The tenth annual F8 conference got underway in California yesterday afternoon. Each year, Facebook invites developers to gather and gain insight into what the social media giant has up its sleeve. Mark Zuckerberg kicked proceedings off by unveiling the company's ambitious plans for augmented reality. 

Standing in front of a packed arena and whilst being watched by millions around the world, Zuckerberg explained how Facebook is making the camera the first augmented reality platform.

One way that Facebook's new AR platform will come to life is by allowing developers to layer information cards digitally onto real life objects. Zuckerberg used the example of visiting the Coliseum and holding up a phone to learn more about the history and structure of the building.

The information that can be layered varies from historical facts, as mentioned above, to sticky notes from friends outside restaurants, recommending a particular meal.  

Posting on his own Facebook profile after his speech, Zuckerberg said, "We all know where we want augmented reality to get: glasses or eventually contact lenses that look and feel normal and let you overlay all kinds of information and digital content on the real world. But in the last couple of years, we've started to see primitive examples of AR on phones in the camera." 

"For those of you who have watched us roll out cameras across all our apps and have asked what we're doing, that was act one. Now, this is act two: giving developers the power to build all kinds of AR tools into the first augmented reality platform, the camera," he continued.  

Facebook's intervention in the world of augmented reality means it will become mainstream sooner than had been anticipated. Developers will now work to create applications that maximise this platform.