AR in an anime series, Dennou Coil

I first saw this series called Dennou Coil last year. Wikipedia describes the show as a

“Japanese animation science fiction series depicting a near future where augmented reality (AR) technology has just begun to enter the mainstream. The series takes place in the fictional city of Daikoku, a hotbed of AR development with an emerging city-wide virtual infrastructure. It follows a group of children as they use AR glasses to unravel the mysteries of the half real, half Internet city, using a variety of illegal software tools, techniques, and virtual pets to manipulate the digital landscape.”

The show does an incredible job depicting how seamlessly the real and the virtual worlds could be integrated in the future. I love the way that the characters interact with virtual characters. People can pick up and hold virtual pets, they try to dodge huge “Saatchi” machines which are agents of anti-virus bots, they collect and they can launch virtual attacks on other users. The only hardware required in the world of the show is a pair of glasses which allows them to see virtual reality superimposed onto the real world.

Here’s the full Wiki for Dennou Coil.

Using AR to enhance education

One of MIT’s labs has been making AR games since 2003. On their site, they describe several examples of using AR and GPS technology as part of afternoon and summer programs for kids. What I think is exciting about incorporating AR into educational curricula is that students are more engaged in trying to solve an AR game or puzzle than they would be if they were sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture.  Could classrooms be replaced by mobile devices?