If you are not familiar with “augmented reality” or Pranav Mistry then I recommend you take a few minutes to watch this TED video. Initially I was introduced to this particular MIT project in February of 2009 when an earlier video was posted on TED (www.TED.com). This earlier video is also viewable at the bottom of the page.

Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology

Those of us who have seen the movie Minority Report with Tom Cruise can recollect a scene where Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) physically interacts with an augmented reality device. The character moved his hands and the digital objects effortlessly responded to these physical commands.

Pranav Mistry, an MIT graduate student, has been working in the MIT Media Lab developing augmented reality devices that appear to be the incarnation of the ideas presented in the movie. Working with brilliant MIT team members, Pranav has made a tremendous presentation displaying the potential of the Sixth Sense project at TED India.

The video above is described as follows:

“At TEDIndia, Pranav Mistry demos several tools that help the physical world interact with the world of data — including a deep look at his SixthSense device and a new, paradigm-shifting paper “laptop.” In an onstage Q&A, Mistry says he’ll open-source the software behind SixthSense, to open its possibilities to all.” (Source)

As we can see from the video, the uses for this technology could revolutionize the way we interact with each other, the world around us, and of course the digital world. This sort of reality enhancing opportunity seems an entrepreneur’s and a venture capitalist’s dream come true. The prospects are limitless and all that holds the development community back from this imminent OpenSource MIT endeavor is the rate at which Pranav and his teammates can release a stable product (legal issues pending of course).

Although Pranav presented applications for an individual, I initially think about group and societal effects. Imagine OpenSource software development, meeting social media in a community that openly embraces this exciting technology. Digital product ownership websites that are now growing in scope and size could give their digital products enhanced real world interactivity. Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace could create additional functionality that reflects their users’ lives more effectively in the digital world. Marketers and advertisers could improve their efforts to reach out to potential customers while the customers themselves might have new ways of interacting with media projected onto them.

And what effects will take place on an individual level? All of those additional features on cell phones could be rendered obsolete, in addition to the cell phones themselves. On the scene reporting for news agencies and blogging could transition into a fully enhanced digital report with complete access to the necessary technology with a lighter and more mobile footprint. GPS devices could become highly interactive as mapping and direction services can augment one’s reality thereby increasing their effectiveness. In essence, one’s personal computer becomes a part of him or her. The personal computing industry would shift as desktops, laptops, and similar devices become obsolete. The online gaming world could literally come to life as those millions of online role playing gamers (OLRPG) can finally enter the worlds they’ve been roaming for years. The lines between work and home could become more blurred as access to productivity and communication tools are now ever present. The Internet would come to life as connectivity and communication would consistently be at our fingertips.

I suspect that development isn’t in an advanced a stage as it appears to be in the TED presentation and as such I’m not sure this project will be affecting us anytime soon. However, it’s nice to get a glimpse of innovation that could be so universally impactful that any spectator can instantly recognize the value and quickly perceive their own extension of that technology.