Augmented reality
What is Augmented Reality
Examples and daily usage
Difference between VR and AR
The other side of AR (negative aspects)
Future of AR
Different fields of AR
Work fields of AR
History of AR
Use of AR in business
Components of AR systems
What Is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality (AR) is an enhanced version of the real physical world that
is achieved through the use of digital visual elements, sound, or other
sensory stimuli delivered via technology. It is a growing trend among
companies involved in mobile computing and business applications in
particular.
Amid the rise of data collection and analysis, one of augmented reality’s primary goals is to
highlight specific features of the physical world, increase understanding of those features, and
derive smart and accessible insight that can be applied to real-world applications. Such big data
can help inform companies' decision-making and gain insight into consumer spending habits,
among others.
Understanding Augmented Reality
Augmented reality continues to develop and become more pervasive among a wide range of
applications. Since its conception, marketers and technology firms have had to battle the
perception that augmented reality is little more than a marketing tool. However, there is evidence
that consumers are beginning to derive tangible benefits from this functionality and expect it as
part of their purchasing process.
For example, some early adopters in the retail sector have developed technologies that are
designed to enhance the consumer shopping experience. By incorporating augmented reality into
catalog apps, stores let consumers visualize how different products would look like in different
environments. For furniture, shoppers point the camera at the appropriate room and the product
appears in the foreground.
Elsewhere, augmented reality’s benefits could extend to the healthcare
sector, where it could play a much bigger role. One way would be through
apps that enable users to see highly detailed, 3D images of different body
systems when they hover their mobile device over a target image. For
example, augmented reality could be a powerful learning tool for medical
professionals throughout their training.
Some experts have long speculated that wearable devices could be a
breakthrough for augmented reality. Whereas smartphones and tablets show
a tiny portion of the user’s landscape, smart eyewear, for example, may
provide a more complete link between real and virtual realms if it develops
enough to become mainstream.
Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality
Augmented reality uses the existing real-world environment and puts virtual
information on top of it to enhance the experience.
In contrast, virtual reality immerses users, allowing them to "inhabit" an
entirely different environment altogether, notably a virtual one created and
rendered by computers. Users may be immersed in an animated scene or an
actual location that has been photographed and embedded in a virtual reality
app. Through a virtual reality viewer, users can look up, down, or any which
way, as if they were actually there.
Definition
Virtual Reality (VR) is the technology that provides almost real and/or
believable experiences in a synthetic or virtual way. Augmented Reality (AR)
can be thought of as a variation of VR. In the original publication [1] which
coined the term, (Computer-) Augmented Reality was introduced as the
opposite of VR: instead of driving the user into a purely-synthesized
informational environment, the goal of AR is to augment the real world with
synthetic information such as visualizations and audio. In other words, AR is a
system that enhances the real world by superimposing computer-generated
information on top of it. VR technologies completely immerse a user inside a
synthetic environment. While immersed, the user can not see the real world
around him/her. In contrast, AR allows the user to see the real world, but
superimposes computer-generated information upon or composed with the real
world. Therefore, AR supplements reality, rather than completely replacing it.
Combining 3D graphics with the real world in a 3D space is useful in that it
enhances a user’s perception of and interaction with the real world. In addition,
the augmented information, such as annotations, speech instructions, images,
videos, and 3D models, helps the user perform real world tasks. Figure 1 shows a
wearable computer used for the implementation of AR of an industry training
application.
What is the difference between AR and VR?
While both technologies involve simulated reality, AR and VR
rely on different underlying components and generally serve
different audiences.
In virtual reality, the user almost always wears an eye-
covering headset and headphones to completely replace the
real world with the virtual one. The idea of VR is to eliminate
the real world as much as possible and insulate the user from
it. Once inside, the VR universe can be coded to provide just
about anything, ranging from a light saber battle with Darth
Vader to a realistic (yet wholly invented) recreation of earth.
While VR has some business applications in product
design, training, architecture and retail, today the majority of
VR applications are built around entertainment, especially
gaming.
Augmented reality, on the other hand, integrates the simulated
world with the real one. In most applications the user relies on
a smartphone or tablet screen to accomplish this, aiming the
phone’s camera at a point of interest, and generating a live-
streaming video of that scene on the screen. The screen is
then overlaid with helpful information, which includes
implementations such as repair instructions, navigation
information or diagnostic data.
However, AR can also be used in entertainment applications.
The mobile game Pokemon Go, in which players attempt to
capture virtual creatures while moving around in the real
world, is a classic example.
What are some examples of augmented reality and
virtual reality?
Augmented reality entails abundant — and growing — use
cases. Here are some actual applications you can engage with
today.
Ikea Place is a mobile app that allows you to envision Ikea
furniture in your own home, by overlaying a 3D representation
of the piece atop a live video stream of your room.
YouCam Makeup lets users virtually try on real-life cosmetics
via a living selfie.
Repair technicians can don a headset that walks them
through the steps of fixing or maintaining a broken piece of
equipment, diagramming exactly where each part goes and the
order in which to do things.
Various sports are relying on augmented reality to provide
real-time statistics and improve physical training for athletes.
Beyond gaming and other entertainment cases, some business
examples of virtual reality include:
Architects are using VR to design homes — and let clients
“walk through” before the foundation has ever been laid.
Automobiles and other vehicles are increasingly being
designed in VR.
Firefighters, soldiers and other workers in hazardous
environments are using VR to train without putting themselves
at risk.
History of AR
When were virtual reality and augmented reality first
introduced?
While primitive virtual reality systems got their start in the
1950s and 1960s, the concepts of VR and AR began to gain
momentum in military applications during the early 1980s.
Motion pictures such as Tron, The Matrix and Minority Report
all offered futuristic riffs on how these technologies would
evolve in the years to come.
The first mainstream attempt at releasing a VR headset was
the Sega VR in 1993, an add-on to the Sega Genesis gaming
system. While it never made it to market, it did stoke
consumer interest in the technology. It would not be until the
Oculus Rift in 2010 that a VR headset would be successful
with a consumer audience — though today these devices
remain expensive and largely of interest to niche, gaming-
focused users.
Augmented reality splintered from virtual reality around 1990,
and was brought to the public’s attention in 1998, when TV
broadcasters began overlaying a yellow line on the football
field to better indicate the distance to a first down. Over the
next decade, various apps around AR technology were
designed for both military use (such as in fighter jet cockpits)
and consumer use, when print magazines and packaged goods
began embedding QR codes that could be scanned with a
consumer’s cell phone, making the product “come alive” with a
short 3D video.
In 2014, Google rolled out Google Glass, with an eye toward
equipping everyone with a head-mounted display AR device.
The AR headset, which was controlled via voice and touch
gestures, was met with skepticism and criticism, attributed to
the new reality that people were recording video 24/7 in public.
Privacy suddenly became a major talking point in consumer
AR. Google ultimately suspended the project and relaunched it
a few years later with enterprise users in mind.
How is augmented reality being used in business?
Today, business and enterprise use cases are the predominant
reality applications for AR. Some key examples include:
Design and construction — Arguably the most common
and fruitful application for AR today, designers are using
augmented reality to see what hypothetical products (or
structures) look like in real environments and to make
virtual tweaks to existing products without ever laying a
hand on them.
Maintenance and repairs — AR technology can guide
technicians through the steps of repairing, upgrading, and
maintaining a wide range of products, ranging from
industrial equipment to entire buildings. AR allows
technicians to work on equipment without having to refer
to printed manuals or websites, overlaying detailed
instructions – often visual – atop the machinery itself.
Training and education — Businesses are using AR
technology to provide an immersive experience when
training employees, allowing them to more
comprehensively visualize new products and concepts.
Schools are following suit.
Healthcare — AR technology has made its way into the
surgery room, with overlays showing the critical steps of
an operation, patients' vital statistics, and more.
Retail — From virtual makeup to virtual changing rooms,
businesses are using AR to give retail shoppers a
revamped, modernized augmented reality experience
when shopping.
Technology — Products like Splunk Augmented Reality
bring AR to major utility companies to improve responses
during power outages, and gain full visibility into the
entirety of their data.
Marketing — AR concepts on packaging, point-of-sale
materials, and even billboards give businesses a brand
new — and much more memorable — way to interact
directly with customers.
What are the components of an augmented reality
system?
Augmented reality varies depending on implementation, but
the most common components include the following,
categorized by hardware and software.
These hardware components comprise the backbone of
augmented reality. Some of these components might already
be supported if you are engaging in AR with your smartphone
(more in the following section):
Processor – Augmented reality requires significant
processing power to create the imagery needed and place
it in the proper location for it to appear to exist in a real-
world environment. Processors may be incorporated in a
mobile handset or embedded into a wearable device
(more on this below).
Display – In AR, imagery is created and then populated on
some form of display. This can take several forms,
depending on the specific application. These include:
o Mobile handheld device – The smartphone or tablet
screen is arguably the most common way in which
AR hologram imagery is viewed. A user points his or
her phone’s camera at a point of interest, and the
live video hologram generated by the camera lens is
overlaid with AR information.
o Wearable device – Smart glasses such as Google
Glass, Vuzix Blade, and Solos Smart Glasses are all
designed as standard eyeglasses that also contain a
small display only visible to the wearer. The person
wearing the augmented reality headset can see the
real world by looking straight through the lenses of
the goggles, while the embedded display provides an
informational overlay. VR headsets are less common
in AR environments because they do not allow the
wearer to see the real world directly; instead, it has
to be recreated in video and displayed on the built-in
screen, which is otherwise opaque.
o Automotive HUDs – HUDs, or heads-up displays, are
systems that use your car’s windshield as a screen.
A device projects an image – speed, directions, etc. –
from the dashboard upwards onto the windshield.
The driver sees the reflection of this imagery as it
bounces off the glass like a mirror.
o Others — Looking ahead, more futuristic devices like
smart contact lenses and systems that can project
an image directly onto the retina may become viable.
Camera – As the primary sensor required for AR to
function, the camera feeds the live video to the
processor, which detects key facets of the environment
on which the AR data is overlaid. The camera itself does
not process any of the digital information; it merely
provides the video feed.
Other sensors – AR is often designed for motion, so
additional sensor types are required for operation. These
may include spatial sensors, such as accelerometers and
digital compasses, which indicate the direction the
camera is facing; GPS sensors, which track the user’s
location in the world; microphones, which incorporate
audio data into the simulation: and LiDaR, which uses
lasers to measure exact distance.
Input devices – A user on the move is often not at liberty
to type commands into a computer. As such, AR systems
have been devised to work with numerous types of input
technologies. Foremost is the mobile device touchscreen,
providing a natural interaction if a phone or tablet is
available. Other options include voice recognition
technology, so users can control the system via speech,
and gesture recognition systems, which typically
translate the motion of the user’s hand into commands.
Several types of software algorithms are needed to enable
augmented reality. Broadly, these include:
Image registration – Software that takes a photographic
representation of one’s surroundings and uses that information
to determine various real-world coordinates and objects within
it. Image registration maps the real world and determines what
is in the foreground vs. what is in the background, where one
object ends and another begins, and points of interest as well
as additional information.
3D rendering – With the real world mapped and categorized,
the next step is overlaying the augmented reality information
on top of it. The 3D renderer creates virtual objects and places
them into the appropriate location within the live image. The
programming language Augmented Reality Markup Language
(ARML) is the current standard for setting the location and
appearance of a virtual object.
Content management – Content management is a back-end
technology incorporating a system that maintains a database
of virtual objects and 3D models.
Interface – Whether it’s a video game or a technical
management tool, the interface is the intermediary between
the user and the video representation of the augmented reality
environment.
Development toolkits – A variety of open source and
proprietary technologies are used to give programmers a
framework for building AR applications on the platform of their
choice.
Challenges and What's Next
What are the challenges for AR/VR?
AR and VR are still in their infancy, and they have a long
timeline of development ahead of them before they become
true mainstream technologies. Some of the most frequently
cited technology and business challenges include:
Technology challenges
Limited mobile processing capability – Mobile handsets have
limited processing power, but tethering a user to a desktop or
server isn’t realistic. Either mobile processing power will have
to expand, or the work will have to be offloaded to the cloud.
Limited mobile bandwidth – While cloud-based processing
offers a compelling potential solution to the mobile processing
bottleneck, mobile phone bandwidth is still too slow in most
places to offer the necessary real-time video processing. This
will likely change as mobile bandwidth improves.
Complex development – Designing an AR or VR application is
costly and complicated. Development tools will need to
become more user-friendly to make these technologies
accessible to programmers.
Business challenges
VR hardware’s inconvenience – Putting on a virtual reality
headset and clearing a room often detracts from the user
experience. VR input devices, in the form of modified gaming
controllers, can also often be unintuitive, with a steep learning
curve.
Building a business model – Outside of video gaming, many AR
and VR applications remain in early stages of development
with unproven viability in the business world.
Security and privacy issues – The backlash over the original
Google Glass proved that the mainstream remains skeptical
about the proliferation of cameras and their privacy
implications. How are video feeds secured, and are copies
stored somewhere?
Despite these challenges, however, significant progress is
being made to expand both business and commercial use
cases for AR and VR, and further drive them into the
mainstream.
What's next for AR and VR?
AR and VR have a decidedly bright future, and the years to
come will bring many new capabilities and more widespread
usage. Improvements in video quality, processing power,
mobile bandwidth, and AR/VR hardware will drive more
mainstream acceptance, and falling development costs and
complexity will provide more options for creators to explore.
Systems that track eye movement and facial expressions will
slowly make clunky joysticks and other controllers obsolete.
While video gaming and entertainment will continue to drive
this market, AR and VR will also see emerging practical
applications. In the world of virtual reality, these include fully
virtual surgery, in which surgeons perform their jobs only in a
simulated environment and robotic systems do the actual
work. In the world of AR, the ability to virtually travel
anywhere is made possible by an emerging tech platform
called Mirrorworld, which aims to replicate the physical
universe on a 1:1 scale. Education will likely continue to shift
to a virtual model on AR and VR platforms both in academia
and in the corporate world. And finally, retailers will continue
to rely on AR applications to upgrade virtual shopping
applications, slowly rendering the need for physical storefronts
obsolete.
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