No Need to Leave Home: Augmented Reality Hits IKEA’s 2014 Catalog

With its 2014 product catalog, IKEA caters to people like me who love nothing more than avoiding having to go out to a retail establishment to shop for, well, anything. With an Android or iOS device, and of course IKEA’s app, you’ll be able to peruse over 90 different products, and all in augmented reality.

The concept might seem silly, but in reality it could prove to be incredibly useful. The idea is that you select a product, then scan the room with the help of the device’s rear camera. The app will then place the piece of furniture right where you want it. Your lamp not going to be able to stay where it is with the loveseat you chose? What you see on the screen will quickly and easily show you – no need for a tape measure.

It seems that you’ll also be able to cycle through the different colors offered for each product, so once measurements are taken care of, you’ll be able to find a color that best suits the rest of your decor.

IKEA’s long been interested in AR, so it’s cool to see that a useful implementation is right around the corner. For the next version, I hope the company allow you to destroy these virtual pieces of furniture after you figure out the best placement. Blowing things up is fun, what can I say?