Video games have been entertaining us for nearly 30 years. Computer
graphics have become much more sophisticated since then, and game graphics are
pushing the barriers of photorealism. Now, researchers and engineers are
pulling graphics out of your television screen or computer display and
integrating them into real-world environments. This new technology, called augmented
reality, blurs the line between what's real and what's computer-generated
by enhancing what we see, hear, feel and smell.
Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a
physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by
computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It
is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view
of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented), by a
computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current
perception of reality. By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world
with a simulated one. Augmentation is conventionally in real-time and in
semantic context with environmental elements, such as sports scores on TV
during a match. With the help of advanced AR technology (e.g. adding computer
vision and object recognition) the information about the surrounding real world
of the user becomes interactive and digitally manipulable. Artificial
information about the environment and its objects can be overlaid on the real
world.
The term augmented reality is believed to have been coined in 1990 by
Thomas Caudell, working at Boeing.
Research explores the application of computer-generated imagery in
live-video streams as a way to enhance the perception of the real world. AR
technology includes head-mounted displays and virtual retinal displays for
visualization purposes, and construction of controlled environments containing
sensors and actuators.
Examples:
Sports
·
Yellow "first down" line seen in television broadcasts of
American football
·
Display offside situations in football
·
AR colored trail showed location and direction of the puck in ice
hockey
·
Display sponsored images in sections of rugby fields and cricket
pitches
·
Add a line across the lanes to indicate the position of the current
record holder in swimming
Other
·
Head-up displays in AR cars or on airplanes are typically integrated
into the windshield
·
Some passenger planes feature fold-down Head-up displays coming from
just in front of the pilot's head so he doesn't have to look down while he is
flying
Technology
Hardware
The main hardware components for augmented reality are: processor,
display, sensors and input devices. These elements, specifically CPU, display,
camera and MEMS sensors such as accelerometer, GPS, solid state compass are
often present in modern smartphones, which make them prospective AR platforms.
Software and algorithms
A key measure of AR systems is how realistically they integrate
augmentations with the real world. The software must derive real world
coordinates, independent from the camera, from camera images. That process is
called image registration and is part of Azuma's definition of augmented
reality.
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