Bubiko Foodtour’s Unusual Guide to Augmented Reality: An Approachable Introduction to AR Technology

You’ve probably already experienced AR technology. But, have you ever wondered how it works?

There’s a great ebook out there that’ll introduce you to all the jargon you need. Whether you want to understand an article better, contribute more to a conversation, or start developing with AR technology, this is a good place to start.

Bubiko Foodtour’s Unusual Guide to Augmented Reality

Bubiko Foodtour’s Unusual Guide to Augmented Reality is an introduction to AR technology by AR enthusiast Stephen Black. Black is one of the creators of Bubiko Foodtour, an AR chef who tours the world learning about cultural cuisine.

Creating Bubiko was Black’s first contribution to the AR world. In many ways, the book reflects Black’s own journey into AR technology.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a number of seminars and of course I go in there with a notebook. I’m writing everything down, sitting in the audience and networking with people,” said Black. “In the course of that, I thought the best way to use it would be to alphabetize it, and that’s how the book started.”

Since then, Black has immersed himself in the world of AR technology. He has made a life out of attending and speaking at conferences and is currently working on a guide for the Open AR Cloud Foundation. He also runs Blacksteps.tv, a blog on his adventures with Bubiko. His first AR app is expected to be available by March.

Inside the eBook

The seventeen-page, lightly illustrated book doesn’t read so much like a book as a glossary of terms, or a dictionary. From Anchor to ZNet, it covers almost eighty unique entries. These include ideas, organizations, people, events, and hardware and software.

The entries vary in length, with simple concepts being a single line, more advanced concepts being illustrated and requiring a number of sentences, and some of the most advanced being composed of just one or more links. As a result, the book isn’t just a glossary, it’s its own reference library.

While Black is interested in publishing a physical book, working in digital formats has a number of advantages. For one thing, the book can be updated with new and more comprehensive entries.

“My father was a book salesman so I grew up in the book industry,” said Black. “But, it would be foolish to do a (physical) book on state-of-the-art technology because everything is going to be different in six months.”

Further, many of the entries in the book contain (or just are) hyperlinks to websites, blog entries, and videos.

Final Thoughts

For the novice, Bubiko Foodtour’s Unusual Guide to Augmented Reality offers a quick and practical guide. For the expert in AR technology, it offers a new perspective and possibly an introduction to new ideas and players.