Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user's view of

the real world, thus providing a composite view.
The word augmented means enhanced or increased. The phrase simply means enhanced reality.
The concept of augmented reality revolves around adding more information to your world. The
augmentation is usually done by adding extra data to the perception of things around us which are not
visible normally.
For example:-
Imagine that you are now at Shanghai, a very well known city in China. What you are looking for is a
vegetarian restaurant but since everything is written in Chinese which you do not understand, you are
unable to figure out where to go. You take out your smart phone, connect to the internet and launch an
app. This app looks through the rear camera and shows you what it sees except theres more than just
the actual scene. You point it to a building and it shows a graphical callout that says hotel next to the
building, you point it to a different building and it says its non-veg restaurant. Further down the road
you see another building marked as a theatre. Now, this is how your smart phone enhanced your
perception of your world.
Another example:-
One of the most reliable and advanced applications that uses this technology is Google Sky Map which
can be installed on your mobile phone. All you need is a phone that has a touch screen and a working
camera. What you need to do is point that camera of your phone at the night sky when there are a lot of
stars present, and the application will give you real time information about the stars and the
constellations that you can see on the screen.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such
a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment. On a computer, virtual reality
is primarily experienced through two of the five senses: sight and sound.
It is very different from augmented reality. It is all about making you believe that you are in a place
where you actually arent, experiencing sensations that arent there. Its applications are in
entertainment industry, preliminary training exercises for pilots and military etc.
Virtual reality can be built around places that do not exist. On the other hand, AR is not connected to
non-existent worlds. Usage of AR almost requires you to be present at the place where surroundings
have to be augmented.
In short, VR is about experiencing a place whether or not it is real. AR is about enhancing the
perspective of a place by adding more information.
A brief History of AR
Augmented Reality dates back to the 1950s when Morton Heilig, father of Virtual Reality, invented the
Sensorama Simulator. He dubbed it the Experience Theatre. The idea behind it was to simulate an
experience with visuals, sound, vibration and smell without actually being subjected to the possible
hazards of particular situations. It was designed as a cinematic experience: it blew wind at you, vibrated
the seat you sat on, played sounds and projected a form of a stereoscopic #D environment to the front
and sides of your head; kind of like those 5D movies that we watch in theatres today. However it was a
mechanical device shaped like an arcade machine from the 80s. Oddly enough in retrospect, the project
didnt get financial backing.
The first augmented reality head-mounted display system was invented by Ivan Sutherland in 1968. The
device was too heavy-to-handle and was hung suspended from the ceiling and very appropriately called
The Sword of Damocles. While its graphical prowess was fairly limited, it was the first step to usable AR.
It was only in the 1990s that the tech was finally christened when a Boeing researcher Tom Caudell
coined the term augmented reality. In 2008, Augmented Reality apps were introduced in smart
phones, where people could finally enjoy this mind blowing technology. In February 2009, at the TED
conference, Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry presented their augmented-reality system Sixth Sense.

Technology used in AR
To know the technology used in AR it is necessary to know the basic components used in Augmented
Reality. There are four basic components used in AR. They are:-
1. Display
2. Tracking and Orientation
3. Portable Computer
4. Software
These four components are combined together to make a highly efficient AR device. Devices like high
speed multi-processors, high resolution cameras, accelerometers and are also used to enhance the
reliability of the AR equipped device.
In detail.
1. Displays
Three types of displays are used in AR technology. They are
a. Head Mounted Displays [HMD]
This device keeps both the images of the real physical world and the virtual graphical world over the
users world view. HMD are either an optically transparent or video transparent device. In an optically
transparent display device, partial silver mirrors are used to pass the views of the real world through a
lens. At the same time the virtual images are reflected into the users eyes. A 6-degrees of freedom [dof]
sensor must be used to track the HMD device. Such a tracking method helps in relating the virtual world
to the real world.
Some basic products that use such displays are Sony Glasstron, Microvision NOMAD and so on.

b. Handheld Displays
Such displays are small in size and will easily fit in one hand. These devices use video transparent
techniques to relate the virtual world to the real world. Here also 6-degrees of freedom [dof] sensors
are used apart from devices like GPS trackers, and digital compasses. This display technology is the
biggest success for Augmented Reality till now. Since they are easily portable and due to the bulk use of
camera phones, they are used widely.

c. Spatial Displays / Spatial Augmented Reality [SAR]
This is very different from the other two techniques explained above. There is no need t carry the
display, instead, the graphical image is related to physical objects by using a digital projector. The only
problem is that the user will have no contacts with the display.
The main advantage of such a device when compared to other displays is that the user doesnt have to
carry the equipment along with him. Thus the users can easily see each others faces. Since a projector
system is used, these displays have better resolution than the others. The resolution can be further
increased by expanding the display area by using more projectors.
2. Tracking and Orientation
As the name refers, tracking and orientation is needed to know the users exact location in comparison
to his surroundings and also is used for tracking the exact eye and head movements of the user. This is
the most complex part of the Augmented Reality technology as three major functions such as tracking
the overall location, movement of the users head and eye and adjusting the graphics to be displayed
are done with utmost precaution. There has not been a single system than can produce AR without a
small delay between the real world and the graphical world till now.
3. Portable Computer
For this technology to sustain, the computers used must have high speed processors. Even now, the
computers used for this purpose, does not have enough efficiency. For using 3-D graphics in systems,
the configuration must be high end.
Applications of AR
Here are some of the applications of AR in different fields.
1. Gaming and Entertainment
This is the biggest field in which AR has really made progress in. The games can be enhanced to such an
extent that the user will fell like he is one of the characters of the game. Even movies can be watched
with such enthusiasm as you will feel that the characters are walking past you.

2. Education
AR system can be greatly helpful to students as it can be used to re-create historic events of great
importance in relation to its real time background. Thus the students will have a better idea of all the
facts in life, providing them with a better education.

3. Security and Defence
AR technology helps in giving the soldiers in the field vital information about their surroundings, friendly
troops and also the movement of their enemies. Even police officers will have a great help from such a
technology as they have a complete and inmost view of a crime scene or robbery.

4. Medicine

During a medical operation, AR technology can be used to provide the doctor a better sensory
perception of the patients body.Thus, the risk factor involved in an operation can be greatly reduced
and the efficiency can be increased. The technology can also be used to provide the patients medical
records digitally in page wise manner, immediately after an X-ray or MRI, so that a quick decision can be
taken.



Types of Augmented Reality
1. Projection
Perhaps the most common type of augmented reality, projection uses virtual imagery to augment what
you see live. Televised sporting events frequently utilize this type of augmented reality, such as in
football games when the line of scrimmage and the yardage needed for a first down are indicated with
virtual, colored bands (they are not actually on the field). According to PersonalizeMedia.com,
projection can also be interactive. Some devices can track movements and sounds with a camera and
then respond. Virtual or projection keyboards, which you can project onto to almost any flat surface and
use, are examples of augmented reality devices that use interactive projection.
2. Recognition
Recognition is a type of augmented reality that uses the recognition of shapes, faces or other real world
items to provide supplementary virtual information to you in real-time during everyday situations.
According to arstechnica.com, a handheld device such as a smart phone (with the proper programming),
could use recognition to read product bar codes and provide relevant information such as reviews and
prices or to read faces and then provide links to a persons social networking profile (or profiles).

3. Location
According to PersonalizeMedia.com, location uses triangulation technology, such as GPS, to
instantaneously provide you with relevant directional information. For example, according to
arstechnica.com, you can use a smart phone with GPS to determine your location, and then have
onscreen arrowssuperimposed over a live image of whats in front of youpoint you in the direction of
where you need to go. This technology can also be used to locate nearby public transportation stations.
4. Outline
Outline is a type of augmented reality that according to PersonalizeMedia.com merges the outline of
your body or a part of your body with virtual materials, allowing you to pick up and otherwise
manipulate objects that do not exist in reality. One example of this can be found at some museums and
science centers in the form of virtual volleyball. Although you stand and move on an actual court, the
ball is projected on a wall behind you, and you control it with an outline of yourself, which is also
projected on the wall.
Limitations and the Future of Augmented Reality
Augmented reality still has some challenges to overcome. For example, GPS is only accurate to within 30
feet (9 meters) and doesn't work as well indoors, although improved image recognition technology may
be able to help
People may not want to rely on their cell phones, which have small screens on which to superimpose
information. For that reason, wearable devices like SixthSense or augmented-reality capable contact
lenses and glasses will provide users with more convenient, expansive views of the world around them.
Screen real estate will no longer be an issue. In the near future, you may be able to play a real-time
strategy game on your computer, or you can invite a friend over, put on your AR glasses, and play on the
tabletop in front of you.
There is such a thing as too much information. Just as the "CrackBerry" phenomenon and Internet
addiction are concerns, an overreliance on augmented reality could mean that people are missing out
on what's right in front of them. Some people may prefer to use their AR iPhone applications rather than
an experienced tour guide, even though a tour guide may be able to offer a level of interaction, an
experience and a personal touch unavailable in a computer program. And there are times when a real
plaque on a building is preferable to a virtual one, which would be accessible only by people with certain
technologies.
There are also privacy concerns. Image-recognition software coupled with AR will, quite soon, allow us
to point our phones at people, even strangers, and instantly see information from their Facebook,
Twitter, Amazon, LinkedIn or other online profiles. With most of these services people willingly put
information about themselves online, but it may be an unwelcome shock to meet someone, only to
have him instantly know so much about your life and background.
Despite these concerns, imagine the possibilities: you may learn things about the city you've lived in for
years just by pointing your AR-enabled phone at a nearby park or building. If you work in construction,
you can save on materials by using virtual markers to designate where a beam should go or which
structural support to inspect. Paleontologists working in shifts to assemble a dinosaur skeleton could
leave virtual "notes" to team members on the bones themselves, artists could produce virtual graffiti
and doctors could overlay a digital image of a patient's X-rays onto a mannequin for added realism.
The future of augmented reality is clearly bright, even as it already has found its way into our cell
phones and video game systems. For more information about the subject and where it's headed, take a
look at the links on the next page.