In 2018, our family decided to sell our new construction home in a treeless neighborhood and move into a 40-year-old raised ranch with original hardwood floors and a beautiful view of mature trees outside of every window. After months of residing in the basement (not such a bad thing in the hot summer months), we were ready to move upstairs, which left the garage…bare. Like every other room in the house, I had a plan. This 'tuck-under' garage was going to become our home gym.

A two-car garage would be plenty of room for all of the equipment and gear we owned and planned to acquire, right? We’re talking almost 600 square feet, after all! The load-in began...first the treadmill, then weight racks, followed by a bench, a Total Gym (thanks Chuck Norris), a stability ball, barbells…you get the picture. Now, I’m faced with the urge to add a spin bike and the karate Orange Belt in me needs (well, wants) a freestanding kickboxing bag. 

Here I sit on a Saturday morning with my iPhone and Amazon account ready to map this out. Five years ago, I probably would have checked dimensions online, used masking tape to mark the floor and assess for fit, only to have to move everything around, wrestle with more tape and repeat the process over and over. But, it’s 2020, and while a lot of things haven’t been so great – augmented reality is changing the way we outfit ourselves and our homes. Hallelujah.

I was able to use Amazon’s “View In Your Room” feature to place my items in the gym space. With that functionality, you no longer have to imagine what the setup will be, but you can truly experience. Using markerless AR, homeowners can move objects around the room and change the orientation while maintaining scale. This ensures that what you see on screen is what will happen IRL once the product arrives on your doorstep.

About Markerless AR

Markerless AR uses a flat, planar surface to drop a 3D object into the scene. For a consumer, no additional downloads, apps, or updates are required to allow it to function. All that is required is a web-enabled device with a camera. The objects being placed can be static, like a sofa or piece of art, or active like a dance instructor teaching a step or band performing a song.

M.J. Anderson, CXO
RealityBLU
(815) 262-7279
mj@realityblu.com