New app blends augmented reality with social media

App enables users to keep in contact with their friends with a series of augmented reality options.

Augmented reality is not a brand-new concept, but with the rise in popularity of both virtual and augmented reality recently, we’re beginning to see more and more original uses for it. One such use is Neon, an app which blends AR and social media to create a platform that allows users to virtually connect with their friends in the real world.

Neon used geolocation technology to enable you to find any friends that are also signed into the app. You can also signpost locations, and get friends to meet there – for a meal or party, for example. This is a feature similar to one found in Snapchat, but with Neon users can view the signpost as a neon sign through the app. It can also be useful to find friends in a crowded city centre or festival. All you have to do is select them through the app and a virtual arrow points to exactly where they are.

Neon has been created with Apple’s new ARKit, which is a leading component of their iOS 11 operating system. ARKit has been designed to make it incredibly simple for developers to create unparalleled augmented reality apps for iPhone and iPad. Neon is currently being tested in a closed beta, and it shouldn’t be too long before it appears on Apple’s App Store.

Other innovative uses for AR recently include the system designed for firefighters to help them leave a burning building quicker through an AR display on their helmets, and a fitness system from New Zealand that lets users play a series of AR games to help shed the pounds. Clearly this is still very much an untapped market, but what AR experiences would you like to see?