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The Humble Jigsaw Puzzle Gets a Tech Makeover With Augmented Reality from Ravensburger

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Jigsaw puzzles are pretty fun, until you finish them. You could admire your work for a while, but the chances are that won’t last long, then it’s off to the charity shop with it.

Ravensburger has decided to add a techy twist to some of its new jigsaws, mixing in an app, smartphones and augmented reality technology. Augmented Reality, or ‘AR’, allows something plain and ordinary to come to life with computerised graphics and cool effects, and is used in many different applications from video games to advertising.

In the case of these new AR puzzles, you can learn about the place in the picture. Four puzzles are on offer: Rooftops of Paris, Lofoten in the Norwegian Fjords, Colourful Underwater Kingdom and Animals of Africa. The idea is that once you’ve completed the puzzle you can download a free app, point your smartphone at it and check out the AR features.

For example, the Rooftops of Paris puzzle will show you an impressive 360-degree video tour of the capital city, as well as showing you places of interest such as the Louvre and the Notre Dame Cathedral. The Colourful Underwater Kingdom puzzle lets you play an interactive game called ‘Find the Fish, while the Animals of Africa puzzle gives you a chance to learn about the creatures in the picture you’ve created.

We think adding AR to puzzles is pretty cool, adding a learning tool and a bit more life to the humble puzzle. The tech could be used for much more in the future, such as showing a computerised 3D model of your jigsaw puzzle’s picture.

Ravensburger AR Puzzles will be available from June priced at £12.99 each, with the separate AR app coming free for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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