Learning Ecosystems

It’s 2011, and you’re standing by the Brandenburg Gate in Germany’s capital examining the cracks and graffitied slogans of the vast and intimidating Berlin Wall. Sure, the physical wall fell back in 1989 — but now it’s back to add context to your journey, thanks to creative use of smartphone technology. Point your iPhone or your Android phone towards the wall’s original location, and superimposed on the phone’s camera image is an intricate 3D representation of the wall where it originally stood. City discovery just became augmented.

Until recently, “augmented reality” was an awkward and generally disappointing technology that involved downloading special software, holding strange symbols up to computer webcams, and waiting with fingers crossed for your movements to yield some sort of interactive movement on the screen. But the latest GPS-enabled, high-resolution-camera smartphones have given “AR” (as it’s known) a new and often very engaging life. So if you download a free app from a Dutch company called Layar, you can select layers of real-world information that will be displayed on your phone’s screen according to your location. When I travel, I now use these layers to learn the history of Rome or Red Square, or simply which way to walk to the nearest subway station. Just point your camera and follow the virtual signs.