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Flyar: Serious Games To Visualize Tweeter

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Via: YDreams - Twitter Visualization Using Augmented Reality and Gesture Interaction

Flyar is a free Twitter Visualization application, which lets people interact with tweets in a physical environment. You can set it as your screensaver or just play around with it.

It uses your webcam to create an augmented video image, enabling you to visualize incoming tweets (from your account or a general feed) in a twitteresque setting that you can interact with.

How Does It Work?

Flyar uses your webcam to create an augmented reality image where birds fly or hang around tree branches and fly towards you to deliver tweets. The birds represent incoming tweets, and their color represents different types of messages: blue for normal messages, green for replies and red for direct messages.


When a bird is standing on a branch it means you have a new message. With just a tap you can “call” him and he’ll fly to your side to deliver the tweet (only one bird at a time). You can also interact with the birds by disrupting their flight patterns, or affect the falling leaves. The flock of birds flying around tells you how many messages you have waiting to be read.

Flyar only runs on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

You just need to download and execute the file. It will check your system for some pre-requisites: NET Framework 3.5 SP1, updated DirectX drivers, Visual C++ 2005 and 2008 Redistributable SP1. These can be found in most recent versions of Windows Vista, but if you don’t have them already they are also provided on installation.

After installing you can jump right into the application or take a look at the settings. You can choose between viewing the Public Timeline, a particular word or hashtag search (e.g.: #followfriday) or your own account. You can also fine tune your render and webcam settings (btw, most people will most likely prefer having the camera on mirror mode).Application Background

Flyar stems from an R&D project, where YDreams use its proprietary platform to create different ways of visualizing and interacting with information.

YDreams developed Flyar to test some aspects of its Augmented Reality composition framework (YVision), and decided to share it with the community.

About YDreams

YDreams is a Portuguese technology solutions provider founded in June 2000 by internationally renowned specialists in information technology, telecommunications, image processing, geographic information systems and environmental engineering.
The company develops pioneering, patent-pending technology in a variety of fields, namely spatial data mining, interactive media, augmented reality and pervasive gaming. YDreams develops products, customized solutions and services for four major markets, through independent divisions: Advertising, Entertainment, Education and Culture and Environment.

YDreams' products have drawn broad attention in Portugal and abroad with a simple premise: persistently break new ground in the use of interaction to seamlessly mix virtual and real environments – boosting customer experience, product perception and brand value.

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