IKEA app to bring 2013 catalogue to life with augmented reality

IKEA is working on an augmented reality app that is designed to compliment its 2013 catalogue.

Using a smartphone and a catalogue may stop you from the temptations of the Swedish meatball meal, but the augmented reality technology behind the app, which is the work of Metaio, makes the experience of shopping at home a little more interesting.

Hovering your smartphone, with the app installed, over the catalogue will show you video, photo galleries and even links to the relevant website page, presumably so you can check if an item is in stock and order it.

Rather than rely on QR codes (those odd box-like barcodes, in case you were wondering), Metaio technology can see what's on a page by looking at images, so it really is just a case of moving your smartphone around the relevant page that's of interest.

According to IntoMobile, The 2013 IKEA Catalogue App, as its full name goes, isn't quite ready but will be coming to a smartphone near you 'soon'. We assume this means Android and iOS but we could be wrong.

Until then, watch the magic, sorry, technology, in action below.

In case you were itching to improve your home's interior, IKEA's 2013 catalogue is set to ship in early August.