By ,
Published October 21, 2015
Move over QR codes. The political process just got really real, through some technical augmentation from VoterView. This free iOS app boasts being "the world's first augmented reality mobile app for campaigns and elections."
The Austin-based startup's plan is get the public more engaged with campaign materials from the candidates. That means pointing your iPhone or iPad camera at printed messages from within the app to open 3D animations, donate to the candidate, express your support, share your thoughts with your social networks and learn more about that candidate's positions.
In the sample campaign from the site embedded here you can see incumbent Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell touting the city's job creation and history of innovation. Using Google's Project Glass would make this totally worthwhile, and we can't wait to see the first Presidential mailer. But sadly neither of those things are a reality yet.
While it is the first politically-minded app of its kind, VoterView isn't the first QR code alternative built into a paper product. Blippar, which syncs with the creative inside of an add (the whole poster, a logo, the product itself) as the trigger for an interactive engagement, in much the same way.
Touchcode works by embedding a thin layer of capacitive material in printed items like business cards, tickets, magazine pages, or product packaging. When you hold the paper to a capacitive touch screen, it acts like a set of invisible fingers tapping out a complex code that’s interpreted by a Touchcode-enabled app or website. These codes can be used for launching web pages, enabling coupon codes, event ticketing, or even mobile payments.
Or there's Listening Post, which incorporates mini-circuit boards equipped with speakers and a small amount of memory into conductive ink, letting those who interact with a music-related poster activate song clips when they touch the appropriate spot on the paper. Or there's
Would VoterView make you more inclined to learn about a candidate, before chucking a flyer in the trash? Would you rather use Touchcode? Are you holding out for NFC to be built into the next iPhone? Tell us in the comments.
https://www.foxnews.com/tech/voterview-brings-augmented-reality-to-political-campaigns