What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality (AR) refers to computer research that aims to produce information systems that merge real world information seamlessly with digital information. Augmented Reality is still in its infancy, but many futurists and researchers expect it to experience a renaissance sometime in the 2010s or 2020s. The central goal of an Augmented Reality system would be something like goggles or a retinal projector that provides the user with a heads-up display of relevant information, mapped onto the surrounding environment in realtime. For instance, when viewing a restaurant with Augmented Reality goggles on, one might immediately call up a list of reviews, or a menu from the restaurant’s website. A scientist working on pharmaceuticals could use the goggles to display 3D models of various molecules and use them to visualize a better drug. Kids might use networks of connected AR goggles to play real-life video games that let them fire “lasers” out of their hands. The possibilities are rath
Augmented reality is one of the newest innovations in the electronics industry. It superimposes graphics, audio and other sense enhancements from computer screens onto real time environments. Augmented reality goes far beyond the static graphics technology of television where the graphics imposed do not change with the perspective. Augmented reality systems superimpose graphics for every perspective and adjust to every movement of the user’s head and eyes.
Read on to find out! • Augmented reality is essentially viewing the world through the eyes of a computer. • The term “augmented reality” was coined in 1990 by two Boeing engineers, Tom Caudell and David Mizell. They were tasked with designing a replacement for the expensive plywood wiring diagrams used on the production floor. They created a wearable computer with high-tech eyeglasses that could display all the wiring diagrams necessary. Their design was significant because it was the first time AR had been proposed. • Currently, Boeing and IBM are part of the few companies that are still developing AR. • AR consists of a wearable computer that inserts virtual post-it notes into one’s field of view via glasses capable of displaying 3d images and information. • AR is currently only in developmental stages around the nation. Mainly small colleges or specialized companies are spending the effort on these high tech ventures. • Future uses include tourism, military, medicinal, commercial, a
Augmented Reality has its basis in the computer field dealing with the combination of real-world and computer-generated data, or virtual reality. In other words, it’s where computer graphic objects are blended in with real time or “real world,” events. A great example of this is the “first down” marker displayed on the television during a football game. Projected to the audience at home, this marker is created graphically to add to the viewers experience. Simple isn’t it? 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.
