I’ve heard about Vuforia Chalk a few months ago. Back than it was called Project Chalk and now it’s an ARKit which you can download through the app store. As of the time of writing, the app is only available in the US app store.
So what this Vuforia Chalk app does exactly? Vuforia Chalk is a collaborative app that help anyone share a live view of a problem,, talk about it and draw on draw instructions on the screen to help others solving their problems.
If you visit the official website chalk.vuforia.com there is a video there that really does a good job explaining the benefits of the app. For example, you can see a mother asking her son Garry for help to make the sound work on the TV. Now both of them are in different places. Without the app, you would probably tell your mom: “There is a button with a volume sign on it, it’s near the bottom of the device..”,, etc, but using Vuforia you don’t need to make your mom break her heard. You can just use Vuforia Chalk app to help her out.
Now both of you need to have the app. As you can see in the video, Garry’s mom is pointing her phone towards the remote controller, so now her son sees what the phone camera sees and what his mother sees on the screen. Now Garry can use his finger to draw clear instructions directly on the screen and his mother will see those instructions in real-time. Even if his mother moves, the app remembers the location which the drawings was made so it will just stick in place.
I don’t have access to the app just yet and I am curious if the next time his mother wants to remember how it is done, if she can just save the chalk mark drawings and view them in a later date.
I’ve read some of the user comments on the US app store, and it seems that people are really annoyed by the fact that the app requires access to the entire contact list. It’s like Vuforia Chalk wants to become the WhatsApp for social AR. This is certainly a not a good way to start and I hope this will be addressed in a future update.
No doubt that the potential of this app as a problem solving aid app is big. The question that still remains is whether just a video streaming app would be enough and we already have those (e.g. WhatsApp, Skype) or whether the chalk mark drawing feature is very necessary. I can understand the benefits of this when you need to make exact and accurate explanation like which button to press, but other than that, like helping someone choose new clothing at the store and such, I’m not sure that it’s needed.
I can certainty see use for it in the home tech, do-it-yourself tasks, guiding for home appliance and service call like is mentioned in the app’s description on the app store. It’s like the app is aimed towards the business and commercial market, rather than trying to make a new social network based on AR (I’m still waiting for this one!).
The fact that the app is requires to be installed for both parties does limit its reach. That being said, it’s a very useful app and I just wonder how many businesses will actually use it in practice. Maybe it will be nice to have an icon on a commercial website that says that the company support service supports this app, this can be a nice idea to implement.
Once I get my hands on the app I can provide you with much more detailed information and share my experience with it. Cheers.
Source: Press release.