Augmented reality has been used by marketers on shoes, on envelopes, on subway platforms, in magazine ads, and of course in mobile apps. Now Lego is using the technology on the side of their packaging to give shoppers an idea of what the kit inside can produce. The boxes were created by augmented reality expert Metaio and are designed to interface with kiosks in Lego stores.

Shoppers hold up the box and a code activates the augmented reality feature, displaying a 3D model of the Lego kit. Twisting and turning the box in front of the display produces the same 3D views. Torben Nielsen, Directory of 3D technology in the Lego Group's Digital Development Department reports receiving "very positive feedback from our stores and customers," according to PC World.

Metaio also created the application used on San Franciso's subway system, the BART. Called junaio, it shows transit data such as station locations and estimated arrival times. Riders point the phone's camera and find directions to the nearest BART station and a list of estimated arrivals for the next several trains via text or graphics that are overlaid on real objects.