Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project

Mark Skwarek's "Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project" uses augmented reality to remove "weapons, checkpoints, fortifications, barriers, walls, and all reminders of the ongoing conflict from the Korean landscape." I think saying that it "erases the scars left by years of conflict between North and South Korea" may be a bit of an overstatement, but using AR to present alternate realities unaffected by real history is conceptually fascinating. "The Augmented Reality Korean Unification Project" (Thanks, Jason Tester!)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Trent Hawkins

If North Koreans see this it will blow their minds.

Not so much the Augmented reality, but the magic picture box.
- markskwarek
  
  Hi-
  
  I am the maker of the project and you are correct- currently what is
  presented is Photoshoped visualizations. I am going to make this clear
  on the website and note it on the youtube. I am traveling to Korea to
  document the augments on August 7th, I will post my video of the
  “realtime augmented reality” at the DMZ very soon.. I’m very sorry
  about the confusion-
  At the same time the augments are currently located at the DMZ- Bring your iPhone!
  
  Mark
niro5

But will it remove the Kim family from power in North Korea? That would probably go a lot further to erasing scars due to years of conflict.
narddogz

The Dear Leader cannot be augmented.
nzruss

that didn’t look like augmented reality… it looked like photshop…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefan_e_jones/ Stefan Jones

If you look at a typical North Korean with it, he or she will appear to be 20 lbs. heavier!
RJ

It’s a nice thought. Expressing the idea through AR gives the dream something approaching tangibility. When something is tangible, it becomes clearer and seems more attainable. It crumbles away one more stone between us and the reality most of us want.
BarBarSeven

Great idea! But one major conceptual flaw: How many North Koreans can afford to own an iPad or risk being in public with one to implement an idea like this?
benher

Yeah, but does the App require a Samsung device? (rimshot)
SDZion

Will this amount to denying reality or creating a new one?