Sander Veenhof
When will Augmented Reality truly play a role in our lives? Creative technologist Sander Veenhof has been involved in that question since he became fascinated by AR in 2010. The ability to adjust oneself and the world around you will have societal implications. But what does it mean for us as individuals? That is the perspective Veenhof takes in his hands-on future research.
The “XR” domain is currently in the spotlight, especially since the announcement of the new Apple Vision Pro glasses. A fine device for home use. But what if everyone starts wearing such glasses everywhere and all the time? As a preview to such questions, Veenhof regularly walks around as a guinea pig in his self-made AR future scenarios. In doing so, he encounters future possibilities and problems, which he then creatively solves. Due to his computer science background, he has the necessary technical skills. He combines them with a remarkable imagination and a strong tendency not to follow the beaten paths. The origin of this is a course in ‘unstable media’ at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, where he now teaches the subject ‘augmented realities.’
With a continuous flow of wonderful experiments and creations over the years, he has a lot of material to talk about. He has explored every imaginable form of AR—geographically oriented augmented reality, storytelling applications, commercial AR, Snapchat filters, digital fashion, body tracking, and currently, the combination of AR and AI where much is about to happen.
Based on a common thread that he coordinates in consultation, he presents a unique, quirky, and surprising story, mixing records of his own successes and failures with current and future developments. This provides a surprising and empathetic insight into our lives in the future smart city or the metaverse. But beyond Mixed Reality as the main topic, his lectures also have a deeper layer. His passion and innovative approach send the motivating and inspiring signal that every problem offers the opportunity to discover a wonderful solution.
Innovative, playful, surprising, and inspiring are keywords that apply to Sander Veenhof’s projects, and the same goes for his talks. For various occasions, he gives lectures and provides guest lectures and workshops. Sometimes a combination of these. Like a lecture where attendees interact with each other via AR during an interlude. Ideal for conferences, company meetings, or team outings.
Smile! You’re on augmented camera
At the bus stop with AR Glasses