Audi releases A3 augmented reality user manual

Audi has announced the release of an augmented reality smartphone app for its new 8V A3 which can be used to replace the traditional user manual. It looks pretty cool, simply point your phone to a feature you want explained and before you know it the app provides you with the info. There’s a brief video for you after the break which shows the app in action.

We’re not entirely convinced the app will work as quickly and as smoothly as shown in the video, but we’ll be happy to be proved wrong. Given this release follows the successful rollout of a similar app for the A1, perhaps this 21st century user manual will be better than we anticipate.

[Via engadget]

Metaio & Audi AG Release Interactive Augmented Reality Manual

Munich & San Francisco, 12 August 2013: Metaio, world leader in augmentedreality (AR) software and solutions and AUDI AG – global leader in luxury vehicles, today announced the release of the Audi A3 eKurzinfo augmented reality mobile application, available for free download on iOS devices in the App Store.

After the success of the Audi eKurzinfo app for the Audi A1, which was nominated for the 2013 GSMA Global Mobile Awards for Best Mobile Solution for the Automotive Industry, Audi AG has extended the availability to the new Audi A3.

The new app can recognize over 300 individual elements of the Audi A3 – from the insignia on the windshield wipers and entertainment system to actual engine components under the hood – in order to return relevant how-to information or even virtual overlays of maintenance instructions animated in real-time 3-D. Metaio’s cloud-based architecture pushes digital information directly to the device, meaning the user will never have to update the app.

The new design of the Audi A3 eKurzinfo app brings the most intuitive user experience with it: using Metaio’s latest 2-D and 3-D augmented reality tracking technology, the user positions the camera of the mobile device directly over individual vehicle elements, instantly detecting and returning information on the desired subject. For example, after scanning the engine compartment, the app would return information with an animated overlay showing how to locate the engine coolant and refill it to the appropriate level.

The Audi eKurzinfo app is available in English, German and Japanese.

In the future, Metaio sees visualization technology decreasing the need for lengthy, costly and complex user manuals. Car owners should be able to access information instantly and directly from the car itself.

“After the remarkable success of the first version of the eKurzinfo application, we are delighted to continue our partnership with the Audi AG. We see enormous potential in the field of interactive service applications. In the future it will be possible to automatically retrieve the specific information relevant in a certain situation”, Dr. Thomas Alt, CEO of Metaio.