This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Computer science or the Computer science Portal may be able to help recruit one. If a more appropriate WikiProject or portal exists, please adjust this template accordingly. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ...

Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data. At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and "augmented" by the addition of computer generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion tracking data, fiducial marker recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators. This article is about the machine. ...

History

To describe the history of Augmented Reality is also to describe man's journey of adding to the natural world he was born in.

• 15,000 BC – Lascaux cave drawings showed “virtual” images in a darkened cave that started the idea of enhancing the real world.
• 1849 – Richard Wagner introduces the idea of immersive experiences using a darkened theatre and surrounding the audience in imagery and sound.
• 1938 – Konrad Zuse invents the first digital computer known as the Z1_(computer).
• 1948 – Norbert Wiener creates the science of cybernetics: transmitting messages between man and machine.
• 1962 – Morton Heilig, a cinematographer, creates a motorcycle simulator called Sensorama with visuals, sound, vibration, and smell.
• 1966 – Ivan Sutherland invents the head-mounted display suggesting it was a window into a virtual world.
• 1975 – Myron Krueger creates Videoplace that allows users to interact with virtual objects for the first time.
• 1989 – Jaron Lanier coins the phrase Virtual Reality and creates the first commercial business around virtual worlds.
• 1990 – Tom Caudell coins the phrase Augmented Reality while at Boeing helping workers assemble cables into aircraft.

Painting of bison attacking a man, from the cave at Lascaux, c. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... Statue in Bad Hersfeld Konrad Zuse (June 22, 1910 Berlin - December 18, 1995 Hünfeld) was a German engineer and computer pioneer. ... reproduction of the Z1 The Z1 was a mechanical computer created by Konrad Zuse in 1937. ... Norbert Wiener Norbert Wiener (November 26, 1894, Columbia, Missouri – March 18, 1964, Stockholm Sweden) was an American theoretical and applied mathematician. ... For other uses, see Cybernetics (disambiguation). ... Morton Heilig was a thought-leader in Virtual Reality (VR). ... The Sensorama was a machine that is one of the earliest known examples of immersive, multi-sensory (now known as multimodal) technology. ... Ivan Sutherland Ivan Sutherland, working at MIT (1963) Ivan Edward Sutherland (born 1938 in Hastings, Nebraska) is a computer programmer and Internet pioneer. ... an HMD A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device that a person wears on the head to have video information directly displayed in front of the eyes. ... Myron Krueger (born 1942 in Gary, Indiana) is an American computer artist who developed early interactive works. ... In the mid-1970s, Myron Krueger established an artificial reality laboratory called the Videoplace. ... Jaron Lanier Jaron Lanier (born 1960) is a virtual reality developer. ... This article is about the simulation technology. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661) is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing. ...

AR as a transformative technology

For many of those interested in AR, one of its most important characteristics is the way in which it makes possible a transformation of the focus of interaction. The interactive system is no longer a precise location, but the whole environment; interaction is no longer simply a face-to-screen exchange, but dissolves itself in the surrounding space and objects. Using an information system is no longer exclusively a conscious and intentional act.

Definition of Augmented Reality

Ronald Azuma's definition of AR is one of the more focused descriptions. It covers a subset of AR's original goal, but it has come to be understood as representing the whole domain of AR: Augmented reality is an environment that includes both virtual reality and real-world elements. For instance, an AR user might wear translucent goggles; through these, he could see the real world, as well as computer-generated images projected on top of that world. Azuma defines an augmented reality system as one that This article is about the simulation technology. ...

• combines real and virtual
• is interactive in real time
• is registered in 3D

This definition is now often used in some parts of the research literature (Azuma, 1997).

Outdoor AR

A new and major area of current research is into the use of AR outdoors. GPS and orientation sensors enable backpack computing systems to take AR outdoors. Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ...

Early systems have been developed by Dr Steven Feiner at Columbia University (MARS system) and Dr. Bruce H. Thomas and Dr. Wayne Piekarski in the Wearable Computer Lab at the University of South Australia [1]. ARQuake is an example of the use of outdoor AR. UniSA redirects here. ... An example of what ARQuake looks like ARQuake is an Augmented Reality version of the popular Quake game by id Software. ...

Trimble Navigation, a leading provider of advanced positioning solutions, has been researching Outdoor AR in collaboration with the Human Interface Technology Laboratory at it's New Zealand R&D site in Christchurch. Local network news has reviewed it's progress.

Ubiquitous computing

AR has clear connections with the ubiquitous computing (abbreviated UC) and wearable computers domains. Mark Weiser stated that "embodied virtuality", the original term he used before coining "ubiquitous computing", intended to express the exact opposite to the concept of virtual reality (Mark Weiser's personal communication, Boston, March 1993). The most salient distinction to be made between AR and UC is that UC does not focus on the disappearance of conscious and intentional interaction with an information system as much as AR does: UC systems such as pervasive computing devices usually maintain the notion of explicit and intentional interaction which often blurs in typical AR work such as Ronald Azuma's work. The theory of Humanistic Intelligence (HI), however, also challenges this semiotic notion of signifier and signified. ^[1] In particular, HI is intelligence that arises from the human being in the feedback loop of a computational process in which the human is inextricably intertwined, and does not typically require conscious thought or effort. In this way, HI, which arises from wearable Computer Mediated Reality, shares a lot in common with AR. Ubiquitous computing (ubicomp, or sometimes ubiqcomp) integrates computation into the environment, rather than having computers which are distinct objects. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Current and potential uses

Commonly known 'examples' of AR are the yellow first-down line seen in television broadcasts of American football games, and the colored trail showing location and direction of the puck in TV broadcasts of hockey games. The real-world elements are the football field and players, and the virtual element is the yellow line, which is drawn over the image by computers in real time. Note that this example is not an augmented reality application according to the definition above, as objects are not inserted into the real environment and there is usually no interaction with these virtual objects.

Another type of Augmented Reality applications uses projectors and screens to insert objects into the real environment, enhancing museum exhibitions for example. The difference to a simple TV screen for example, is that these objects are related to the environment of the screen or display, and that they often are interactive as well.

Most of the possible applications of AR will however need personal display glasses.

In some current applications like in cars or airplanes, this is usually a head-up display integrated into the windshield. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Examples for current applications:

• Support with complex tasks, in assembly, maintenance, surgery etc.:
  • by inserting of additional information into the field of view (for example, a mechanic getting labels displayed at parts of a system and getting operating instructions)
  • by visualization of hidden objects (during medical diagnostics or surgery as a virtual X-ray view, based on prior tomography or on real time images from ultrasound or open NMR devices, e.g., a doctor could "see" the fetus inside the mother's womb). See also Mixed Reality
• Navigation devices
  • in buildings, e.g. maintenance of industrial plants
  • outdoors, e.g. military operations or disaster management
  • in cars (headup displays or personal display glasses showing navigation hints and traffic information)
  • in airplanes (headup displays in fighter jets are one of the first AR applications anyhow; meanwhile fully interactive as well, with eye pointing)
• Military and emergency services (wearable systems, showing instructions, maps, enemy locations, fire cells etc.)
• Prospecting in hydrology, ecology, geology (display and interactive analysis of terrain characteristics, interactive three-dimensional maps that could be collaboratively modified and analyzed)
• Visualization of architecture (virtual resurrection of destroyed historic buildings as well as simulation of planned construction projects)
• Enhanced sightseeing : labels or any text related to the objects/places seen, rebuilt ruins, building or even landscape as seen in the past. Combined with a wireless network the amount of data displayed is limitless (encyclopedic articles, news, etc...).
• Simulation, e.g. flight and driving simulators
• Collaboration of distributed teams
  • conferences with real and virtual participants. See also Mixed Reality
  • joint work at simulated 3D models
• Entertainment and education
  • virtual objects in museums and exhibitions. See also Mixed Reality
  • theme park attractions (Such as Cadbury World)
  • games (e.g. ARQuake). See also Mixed Reality

For other uses, see Fetus (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Augmented reality. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Augmented reality. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Augmented reality. ... Map of Cadbury World, Bournville Cadbury World is a visitor attraction created and run by the Cadbury chocolate company at Bournville, Birmingham, England; and Dunedin, New Zealand. ... An example of what ARQuake looks like ARQuake is an Augmented Reality version of the popular Quake game by id Software. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Augmented reality. ...

Future applications:

• Expanding a PC screen into the real environment: program windows and icons appear as virtual devices in real space and are eye or gesture operated, by gazing or pointing. A single personal display (glasses) could concurrently simulate a hundred conventional PC screens or application windows all around a user
• Virtual devices of all kinds, e.g. replacement of traditional screens, control panels, and entirely new applications impossible in 'real' hardware, like 3D objects interactively changing their shape and appearance based on the current task or need.
• Enhanced media applications, like pseudo holographic virtual screens, virtual surround cinema, virtual 'holodecks' (allowing computer-generated imagery to interact with live entertainers and audience)
• Virtual conferences in 'holodeck' style
• Replacement of cellphone and car navigator screens: eye-dialing, insertion of information directly into the environment, e.g. guiding lines directly on the road, as well as enhancements like 'X-ray'-views
• Virtual plants, wallpapers, panoramic views, artwork, decorations, illumination etc., enhancing everyday life. For example, a virtual window could be displayed on a regular wall showing a live feed of a camera placed on the exterior of the building, thus allowing the user to effectually toggle a wall's transparency
• With AR systems getting into mass market, we may see virtual window dressings, posters, traffic signs, Christmas decorations, advertisement towers and more. These may be fully interactive even at a distance, by eye pointing for example.
• Virtual gadgetry becomes possible. Any physical device currently produced to assist in data-oriented tasks (such as the clock, radio, PC, arrival/departure board at an airport, stock ticker, PDA, PMP, informational posters/fliers/billboards, in-car navigation systems, etc. could be replaced by virtual devices that cost nothing to produce aside from the cost of writing the software. Examples might be a virtual wall clock, a to-do list for the day docked by your bed for you to look at first thing in the morning, etc.
• Subscribable group-specific AR feeds. For example, a manager on a construction site could create and dock instructions including diagrams in specific locations on the site. The workers could refer to this feed of AR items as they work. Another example could be patrons at a public event subscribing to a feed of direction and information oriented AR items.

A holodeck on the Enterprise-D; the arch and exit are prominent. ... A holodeck on the Enterprise-D; the arch and exit are prominent. ...

Further Examples

Specific applications

• LifeClipper, a wearable AR system
• Characteroke, a portable AR display costume, whereby the head and neck are concealed behind an active flat panel display.
• MARISIL, a media phone user interface based on AR

LifeClipper is an augmented reality system created by new media organisation Plug. ...

Popular Culture

Pop group Duran Duran included interactive AR projections into their stage show during their 2000 Pop Trash concert tour.^[2] Ariel is the ninth episode of science-fiction television series Firefly created by Joss Whedon. ... Duran Duran are an English pop group notable for a long series of popular singles and vivid music videos. ... Pop Trash is an album released in 2000 by Duran Duran. ...

Anime

The current television series Dennō Coil depicts a near-future where children use AR goggles to enhance their environment with games and virtual pets. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence gives several examples of augmented reality in use. Gundam, Gunbuster, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hoshi no koe and Martian Successor Nadesico amongst several others depict 360° augmented reality cockpits that are used to display information. Dennō Coil , lit. ... Batou, the protagonist. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gunbuster, known in Japan as Aim for the Top! ) is a six episode anime OVA series created by Gainax in 1988. ... The Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise is a multi-billion dollar umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax. ... Voices of a Distant Star (ほしのこえ, Hoshi no Koe) is a 30-minute Japanese anime OAV conceived, directed, and animated by one man, Makoto Shinkai. ... It has been suggested that Naze Nani Nadesico be merged into this article or section. ...

Science Fiction

In the Star Trek universe, the Jem'Hadar used a sort of augmented display to view the real world and what was outside the ship, integrating with the star ship's main sensors to gain an outside view of the star ship. The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...

The television series Firefly depicts numerous AR applications, including a real-time medical scanner which allows a doctor to use his hands to manipulate a detailed and labeled projection of a patient's brain. Firefly is an American science fiction television series created by writer/director Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, under his Mutant Enemy Productions. ...

Notes

1. ^ Mann, Steve. "Intelligence: WearComp as a new framework for Intelligent Signal Processing", Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 86, No. 11, November, 1998.
2. ^ Pair, J., Wilson, J., Chastine, J., Gandy, M. "The Duran Duran Project: The Augmented Reality Toolkit in Live Performance." The First IEEE International Augmented Reality Toolkit Workshop, 2002. (photos and video)

References

• Wellner, P., Mackay, W. & Gold, R. Eds. Special issue on computer augmented environments: back to the real world. Communications of the ACM, Volume 36, Issue 7 (July 1993).
• Azuma, Ronald T. "A Survey of Augmented Reality." Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 6, 4 (August 1997), 355 - 385
• Starner, T., Mann S., Rhodes B., Levine J., Healey J., Kirsch D., Picard R., Pentland A. "Augmented Reality Through Wearable Computing." Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 6, 4 (August 1997), 386-398
• Ramesh Raskar, Spatially Augmented Reality, First International Workshop on Augmented Reality, Sept 1998
• S. K. Feiner. "Augmented Reality: A New Way of Seeing: Computer scientists are developing systems that can enhance and enrich a user's view of the world." Scientific American, April 2002 [2]
• Oliver Bimber and Ramesh Raskar, Spatial Augmented Reality: Merging Real and Virtual Worlds, A K Peters, July 2005, 360 pages
• Rolf R. Hainich, The End of Hardware - A Novel Approach to Augmented reality, Booksurge, 2nd Ed. Nov. 2006, 300 pages
• Michael Haller, Mark Billinghurst, Bruce Thomas, Emerging Technologies of Augmented Reality: Interfaces and Design, Idea Group Publishing, Nov 2006, 300 pages

Conferences

• 1. International Workshop on Augmented Reality (IWAR'98), San Francisco, Nov. 1998.
• 2. International Workshop on Augmented Reality (IWAR'99), San Francisco, Oct. 1999.
• 1. International Symposium on Mixed Reality (ISMR'99), Yokohama, Japan, March 1999.
• 1. International Symposium on Augmented Reality (ISAR 2000), Munich, Oct. 2000.
• 2. International Symposium on Mixed Reality (ISMR'01), Yokohama, Japan, March 2001.
• 2. International Symposium on Augmented Reality (ISAR 2001), New York, Oct. 2001.
• 1. International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2002), Darmstadt, Oct. 2002.
• 2. International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2003), Tokyo, Oct. 2003.
• 3. International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2004), Arlington, VA, Nov. 2004.
• 4. International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2005), Vienna, Oct. 2005.
• 5. International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2006) Santa Barbara, Oct. 2006.
• 6. International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2007) Nara, Japan, Nov. 2007.

Books

• Rolf R. Hainich, The End of Hardware - A Novel Approach to Augmented reality, Booksurge, 2nd Ed. Nov. 2006, 300 pages
• Michael Haller, Mark Billinghurst, Bruce Thomas, Emerging Technologies of Augmented Reality: Interfaces and Design, Idea Group Publishing, Nov 2006, 300 pages
• Oliver Bimber and Ramesh Raskar, Spatial Augmented Reality: Merging Real and Virtual Worlds, A K Peters, July 2005, 360 pages
• W. Barfield and T. Caudell, Eds. Fundamentals of Wearable Computers and Augmented Reality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001.

See also

• Alternate reality game
• Augmented virtuality
• Camera resectioning
• Cyborg
• Mixed reality
• Multimedia Esperanto
• Simulated Reality
• Virtual reality
• Virtual retinal display
• Virtuality Continuum

Alternate Reality, see Alternate Reality (computer game). ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Camera resectioning (often called camera calibration) is used in Computer Vision and especially in Augmented reality. ... For other uses, see Cyborg (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Augmented reality. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Simulated reality is the idea that reality could be simulated — often computer-simulated — to a degree indistinguishable from true reality. ... This article is about the simulation technology. ... A virtual retinal display (VRD), also known as a retinal scan display (RSD), is a new display technology that draws a raster display (like a television) directly onto the retina of the eye. ... The idea of a Virtuality Continuum (VC) was introduced my Paul Milgram[1] to highlight how Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, Augmented Virtuality, Augmented Reality, and Reality displays relate to one another. ...

External links

AR research groups and labs

• Human Interface Technology Lab, Seattle Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Human-machine Interface
• HIT Lab NZ Human Interface Technology Lab, New Zealand
• TU Munich
• STUDIERSTUBE Augmented Reality Project
• Information in Place, Inc.
• Augmented Environments Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology
• ATR Lab. Japan Augmented Reality
• Carnegie-Mellon Entertainment Technology lab
• Columbia University Computer Graphics and User Interfaces Lab
• Projet Lagadic IRISA-INRIA Rennes (see the demos)
• Fraunhofer FIT, Collaborative Virtual and Augmented Environments

Companies

• metaio GmbH, Munich
• Microvision, Inc.

Reference articles and link lists

• Microsoft: Augmented Reality for Furniture planning
• HowStuffWorks: How Augmented Reality Will Work
• Resources Page: Jim Vallinos AR

AR toolkits, frameworks and libraries available for download

• Augmented Reality Toolkit (ART) - Multi-plataform Augmented Reality libraries
• OpenIllusionist: A framework for rapid development of augmented environments
• Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRT) - University College London
• ARTag marker system and SDK - by Dr. Mark Fiala at the National Research Council of Canada

Affiliations University of London Russell Group LERU EUA ACU Golden Triangle G5 Website http://www. ...

Specific AR projects and results

• Mr.Planet Mr.Planet is augmented reality software with a simple interface for users. The user is able to link 3D models with his favourite CAD editor with a great variety of Augmented Reality (AR) patterns. This tool allows to modify the scale, to rotate the model and to translate it in relation to the pattern with a simple menu of options. In addition, these models also can contain animations that will be able to reproduce from the application. Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnwXT09Pef8
• AR-Live Live demo "Décor planning with Augmented Reality" (Password protected)
• Video of Toyota Scion presentation with Augmented Reality USA, Scion Roadshow in 40 cities with AR!
• Video demonstrations of Augmented Reality and hybrid vision-assisted tracking at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• The Handheld Augmented Reality Project
• Example videos of video see-through Augmented Reality with vision-based tracking From E-Motion Solutions
• Ron Azuma has done some interesting work in resolving the registration issue.
• David Drascic of the University of Toronto is a developer of ARGOS: A Display System for Augmenting Reality. David also has a number of AR related papers on line, accessible from his home page.
• Networked Augmented Reality (AR) Future by Matt Groves
• Interactive Paper, ETH Zürich
• IPF: Augmented Reality for Disaster Management Universität Karlsruhe(TH)
• the Augmented Round Table for arcHitectural design and URban planning. ARTHUR
• Wearable Full-Stereo Outdoor Augmented Reality System - Wearable full-stereo outdoor augmented reality system, designed by Dr. Charles B. Owen
• New Scientist: Article on a system that makes use of Augmented Reality
• Arpa Solutions: Projects for interior designs and interactive books
• Heinz Nixdorf Institute, Paderborn: Augmented Reality Testing Platform