Here again i am with the my new post, which is all about AR(Augmented Reality). I came to know about this new futuristic technology from Direction Magazine and Presentation in ESRI User Conference'2010.
What is AR (Augmented Reality)?
In lay man's language, Augmented Reality (AR) or is a visualization technology allowing a user to see virtual information added over reality in real time, where there is a spatial relationship between the virtual information and the real environment.
it provides real time information about objects with the help of graphics, sounds, Geo-Location, haptic feedback as it exits. Both video games and cell phones are driving the development of augmented reality. Everyone from tourists, to soldiers, planner, Architecture to someone looking for the closest subway stop can now benefit from the ability to place computer-generated graphics in their field of vision.
AR is changing the way we view the world. AR kind of functionality is already there in some of the smart phones e.g. iPhone. Let me give you a very simple example, when u take the camera of iPhone in front of some ancient monument or building, you'll get the history and lot of other information, which u may be interested in, with voice and lot of other graphics.
The goal of AR is to add information and meaning to a real object or place. Unlike virtual reality, augmented reality does not create a simulation of reality. Instead, it takes a real object or space as the foundation and incorporates technologies that add contextual data to deepen a person’s understanding of the subject.
Example illustration below, at step 1, the user is looking at a church that has been partially burned and where some parts are still missing. At step 2, AR has been enabled and the user sees that the missing parts have been added and we can note the fact that those parts are added according to the real church image seen by the user.
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Origin of AR .
Some of the most exciting augmented-reality work is taking place in research labs at universities around the world. In February 2009, at the TED conference, Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry presented their augmented-reality system, which they developed as part of MIT Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces Group. They call it SixthSense, and it relies on some basic components that are found in many augmented reality systems:
Augmented Reality on Cell Phones
It may be some time before you buy AR(Augmented reality) enabled cell phone,
but more primitive type of phones are already available in the market e.g. iPhone, Android enabled.
You can download the application named 'Layer', which uses the Camera and GPS of your phone. You can even point the phone at a building, and Layar will tell you if any companies in that building are hiring, or it might be able to find photos of the building on Flickr or to locate its history on Wikipedia.
Layar isn't the only application of its type. In August 2009, some iPhone users were surprised to find an augmented-reality "easter egg" hidden within the Yelp application. Yelp is known for its user reviews of restaurants and other businesses, but its hidden augmented-reality component, called Monocle, takes things one step further. Just start up the Yelp app, shake your iPhone 3GS three times and Monocle activates. Using your phone's GPS and compass, Monocle will display information about local restaurants, including ratings and reviews, on your cell phone screen. You can touch one of the listings to find out more about a particular restaurant.
Who is Doing it?
AR has been used in number of fields,
including medical imaging, where doctors can access data
about patients; aviation, where tools show pilots important data
about the landscape they are viewing; training, in which technology
provides students or technicians with necessary data about
specific objects they are working with; and in museums, where
artifacts can be tagged with information such as the artifact’s
historical context or where it was discovered.
With in the academy, educators are beginning to provide students
with deeper, more meaningful experiences by linking educational
content with specific places and objects. In many disciplines,
field trips are part of the course; by supplementing these explorations
with mobile technologies and data-collection devices.
(including digital cameras),
Where is it going?
Wireless
devices, especially wireless ones, are becoming
more powerful and increasingly widespread. At the same time,
costs for these devices are falling. As computing hardware—both
wired and wireless—approaches ubiquity, new opportunities
emerge to use technology to enrich individuals’ experiences of
objects and places. Because all areas of academic inquiry benefit
from background and context, augmented reality has the
possibility of enhancing education across the curriculum. By
exposing students to an experiential, explorative, and authentic
model of learning early in their higher education careers, augmented
reality has the potential to help shift modes of learning
from students’ simply being recipients of content to their taking
an active role in gathering and processing information, thereby
creating knowledge.
What are the downsides?
Because AR relay on specific hardware and software
and the mechanisms that correlate data added
by technology with the real world are often technically complex.
Today's AR are designed for specific users/ clients.
