iKat Augmented Reality App Works Without Real-World Prompt [Apps]

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets.../500x_ikat.jpgApart from the name—which I personally approve of very much—Zenitum's iKat app has another cool edge to it. It's (we think) the first augmented reality phone app to work without a marker, or real-world prompt.
The app itself is pretty basic, just a cartoon-like pet running around on whatever surface you aim the phone at. Zenitum, the South Korean company behind iKat, says the app has to recognize an environment to work:

"Based on Zenitum's D-Track engine, we are working on markerless mobile augmented reality application, iKat. You are breeding a virtual kitten on the phone. The kitten can be mixed into real world using AR. Since no markers or image targets are needed, you need to recognize the space in front of the camera for creating the appropriate space for your kitten."

Here's the app working:

It's all built using Zenitum's D-Track software, which is explained in this video below:

iKat is a neat stepping stone for augmented reality, and while the app itself doesn't do much, I'm sure Zenitum will be expanding their technology for further use. [Zenitum via Recombu]


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