What is Augmented Reality (AR) and what are its potential uses?
Augmented reality is technology that expands our physical world and adds layers of digital information to it. Unlike virtual reality (VR), AR does not create an artificial environment to transform a virtual into a real one. AR appears in direct view of an existing environment and adds sounds, video, graphics to it. The visualization of physical real-world environments with AR superimposed computers has changed the perception of reality.
It was only in 1990 that the term was coined and its first commercial use was in television and the military. With the rise of internet and smartphones, AR launched its second segment and is mostly related to the interactive concept nowadays. 3D models are based directly on physical things or are linked together in real time, various augmented reality apps affect our habits, social life and entertainment industry.
AR apps usually associate digital animation with a particular 'marker' or point to the location with the help of GPS in the phone. Augmentation is happening in real-time and in the context of the environment, for example, overlaying the score in a live feed sport event.
A Brief History of Augmented Reality:
In 1968, Evan Sutherland and Bob Sporel created a headdress display, calling it The Sword of Damocles. Apparently, it was a rough device that displayed primitive computer graphics.
In 1975 Myron Krueger created Video Place - an artificial reality laboratory. The scientist envisioned human interaction with digital goods. The concept was later used for some projectors, video cameras, and onscreen silhouettes.
In 1980, Steve Mann developed the first portable computer called EyeTap, designed to be worn in front of the eye. It later recorded the scene as an effect on it, and showed it to all users who could use it through shaking heads as well. In 1987, Douglas George and Robert Morris developed a prototype of the head-up display (HUD). It displayed astronomical data on the real sky.
In the year 1990, the term "augmented reality" was born. It first appeared in the work of Thomas Codell and David Mizell - researchers at the Boeing Company. In 1992 Louis Rosenberg of the US Air Force created an AR system called "Virtual Fixtures". In 1999, a group of scientists led by Frank Delgado and Mike Abernethy tested the new navigation software, which generates data from runway and roads from helicopter videos.
In 2000 Hirokazu Kato, a Japanese scientist, developed and published an open source SDK - ARToolKit. It was later adjusted to work with Adobe.
In 2004, Trimble Navigation introduced an outdoor helmet-mounted AR system. In 2008 Wikimedia created the AR Travel Guide for Android mobile devices.
In 2013 Google Beta tested Google Glass with an internet connection via Bluetooth. In 2015 Microsoft introduced two brand new technologies: Windows Hologram and HoloLens (an AR specs with lots of sensors to display HD holograms). In 2016 Niantic launched the game Pokemon Go for mobile devices. The app gave a new boost to the gaming industry and earned $ 2 million in just the first week.
How does Augmented Reality work?
For many of us, what is augmented reality, it means the technical side, ie how does AR work? A certain range of data (pictures, animations, videos, 3D models) can be used for AR and people will see results in both natural and synthetic light. In addition, users are aware of being in the real world, unlike VR, which is computer-advanced.
AR can be displayed on various devices: screens, glasses, handheld devices, mobile phones, head-mounted displays. This includes technologies such as S.L.A.M. (Simultaneous localization and mapping), depth tracking (a sensor data calculating distance on objects), and the following components:
Camera and sensor: collecting data about user interaction and sending it for processing. Cameras on devices are scanning the surroundings and with this information, a device detects physical objects and generates 3D models. These can be special duty cameras, such as Microsoft Hololens, or general smartphone cameras for taking pictures / videos.
Process: AR devices should eventually function like small computers, something modern smartphones already do. In the same way, they need a CPU, a GPU, flash memory, RAM, Bluetooth / WiFi, a GPS etc. to be able to measure speed, angle, direction, orientation etc. in space.
Projection: This refers to a miniature projector on an AR headset, which takes data from sensors and digital material (the result of processing) on the surface for viewing. In fact, the use of approximations in AR has not been fully invented yet it is used in commercial products or services.
Reflection: Some AR devices have mirrors to assist the human eye to see virtual images. Some have "an array of small curved mirrors" and some have a camera and a double-sided mirror to reflect light into a user's eyes. Such reflection paths aim to perform an appropriate image alignment.
Potential Uses of Augmented Reality:
Augmented reality can complement our everyday activities in various ways. For example, AR's most popular application is gaming. New AR games provide players with a better experience, some also promoting a more active outgoing way of life. Areas of gaming are being moved from virtual areas to real life, and players actually perform certain activities. For example, a simple gym activity for children by the Canadian company SAGA, where cubes mounting children on the wall are hit with a ball.
AR in retail can act to bring about better customer engagement and retention, as well as brand awareness and greater sales. Some features can help customers make sensible purchases - providing product data with 3D models of any size or color. Real-estate can also benefit from augmented reality through 3D visits to apartments and homes, which can also be manipulated to modify in part.
Other possible areas for augmented reality:
- Education: Interactive model for learning and training purposes from mathematics and chemistry.
- Medical / Healthcare: To help in diagnosis, monitoring, train, localization, etc.
- Military: For advanced navigation, marking objects in real time.
- Art: Installation / Visual Arts / Music.
- Tourism: data of sights, sightseeing, navigation and directions.
- Broadcast: Enhancing live event streaming by overlaying advertising event content.
- Industrial design: visualizing, calculating or modeling.
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What is the difference between AR, VR, and MR?
Augmented Reality (AR): Augmented reality combines digital elements into a live scene using a camera on a smartphone. Examples of augmented reality experiences include Snapchat lenses and the game Pokémon Go.
Virtual reality (VR) means a complete immersion experience that closes the physical world. Using VR devices such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard, users can be transported to many real-world and fantasy environments such as between a squeaking penguin colony or on a dragon's back.
In Mixed Reality (MR) it combines elements of both AR and VR, interacting with the real world and digital objects. Mixed reality technology is just beginning to take over one of the most notable early mixed reality devices with Microsoft's HoloLens.
Wow! Thanks to the author for such comprehensive information about the technology of augmented reality and the fields where it can be used. In today's world, location-based augmented reality has become particularly interesting, for example, you can view information about a certain landmark by simply pointing the camera at that place, or find the way to the nearest shopping center, etc.
Hello. To build a virtual environment, I use a robot that locates itself in an unknown environment and at the same time builds a map of this environment for future use.
The idea is like a person in a new house, you will move from room to room trying to figure out where you are in the house while at the same time building a map in your head about the structure of the house.
SLAM can use all kinds of technologies, one of them being computer vision, especially 3D computer vision. In the video, you can find easily tracked objects and autonomous vehicles vision defined in this space, as well as display the location of the vehicle on the map.