From Virtual Reality to Augmented Reality
November 12th, 2009
I’ve been debating on whether or not to tackle this topic. Every other new tech article seems to address it so I thought it only fitting to bring up the topic on the blog. Let me first preface this with a disclaimer: I know very little on augmented reality.
So what is this newfangled technology? Does it really bring a new level of realism to the table, or is it all just hype? Integrating augmented reality into training applications seems to be coming more and more mainstream, so I have decided to dig a little deeper and see what I could come up with and perhaps provide you, the reader, with new found insight.
Let’s review what Augmented Reality is (thanks to Wikipedia) Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data (virtual reality), where computer graphics objects are blended into real footage in real time. The term is believed to have been coined in 1990 by Thomas Caudell, an employee of Boeing at the time[1].
At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and “augmented” by the addition of computer-generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion-tracking data, fiducial markers recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators.
Augmented reality games are becoming more common place and there is much promise for augmented reality’s future in both PC and mobile applications. So you may be asking yourself how do augmented reality and virtual worlds relate? I don’t know, for sure. Apparently, the experts are at odds, too. Could be disposable eye-candy or a very cool adjunct to VWs…
-3D
-Immersive
-Interactive
-Large range of applications (military, industrial, corporate, etc.)
Milgram’s Reality-Virtuality Continuum
Computer-generated data + Real world= Augmented Reality (AR)
Large corporations such as BMW, Adidas and Lego are all embracing the newer technology. Both desktop and mobile augmented reality has now arrived. Many new augmented reality platforms are currently in the early development stages, but do hold loads of promise for future applications. While many skeptics remain, time will tell to see what the adoption rate of the over-hyped technology will actually be.
Leave a Reply