Siemens is set to launch an augmented reality (AR) football game for mobile phones ahead of this year's World Cup in Germany.
The German electronics firm has combined with Austrian petroleum company OMV and the household appliance manufacturer Miele to bring World Cup fever to our mobiles
"Kick Real" allows players to take virtual penalty kicks by aiming a mobile camera phone at their foot while kicking an imaginary ball.
The game follows the technology's use in an EU research project run by C-Lab, the software foundry of Siemens, and OMV.
AR was used to train gas installers through employees sending pictures of the malfunctioning part to a central database that would then return installation instructions.
Siemens and Miele have also experimented with using the technology in showrooms, allowing information or graphics to be displayed on actual products.
The new game will be officially marketed in conjunction with the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
