Don’t like your reality? Zap! You’ve got a new one

Want to take a picture of your boss dancing with a bunny on a desk?

There's a way to make that happen.

Just after the show floor opened Tuesday morning at the 2013 International CES, CNET hosted its disruptive-technology session at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Moderated by technology analyst Tim Bajarin, the disruptive-technology panel discussion attracted a crowd of about 500. A CES veteran, Bajarin has been identifying disruptive tech for 10 years.

So back to that embarrassing photo of your boss.

Using augmented reality, you can take a photo of someone (say your boss) and change it to a desired effect, like, say, making him or her dance on a desk with a bunny.

In case you're not familiar with it, augmented reality tech allows you to enhance, or augment, your surroundings in real time.

Chosen by Bajarin as one of this year's disruptive technologies, the Zappar app, available for ios and Android, can handle your augmented reality needs.

Zappar's managing director, Casper Thykier, said he's particularly interested in the intersection of handheld device and physical objects. To that end, he's working on mass-market applications for AR, which has been around since the 1960s.

"Try to think of it as a new lens for your device," Thykier explained.

Or, he said, think of his app and what it produces as "30-second hits that can put a smile on your face."

His aim? To give you something you can't get better or quicker online.

Examples of the bite-sized entertainment Zappar provides include using AR-enabled clothing to digitally manipulate human faces (think supplanting yours with a zombie's) or taking an image from a movie poster and making it eat at your dinner table.

"It's no more than that, really. It's a fun way to engage," Thykier said.

For more information on the app and its technology, visit Zappar.com, which features AR-enabled content.

Thykier also is working on a consumer-friendly language that can be wrapped around the technology, because let's face it, AR sounds a little sterile, right?

In addition to Zappar, Bajarin included Corning in his presentation for its innovative glass display work, and BlueStacks, an app that allows Windows users to transfer apps between devices.

As the makers of Gorilla Glass, Corning leads the market for displays. And when technology advances, so does the glass that displays are made from.

For example, higher resolution televisions mean more pixels, and gestures technology requires glass that doesn't interfere with the precision touch experience.

James Clappin, president of Corning's Glass Division, said the company is focusing on providing an immersive technology experience for its users.

"Real life is immersive," Clappin said. "Imagine if a display could conform to its environment and not the other way around."

The company is working on a "revolutionary" new manufacturing platform that would allow electronics to be printed on glass with a new technology that is just starting to emerge.

"The artificial barrier between device and user is shrinking," Clappin said.

But before it's ready for market, "a lot of work has to be done," he said.

The bottom line?

While many consumer electronics manufacturers seem focused on smartphones and tablets, the reality is that consumers' consumption of technology and social sharing abilities are driving the industry toward a completely new set of devices and services.

The International Consumer Electronics show, an industry-only trade show, runs through Friday , bringing with it about 156,000 attendees to Las Vegas, adding a nongaming estimated economic impact of $197.3 million to the city.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.