivering a portal of enhanced information at the finger tips of the user.

Super Auras

A gallery of Auras created specially by the Aurasma team can be viewed and come alive wherever they are found.

How Do I Know Where Auras Are?

Out and About

When Location Auras are located nearby, they appear as thumbnails along the bottom of the users' Aurasma screen, complete with an indication of how far away they appear.

Alternatively, users can consult the button to discover Location Auras nearby and receive directions towards them.

Newspapers and Magazines

As you leaf through the daily paper, look out for where Auras may have been created. Simply by hovering over particular pages, logos or articles, Aurasma can enable videos or related content to be overlaid on top. For example, a static image of a weather forecast or a photo from a football match can come alive in the form of a video stream.

For all printed material, content owners can add the "A" symbol to their Auras, so that users know to look out for augmented content. As the symbol is not part of the recognition process, it can be as small and unobtrusive as a copyright symbol.

Advertising & Promotions

The age of static push-advertising is over. Aurasma changes advertising models for good by taking any offline print media, billboards, in-store signage or the product packaging itself, and bringing them alive with compelling and interactive content.

Auras emerging from printed material turn the simple push-advertising model on its head, creating a real-time push-pull relationship whereby consumers are motivated and excited by engaging with the interactive content that brands offer. Auras can trigger promotional videos, interactive games, unique offers and more besides, and offer a direct call to action, such as a sign-up, request for more information or a purchase opportunity.

So while waiting at a train station, you can see static billboard advertising and signage come alive. A poster advertising the latest action movie could play the video trailer and offer a simple click and buy button to allow you to purchase the DVD, a billboard for a sports brand could transform into an interactive game or signage for the rail network could offer a video or portal providing important real-time travel information.

Aurasma generates revenue for companies by providing tomorrow's platform for engaging customers with fun, exciting and impactful brand experiences. And with marketers striving to retain customer loyalty and facing increased pressures to deliver measurable advertising techniques, this direct response capability of a pull mechanic within a push campaign enables demonstrable real-time lifts in click-throughs with quantifiable results and data capture opportunities to better inform and tailor future campaigns.

Print Media

By making print media interactive, newspapers, books, instructional manuals and magazines can deliver unique, informative and visually eye-catching experiences, combining the best of off and on-line media content to maximize revenues and keep the customer coming back.

So as you leaf through the daily paper on your commute to the office, the power of Aurasma enables the automatic delivery of enhanced content. A static image of a weather forecast, photo or scoreline from a previous evening's sporting fixture could come alive in the form of a video streamed from an associated broadcasting network, offering a greatly enhanced experience to the user.

For magazines or brochures in any retail vertical, their content can be enhanced with dynamic, informative and interactive content. So images in a real estate catalog can transform into further photos or video clips of the property up for sale, or fashion items in the magazine of a high-street retailer can be transformed into an interactive catwalk show. And again, these enhanced experiences can be seamlessly tied in with measurable calls to action, such as an e-commerce funnel, requests for further information or a portal for contributing user generated content.

Cross-Media Campaigns

For brands striving to create compelling multi-channel campaigns, Aurasma provides a cutting-edge creative platform upon which to create truly innovative and memorable brand experiences. Location Auras – Auras that appear in specific geographical locations – could be used to create compelling brand engagements tied in with a viral marketing campaign. Imagine the PR campaign for a new film release. Fans following the film in social media could become involved in an incentivized treasure trail around an iconic city in which the film is set to uncover hidden messages and clues, thus creating a cross-media campaign that captures a viral following as consumers become actively engaged with the brand.

E-commerce

Aurasma can recognize products, and use its conceptual understanding to provide relevant information, price comparisons or product recommendations. It can also provide enhanced information, such as reviews or nutritional information for a recipe that appears in a food magazine, even enabling all the relevant ingredients to be purchased and home delivered at the touch of a button.

Aurasma can be used both as a trusty companion on the weekly shop, by informing you on each purchase decision, and within a retailer's own customized app, to encourage customer loyalty and keep consumers updated on new products, offers and special promotions.

Travel

Aurasma is set to radically change the tourism industry too. As a form of print media, travel magazines can bring images of holidays alive with trailers and reviews. Then once someone is away on holiday or travelling, Aurasma enables access to interactive information about different locations and places of interest as you see them.

Imagine walking around Rome and seeing historic views of the city superimposed over your exact location and 3D figures from the past coming alive and informing you about points of historical or cultural importance. All this is made possible with Aurasma's image recognition combined with a smartphone's GPS.

Education

For education and educationalists, Aurasma marks an exciting new tool to engage with information and learn. Text books can come to life with interactive content, while a teacher can create hidden user-generated content around a classroom for students to discover and engage with in a memorable way.

Aurasma makes interactive learning immediate and is not restricted to the classroom or computer screen. Let the Mona Lisa speak to you in French as you see her in the corridors of the Louvre, and even get subtitles to translate what she's saying. Learners no longer have to stay indoors to find out about the world outside - they can have fun learning as they experience things for themselves.

Social Networking

Aurasma is a universal augmented reality platform built on the principle of creating communities of users that share similar interests. For a major brand such as a media franchise, this presents an interesting opportunity in terms of creating channels for user-generated content. For example, a major new series or sports franchise could see 3D models of its protagonists or players made available to the user to use creatively — placing them in front of locations significant to them and sharing this with their friends. From the Death Star lurking over Time Square to the Nautilus emerging into San Francisco Bay, the tools are there for users to create exciting experiences to share with their channels and friend networks.

There are 4 ways for you to become involved with Aurasma as a Partner:

	1. Aurasma lighting up your content Click here to create high quality Aurasma content using the Aurasma Studio.
	2. Aurasma embedded as a kernel inside your apps Click here to receive access to the Aurasma Studio and embed Aurasma-capability into your existing applications.
	3. Aurasma skinned as your app Click here to receive access to the Aurasma Studio and apply for skinned versions of the Aurasma app with your own branding and graphics.
	4. Aurasma embedded into your hardware platform Click here to embed Aurasma into the devices you manufacture.

Once you have applied, the Aurasma Team will review your application. If your application is accepted, you will then receive an automatic email with login details to your account on the Aurasma Studio.

Once inside the Aurasma Studio, you can place requests for the Aurasma kernel or skinned apps for iOS and Android.

For an initial guide to using the Aurasma Studio to make Auras, take a look at our YouTube introductory tutorial.

Aurasma Revenue Model

Is the Aurasma kernel free to download and is it free to add content?

Yes, there is no charge made for the integration of the Aurasma platform onto other apps as kernel or as a skinned app, nor for adding content onto the Aurasma platform.

Is there a revenue split on downloads of a partner Aurasma enabled app?

No, Aurasma does not ask for any portion of revenue derived from the download cost of a partner's app where a cost is involved, and our own-brand app, Aurasma Lite, is free to download for the user.

How does the revenue model work?

The revenue model works on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis. Whenever a 'click' is provided to an advertiser, through the Aurasma platform, Aurasma makes a charge for that 'click'. For example, a user might point their smartphone at a bus stop advert, publicising a new film, watch the advert come to life and touch the call to action button, bringing them to the film website or a purchase page. Aurasma records this action, and would charge the advertiser for the 'click'. However, if no transaction or click-through is triggered and the film trailer or other content is simply viewed using Aurasma, no charge is made.

When does a revenue share model apply?

If an app distributed by you generates Aurasma click-revenue, whether this is a skinned Aurasma app branded as you or the Aurasma kernel, you receive part of this revenue. Also when Aurasma click-revenue for another channel is generated from within a branded skinned or kernel version of Aurasma, revenue is split between Aurasma, the content owner and the branded app owner.

What are channels?

Within the Aurasma platform, content is organised into different channels, for example relevant to different content-owners. These channels are available for users to join through any app that uses Aurasma, so a partner's content is not just restricted to one app, but rather made available across the entire Aurasma platform. However, partner apps using Aurasma would automatically default to having content that pertains to that partner's channel live.

How it works

Visual recognition is performed on the phone and so does not require connectivity. The resulting action may require connectivity depending on the type selected. Aurasma can recognize thousands of Aura images and a virtually unlimited number of Location Auras. Aurasma can be set to pre-cache nearby Location Auras when operating on a WiFi connection.

When Aurasma recognizes an object a number of different actions can occur:

Video

Video, including transparent channels, may be placed into the scene in full projected perspective, such as appearing to make an oil painting move and maintain the illusion as the phone moves past the painting. Such video may also include interaction allowing a user to select a transition to a website or other portal.

3D Objects

Full 3D objects may be rendered in real time into the scene, for example an animated figure could appear out of a news article and explain the news or be viewed as a Location Aura passing by in the street.

Games

Game code may be executed with the game elements tied into the scene and kept in perspective as the viewing point moves. This allows objects in the scene to become aspects in a game.

Aurasma Studio

The Aurasma Studio provides an intuitive WYSIWYG interface for integrating Aurasma as kernel, creating a whitelabel app and creating content and putting it live on the Aurasma platform.

Simple drag-and-drop tools can be used to create Auras, combining Trigger Images with video and graphic Overlays and hyperlinks to extra content. These Auras are then associated with particular channels of related content.

Whilst testing is occurring, channels can remain hidden. When content is ready, the channel can go live at the click of a button. When further content is created or existing content is taken down, this automatically loads for the end user without any need to re-subscribe to the channel.

General Questions

How do I get involved?

There are four ways to become involved with Aurasma – either as a distributor of Aurasma apps, with a white-label version of Aurasma skinned as your app, using the Aurasma kernel to add features inside your existing app or creating content to appear within the Aurasma Lite platform. For more information, click here.

We have an existing app – how difficult is it to embed the Aurasma features as a kernel?

Embedding Aurasma as a kernel app is easy. It typically takes as little as a few hours to integrate depending on the architecture and features in the existing app.

How will embedding the Aurasma kernel affect my existing app?

The Aurasma kernel sits aside as an add-on feature to any app as opposed to being part of the native code, so its impact is minimal. When activated, Aurasma branches-off from the main functionalities of the app, bringing up the Aurasma viewfinder without requiring the existing app to perform any multi-tasking. Aurasma Auras – augmented reality actions – can occur within this viewfinder pane, whilst any calls to actions transition seamlessly back into the existing app's features or an external URL. A single touch of the "X" button at any point will return the user back to the app main part of the app, switching off the Aurasma functionality.

What is an Aura?

Auras are augmented reality actions – images, videos or even games that Aurasma will bring to life when you point the phone at the real world. Users can point their phone at a picture, a poster, a magazine cover, a book, a window, a building, a street... anything real, anywhere in the world – see it come to life with the content that you have chosen.

What is a Location Aura?

A Location Aura is an Aura that is tied to a location. If you post an Aura on the Big Ben in London, for instance, the Aura will only work in that specific location. Aurasma uses GPS in order to alert the users if they are near a Location Aura in the real world, and will show the user what to look for.

Who creates the content?

Partners create and develop their own content. Through the Aurasma Partner Program, simple drag-and-drop tools enable a kernel or white-label app partner to upload content and create Auras as they want.

Can I put more than one Aura on the same image?

Two different Auras can be posted onto the same image, but this is only recommended on different channels. What the user sees when they point their phone at the image depends on which channels they are subscribed to.

If I create an Aura on my print advertising material, how would my customer know about it?

Auras or Location Auras can be used as part of integrated marketing and advertising campaigns.

Does Aurasma require a 3G connection?

Recognition is performed on the phone and so does not require connectivity. Auras, augmented reality actions, which are likely to viewed can be pre-cached according to the user's location and channels. Connectivity is required in order to share Auras with other users, by SMS, email, Twitter or Facebook.

Is the Aurasma kernel available on Android?

Yes.

How many Auras can Aurasma handle?

Aurasma can recognize half a million Aura images and a virtually unlimited number of Location Auras.

Does Aurasma work on WiFi?

Yes, Aurasma works on WiFi and will pre-cache nearby Location Auras when operating on a WiFi connection.

Aurasma Studio

My trigger image is too large to upload. What should I do?

Maintaining the same aspect ratio, use an image editing program to make the image smaller - we recommend resizing any image to at most 480x640 pixels for best performance.

My (similar) Trigger Images occasionally pick up the wrong way round. What should I do?

Select the masking tool, and click and drag to apply masking to areas that are common to both and you would like to be ignored for recognition. Note that masking should be used with care and it is very rarely required for printed media.

What format should my Overlay be in?

For video overlays, for the best results, output videos as MP4s or MOVs (with H.264 codec), or as FLVs when they have an alpha channel.

My Overlay is not uploading, what should I do?

Check that it is one of the above formats and that it is not too large (converting your video to an FLV will often make it much smaller). Videos should be under 100MB in size. As a general rule, videos under 2 minutes in duration work best.

Can I upload more than one Trigger Image or Overlay at once?

Group multiple files into a TAR archive and use the Bulk Add button to upload them all at once.

Can I create "Location Auras" (Auras that are tied to a single location) using the Aurasma Studio?

When you create the Trigger Image, enter a pair of coordinates (separated by a comma) in the Coordinates box. Or, if you don't know the coordinates, click View Map, zoom in to your chosen location and right-click to place a marker &ndash we'll fill the coordinates in for you. Once you've saved your Trigger Image, any Auras you create from it will be Location Auras.

I want to create a skinned Aurasma app or put Aurasma into my existing app. How do I do this?

First of all, check that your account includes these features. If it does, you will see the button in the right-hand of the screen, which, if you click on it, will allow you to Request Skinned App and/or Request Kernel. If you cannot see these options, email partner@aurasma.com to put in a request for your account to be upgraded.

What graphic assets do I need to submit for a skinned app to be created?

Please submit graphics to the exact specifications listed below as PNGs. With the exception of the Android icon, images must not contain any transparency. Where two different resolutions are listed, please supply both sizes.

Aurasma UK Cambridge Business Park Cowley Rd Cambridge CB4 0WZ Tel: +44 (020) 7104 5799

Aurasma US One Market Street Spear Tower 19th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 Tel: +1 415 625 1400

Aurasma Japan Hibiya Marine Building, 11F 1-5-1 Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 105-0005 Tel: +81 (03) 5251 8551

Partner enquiries: partner@aurasma.com
Technical support: forum.aurasma.com