Filed under: Safety, Technology, Audi, Luxury



There have been a few, seemingly half-hearted, attempts at reinventing the owner's manual - that thick stack of bone-dry information that you only look at if you're well and truly stumped. Hyundai tried swapping in iPads with the Equus, which didn't really take, while Chrysler switched its owner's manuals to digital form in 2010. Chrysler subsidiary Dodge even released a smart phone app that included all the info contained in the paper manual.

Audi, though, may have taken things to their logical conclusion - augmented reality. While it'll likely be more practical once Google Glass and other wearable tech is adopted on a wide scale, augmented reality allows users to project information on scenes, usually through a phones camera, which is how Audi does it.

Called eKurzinfo, the app looks through your phones camera to identify and explain different parts of the car. According to Metaio, the app's developer, the app recognizes 300 different parts of the car. Our sister site, Engadget, provides the best example of the app's abilities - if you point it at the engine temperature gauge, the app tells you what the gauge measures, and if the reading is too high, eKurzinfo will even show you where to find the coolant tank.

The app debuted on the A1, but is also available on the new A3 sedan. It's not clear if it'll come to the United States when the new A3 arrives or which operating systems it will work for. Scroll down for a video of eKurzinfo in action.Continue reading 2015 Audi A3 gets augmented reality app in place of owners manual [w/video]

2015 Audi A3 gets augmented reality app in place of owners manual [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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