Playing with reality

It is one more step in what is known as the augmented realityIt is a game but also a way of interacting with the objects that surround us. It is a mystery. It is a hidden treasure. It is ephemeral art. It is an invisible witness waiting to be revealed. It is a Messaging app.

We talk about Traces, a magical App and perhaps one of the most surprising of all those we have compiled on this blog. Developed by the neuroscientist Beau LottoThis application allows you to insert digital content into physical environments.

To do this you have to choose a digital content any content, be it a text, a video, a photo gallery, whatever, and using this App assign it a physical location. Once this is done, the content will only be visible when said location is viewed through the application. In reality, what is seen is much more, it is a sphere, which contains the digital material, which through augmented reality we are going to “burst” to release the content and enjoy it.

Beau Lotto, CEO of Ripple Inc, the company that developed Traces, has explained to the magazine New Scientist, that the intention of this App is to offer even more content and information than the rest of the messaging services and even the rest of the social networks. “Facebook and WhatsApp frequently transmit information out of context which is very little information for you, leaving you as a totally passive recipient.” Therefore, “instead of reading tweets in a random location, you can choose the location to add context to your delivery.”

With Traces you can achieve, as Lotto itself defines in the promotion of this App, “give your street a soundtrack”, or “tag your living room with a hidden video” opening up the possibilities for art in communication.

Although for the moment Only available in the UK, will soon make the definitive leap to all screens in the world. The only unresolved problem is what could happen if several contents are assigned to the same physical space, but this will be another story about which its creators will have to give explanations.