Historical sites are vandalized by tourists, and the "I was here" messages carved in various fonts have become the most embarrassing "scenery" during holidays. How to eliminate such uncivilized behavior to the greatest extent? Scenic areas and tourists have come up with many new methods. With the advancement of technology, many scenic spots have begun to use technological means to give a proper place for the "I was here" messages carved on historical sites.
A domestic mobile internet company has launched China's first AR (Augmented Reality) based mobile social application: Zher, which is dedicated to addressing the "I was here" need and guiding tourists towards civilized tourism.
During the 2013 National Day holiday, the electronic graffiti function of "Zher" caught the attention of CCTV and was reported on the CCTV News Channel throughout the day. Major domestic websites and overseas YouTube and other famous websites all followed up and reprinted the reports, sparking enthusiastic reactions.
Augmented Reality (AR) technology, simply put, overlays computer-generated information onto images of the real world, giving observers an experience that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, revealing the wonders hidden behind each spatiotemporal scene.
Imagine, when you climb the Great Wall for the first time, moved by its grandeur, you want to leave your mark on the wall to express that you've been here, but at the same time, you're worried about damaging the ancient artifact or being caught by city management officers. Now, stop worrying! Open the "Zher" app, and you can "carve" whatever you want onto the real wall. You can simply write "I was here," imitate the works of ancient literati, or even record a sound clip as you please.
More attractive than manual vandalism is that when others arrive at this spot later and use "Zher", they will see the traces you left on the wall through their camera viewfinder. At the same time, they can browse through the footprints left by friends or strangers who have visited the scenic area and interact with them. "Zher" uses augmented reality technology to turn the real scenery into a user interface for communication, making users fully aware of their surroundings, especially those pieces of information that cannot be directly observed with the naked eye.
Download:
iOS version: https://itunes.apple.com/cn/app/zhe-er/id698012065
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.up.there