Using augmented reality to merge physical and virtual experiences. Jean-François Chianetta speaking at AV/VR Innovate May 11th

By @SimonCocking. Interesting chat with Jean-François Chianetta, who will be speaking at the upcoming AR/VR Innovate event in Dublin, buy tickets here. Jean-François is the co-founder and CEO of Augment. Mechanical engineer by training and computers geek for years, he started working on augmented reality in 2010, when it became clear that AR would become the next major trend in mobile computing. Augment is at the forefront of Augmented Reality applied to Salespeople, Retail and e-commerce. By gearing up thousand of sales rep and major e-commerce website, Augment is becoming the everyday tool to show products in the customer’s environment and close deals.

ARVR Innovate returns to Dublin, May 11th

1 min pitch for what you are doing now?

Augment is the leading augmented reality software solution, helping businesses merge physical and virtual experiences through real-time product visualization. Augment’s technology enables retailers and brands to display products in life-like 3D augmented reality on their eCommerce and mobile commerce platforms. With a simple tap on a mobile device, customers are able to see products in their environment, in real time and real size, before purchasing, removing the uncertainty of shopping online.

Augment’s technology is proven with over 3 million app downloads worldwide. Augment’s platform has powered AR solutions for industry leaders including Coca-Cola, Siemens, and Manutan.

What are your plans for 2017?

At the end of 2016, we released our SDK solutions for retailers and brand manufacturers. The Augment SDKs allow retailers to natively embed augmented reality product visualization into their existing eCommerce apps or websites for the first time.

2017 is about delivering our technology to leading retailers around the world and delivering the best augmented reality solution for retailers today. eCommerce is moving quickly in the direction of augmented reality (augmented commerce), and we’re thrilled to be leading the pack

 What will you be talking about at AR/VR Innovate?

Augmented commerce. We have defined augmented commerce as the buying and selling of goods using augmented reality to visualize products virtually in the real-world environment before purchasing. This is the next evolution in eCommerce and product visualization.

 What inspired you to attend it?

ARVR Innovate is one of the leading events in the space with a distinct focus on exploring user case-studies for how AR and VR can enhance business. This unique focus sets the conference apart from other events. It attracts AR talent from around the globe along with top innovators across industries who are excited about the technology.

AR is a powerful enterprise tool. We have seen our clients like Coca-Cola and Manutan benefit greatly from the technology. I look forward to sharing these and more enterprise use cases at the event to inspire the next wave of AR adoption in enterprise.

 How was 2016, for AV/VR what worked well, what didn’t move as quickly as you would have liked?

Right now, the hardware still lags behind. There is no hardware that is practical for day-to-day life. Hololens is good in terms of experience, but you can’t go out in the street with it, and it is still only available for developers. We are also still waiting for more mobile devices to be equipped with depth-sensing and room mapping technology. The ZenFone or Lenovo Phab 2 support this functionality thanks to Google Tango, but it is still not yet readily available. There are rumors that Apple may introduce its own 3D camera technology this fall, which is exciting for the space.

 Which influencers and websites do you follow to keep up to date with the latest developments?

Inside VR & AR, UploadVR, http://ben-evans.com/

 How can people find out more about what you are working on?

To learn more about Augment, you can visit our website. We also have a free app available for iOS and Android. Although our SDK is intended for retailers, Augment is an open platform for all AR product visualization. We have over 200 clients in 36 countries around the globe in countless industries. I encourage readers to download our app and sign up for a free trial to try out our AR experience for yourself.

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