Technology & World Change:
A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y
Current Application of A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y
AR makes Businesses more competitive
Augmented Reality has changed the way businesses market their product and services. Complementing the rise of smartphones, many consumer applications are now being fitted with Augmented Reality technology to provide for a greater interactivity between the producer and the consumer. While most applications provide consumers with only information, some have enhanced the consumer’s experience by allowing them to visualize and try out their products. Perhaps one day, advertisements on the printed paper will be replaced by those fitted on Augmented Reality products. This would definitely be more ecologically-friendly in the long-term.
Yes, businesses benefit. But consumers (and the trees) benefit too.
In an attempt to take on Nintendogs, SonyPlaystation has also come up with their own virtual pet system called the EyePet. Such forms of augmented reality would actually provide children with a virtual companion when their parents are not at home, serving as a babysitter. In addition, this technology would also make up to children who are unable to keep furry pets due to pre-existing health conditions such as asthma.
Piclings uses novel methods of augmented reality in gaming. It requires the user to take a picture which the application would recognize, digitally redefine, and then integrate into the digital world. This allows users to create their own level layouts in the game, something that is unprecedented for in the world of mobile phone apps.
The music industry is beginning to experiment on AR technology. The world’s first AR music video, “Heartbreak Warfare”, was created by Studio B in conjunction with Adobe and John Mayer. This music video utilizes Flash Augmented Reality (FLAR) to create a virtual hologram in three dimensional spaces, activating a special piece of Flash software by holding up a marker to the computer’s camera. Gradually, more and more music artists have also begun to use AR in their music videos.
In an attempt to take on Nintendogs, SonyPlaystation has also come up with their own virtual pet system called the EyePet. Such forms of augmented reality would actually provide children with a virtual companion when their parents are not at home, serving as a babysitter. In addition, this technology would also make up to children who are unable to keep furry pets due to pre-existing health conditions such as asthma.
Yelp allows users to contribute feedback and recommendations of various businesses ranging from restaurants to hotels. This way, when you put your camera in front of restaurants or any other Yelp-reviewed listings, pertinent information such as the distance to the establishment or the relevant user reviews will appear.
IBM released a new app that couples augmented reality with customers’ shopping habits to provide them with a more personalized shopping experience. The camera would be able to capture information such as dietary needs, pricing, religious preferences. Information will be transmitted to marketers who then obtain insight on customer preferences as well as areas of the store which see a higher traffic volume. Business owners could then use this information to adjust their practices accordingly.
uDecore allows users to try out and visualize different furniture in their own home or environment. This could potentially mean that there will be no need to make trips to furniture stores in the near future as users are able to find out how well certain furniture appears in the comfort of their homes. Repeated measurements also need not be taken, as all this is accounted for. This usage of augmented reality could also be extended towards other retail businesses.
Yelp allows users to contribute feedback and recommendations of various businesses ranging from restaurants to hotels. This way, when you put your camera in front of restaurants or any other Yelp-reviewed listings, pertinent information such as the distance to the establishment or the relevant user reviews will appear.
Augmented Architectural Demonstration (ARMES) -AR allows the architectectural design students to see 3D Architectural Models of buildings, and interact with the models, performing hands-on tasks such as assemble/disassemble floors and more.
The aim is to help chemists to create and visualise molecules, and observe chemical reactions in 3D space. It would be possible to ascertain if molecules would react, bearing in mind geometry considerations. The user can visualise the models on a monitor or when the user wears VR-glasses, and manipulate (e.g translate, rotate, etc) them as he/she wishes to.
Elementary students are able to learn simple mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction through an app called Fetch! Lunch Rush. Elementary students are given simple arithmetic problems and are required to use smartphones to scan over the answers to reveal a cartoon. As the students progress, the sums gets more difficult!
Augmented Architectural Demonstration (ARMES) -AR allows the architectectural design students to see 3D Architectural Models of buildings, and interact with the models, performing hands-on tasks such as assemble/disassemble floors and more.
AR brings out another side of Entertainment
Remember seeing the yellow line whenever an offside decision was made in a game of football? Or the line that moves concurrently with swimmers during swimming competitions? Augmented Reality has already made an impact in the sports entertainment industry. As handheld gadgets continue on their path of ascendancy, it is inevitable that Augmented Reality will gain larger strides in the gaming industries. Games such as Nintendogs and EyePet may represent the beginning of a new gaming revolution.
AR aids Education
Augmented reality does hold a lot of promises in the field of education. The importance does not lie on the technology itself, but rather how it adds values to the school pedagogy and how knowledge and content are brought to the learning environment. As we move towards the digital age, it is imperative to discover the best methods to leverage augmented reality technology in order to prepare students for the 21st century.
Business
Education
Entertainment
AR in the Military
When fighter pilots wear their headgear, they can both see the windshield as well as superimposed mission critical data (AR data). Optical tricks are used to enable the pilot to focus on both the windshield as well as the AR data simultaneously. These typically require huge headgear. Whilst the bulky headgear may not pose a problem in a cockpit, they can pose manifest disadvantages to soldiers in the battlefield due to the huge mass of such optical HUD(Heads-up display). If these optical implements are not used, the headgear is much smaller but the soldier's eye would have to 'switch focus' between the AR display and the actual environment- this poses dangers. The solution to the biological constraint is possibly iOptik. AR is also used in the military for training simulation purposes, and by technicians for for a computer-guided repair of vehicles.
iOptik contact lens enable users to focus on both the HUD ( head-up display ), projected on a pair of military-purpose spectacles, and focus on the background real-life imagery at the same time. This means that the user will be able to focus on both far and near objects, i.e. bifocus.
The US Marine Corps has also come up with a prototype training system that uses AR to superimpose virtual objects onto the real world. In essence, this is a type of mixed reality system, which combines reality with virtual reality. This can provide a more immersive experience for soldiers during training.
A user wears a head-worn display, and the AR system provides assistance by showing 3D arrows that point to a relevant component, text instructions, floating labels and warnings, and animated, 3-D models of the appropriate tools. An Android-powered G1 smart phone attached to the mechanic's wrist provides touchscreen controls for cueing up the next sequence of instructions. AR is being used widely in the service maintenance industry for faster repairs.
iOptik contact lens enable users to focus on both the HUD ( head-up display ), projected on a pair of military-purpose spectacles, and focus on the background real-life imagery at the same time. This means that the user will be able to focus on both far and near objects, i.e. bifocus.
AR guides the Medical Industry
AR allows clinicians to have augmented medical information readily available in front of them e.g. ultrasound visualization, audiovisual medical instruction and data, etc. This allows surgery and procedures to be performed easier, and with less complication e.g. liver and brain surgery is facilitated because the veins and nerves are visualised.
Not only this, AR allows for non-clinicians to perform surgery or diagnostic procedures easily but this technology its infancy. This involves computer guidance or telemedicine whereby the non-clinician is fed with medical information and instructions from the computer program and/or a clinician via telemedicine.
AR visualisation in medicine involves computer guidance for performing needle biopsies with the aid realtime ultrasound imagery. There is no need to attach any instrument to the needle for tracking purposes. The system is said to be user-friendly in the sense that it does not require prior training. It has been clinically evaluated.
VeinViewer uses near-infrared (NIR) light and other patented technologies to detect subcutaneous blood and create a digital image of the patient's superficial vein pattern projected directly onto the surface of the skin in real time. Venipuncture can be a challenging process for medical professionals especially when a patients veins are difficult to see. VeinViewer uses near infrared light to create a digital image of patient vasculature in real time.
In the International Space Station, a working prototype of the CAMDASS system has been used to perform ultrasound medical investigations without the need for medically trained personnel. CAMDASS was developed by the ESA. It involves a step-by-step guidance to the operator who wears a HMD, which will deliver instructions and superimposed realtime ultrasound imagery. With modifications, this system might in future be used to perform surgery especially in economically less developed countries.
AR visualisation in medicine involves computer guidance for performing needle biopsies with the aid realtime ultrasound imagery. There is no need to attach any instrument to the needle for tracking purposes. The system is said to be user-friendly in the sense that it does not require prior training. It has been clinically evaluated.
Medical
AR in Our Personal Lives
Last, but not least, AR helps us individually in our personal lives. Our lives become so convenient by having tools with AR installed. Before AR, all the information available on the internet are on the virtual world inside the computer screens, but now, with AR, we can see the virtual world superimposed on our real environment. We can look at our environments, and get any information virtually simultaneously. Although it may be difficult to adapt to the use of such devices, no one can deny the fact that our lives will be so convenient with AR personal tools in the future insofar as they are developed in a user-friendly and intuitive interface.
Project Glass is a program developed by Google, involving AR. It is an augmented reality head-mounted display (HMD) system. It allows users to get pertinent information on-demand, and to communicate with friends - all this hands-free via vocal commands and instructions. With this worn, users can get any information quicker, more conveniently and easily without the use of anything except the glasses. Check the video out!
This cooking simulator contains a frying pan, a spatula and a screen to see and feel the real sense of cooking. The interface allows for three dimensional input. Moving the frying pan will aid the cooking process. The simulator can feedback the weight, the tactile feel of the cooking ingredients, etc. This will enable children to cultivate their interest in cooking safely without parental guidance, and allow even adults to enhance their culinary skills.
With this in-house virtual mascot, a child can experience both the virtual character and real physical characters in a seamless augmented environment. This can serve as a potential babysitter for children in the future. The parents will then be free to carry out their personal activities, while the child is engaged by the virtual character.
Project Glass is a program developed by Google, involving AR. It is an augmented reality head-mounted display (HMD) system. It allows users to get pertinent information on-demand, and to communicate with friends - all this hands-free via vocal commands and instructions. With this worn, users can get any information quicker, more conveniently and easily without the use of anything except the glasses. Check the video out!
Personal Use
Military