Technology & World Change:
A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y
Kitchen of the Future
AR to Help Singapore's Military
There are many interesting emerging AR technologies that could bring about palpable benefits. Palpable is a gross understatement - AR would inevitably reshape the way things are done. AR technologies could cover a wide range of applications, ranging from personal use to national security. It is reasonably foreseeable that some of these newly developed or developing technologies would be common and commercialized within the next 20 years. Below are some of the technologies, products and services we expect to see in the near future. Apropos, it is noted that much of the knowhow and capabilities often-times start from military-based R&D, and have a trickle-down effect to civilian uses. More and more AR research is translated into mainstream application. Because AR will manifestly change the way as we see it today (in a literal and non-literal sense), we have also considered its socioeconomic and other impacts. Do check that page out too!
In Singapore, AR is being actively developed such that ‘the soldier's headgear and visors present a 180-degree view of his operational landscape.' Futher, geospatial information and other mission-critical data will be communicated to the soldier through the headgear. When enemy forces are spotted by a soldier, this information is immediately shared with HQ. Since this technology is already purchased and already implemented in the US military especially by the elite forces , it seems inevitable that it would become a crucial part of MINDEF in time to come.
Modern kitchens already contain many cooking-related gadgets such as iPads installed with useful applications. Would it not be easier if the appliances themselves helped you to prepare meals, and let you know when (and how) you should perform cooking tasks like deboning the chicken? Scientists from the Kyoto Sangyo University added video cameras and projectors on a kitchen ceiling, which can track the ingredients' locations and overlay instructions onto them, so that cooking is greatly facilitated. In future, anyone with access to an AR-equipped kitchen can whip up a sumptuous meal and impress his/her loved ones with his/her culinary skills - without even flipping the cookbook.
Imagine a future in which icons flash on your car windshield, hologram style, as your car approaches restaurants, shopping centres, historic landmarks or your friends/relatives' houses.
Upon simple hand gesticulation, real-time information is displayed on demand. e.g. when that historical bridge you see in front of you was built, what artistes are in the nightclub next to your vehicle, whether a restaurant has any seats. Now, wave your hand again in a certain manner, and you've made a restaurant reservation.
Oh, you don't even need a steering wheel. Your vehicle is on 'auto-pilot' and hand gestures can be made to control it.
Mercedes-Benz articulated this brave vision of the future of driving -- complete with augmented-reality and gesture-controlled features - Look Ma, No hands.
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 highly automated step-by-step guidance to the operator who wears a head-mounted display unit, which will deliver instructions and ultrasound imagery superimposed onto what the operator sees. With modifications, this system might in future be used to perform surgery. Researchers are planning to introduce this system to other remote places, so that the system is better advanced. If the system is good enough, it may be used to perform satellite-assisted telemedicine, to provide much-needed medical aid to obscure parts of the Earth. While Ultrasound was specifically selected due to the extra-terrestrial circumstances, it remains to be seen whether future terrestrial medical systems might use CT, MRI or X-Ray visualization.Sometimes, it is such that certain procedures are better performed by experienced surgeons overseas (like in the States). Patients might not even need to fly overseas to have surgery done in future. In fact, flying a patient long-distances may be destabilizing and expensive. As such, a patient can be operated on by a physician in his home country guided by an experienced surgeon overseas, probably with the help of robotic arms and implements.
Augmented Reality Windshields & Future of Driving
CAMDASS System & The Medical Industry
Future Application of A U G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y
Articulated Naturality Web
The information available in Articulated Naturality Web (ANW) is integrated with the real world outside meaning information will be superimposed on real-life structures. ANW is the renaissance in today’s technology. It can give users much convenience as they can, for instance : (1) check the availability of hotel rooms by simply looking through smartphones at the outside of the hotel (2) put in different types of furniture in an empty room space to get a virtual image of how it will look like (3) look at what a shopping centre has in store without having to step into it . Moreover, users can have virtual depictions of how the real world would look like with the weather forecast feature. The ANW will in due course reshape the Internet as we know it today - the Internet essentially becomes seamless, ubiqitous and omnipresent.
Augmented reality facilitates the teaching of children in Economically Less Developed Countries (ELDCs), and disadvantaged regions in Economically More Developed Countries (EMDCs). Although the learning aids equipped with AR will be expensive, it is possible that ,in the long term and given the economies of scale, it will create enhanced learning experiences with low cost. For example, with 3-D objects appearing in front of the students, this will better facilitate mundane and otherwise dry classes - helping especially students who have an audiovisual learning style. In chemistry lab, students will be able to see various (even explosive) chemical reactions through the use of AR applications, and therefore, the cost of materials ( i.e. cost of procuring chemicals ) will be reduced greatly.
AR Facilitating Teaching In Developing Countries
The virtual disaster viewer is a “community remote sensing” tool to assist disaster relief processes. It highlights which areas need more emergency food and medical supplies, and can be used to prioritise repairs to buildings and infrastructures. Second, with this existing tool, AR can be used to simulate catastrophic scenes before disaster strikes. As AR can create virtual environments, virtual catastrophic scenes can be observed by toggling virtual disasters. By doing so, citizens can an idea of what might happen, and prepare for necessities in advance. This technology greatly assists in the mitigation of natural disasters. Moreover, disaster victims can make use of such an application equipped with a virtual aid helper, which could instruct them on what to do in such situations, or show step-by-step evacuation instructions, baesd on GPS data and other parametric input. If that happens, AR will definitely be able to save lots of lives. Natural disaster management - prevention, mitigation and response - is greatly improved; earthquakes don't kill, buildings do.
Disaster Management
AR Contact Lenses for Personal Use & Entertainment
No need for subjectively stylishly or unstylishly designed glasses as put forth by Google in Project Glass. Though there are already AR contact lenses being actively developed in the military, the gaming industry is developing them too. Using nanotechnology incorporated into the lenses, gamers will be able to play games on any type of landscape. The process of laying down the groundwork is already in the progress. It will not be long before the prototype of such games can be seen on the street.
In addition to playing games using AR contacts, these contacts can also be used by tourists when they are visiting any historical venues or the museum to communicate information to them - such as location map, directory, and relevant information about each place, etc. This will greatly boost the in-flow of tourism as tourists will now find it more convenient and hassle-free to move about freely and explore the country free-and-easy rather than engaging tour guides. Tour guides will no doubt remain to serve a niche market of tourists who prefer the human touch in guided tours.