Augmented Reality: The Most Valuable Real Estate in the World 1

Location, location, location still holds in the world of augmented reality.  There will be a world created by man in cyberspace with multiple levels - a financial bonanza for some.

Augmented reality is part of humanity's quest to mold the world as how their minds wish to perceive it.  This is being done on many fronts, augmented reality is just one.


This type of technology will very closely follow what we see as the progressions of computer technology.  First, we will have computers that we carry around with us, i.e., desktops, laptops, etc. Then we will progress to mobile devices which we are seeing now developing.  Eventually, we will wear our computers in smart clothing.  And the final stage will be being embedded with computers in our body, at this stage we will most likely merge with them into some sort of advanced cyborg state.

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This is a new world.  As such, it is developing very quickly on apps for smart phones and the iPad.  Some of the apps have great potential, others, still need a lot of work.  We provide a short video to explain what augmented reality is.  If you cannot see the embedded video, here is the link: http://youtu.be/D-A1l4Jn6EY.

Augmented reality is part of humanity's quest to mold the world as how their minds wish to perceive it.  This is being done on many fronts, augmented reality is just one.  As Charles Arthur in his excellent article Augmented reality: it's like real life, but better explains, Popular Science in 2002 first brought up this kind of "reality."  The virtual equivalent of this was done in 1970s with work of Myron  Krueger, an artist that laid his own images on top of real spaces.  He created a famous art work called videoplace created in the 1970s used goggles or gloves to control an alternate reality within a real space.  We show you a video of this early artwork using this technology.  If you cannot see the embedded video, here is the link: http://youtu.be/dqZyZrN3Pl0.  

With the advent of the fast processors in smart phones, this kind of graphic overlay, became a possibility in real time.  A company in Malmo Sweden called TAT (The Astonishing Tribe), has ideas of how some of this augmented reality (AR) might work.  It has recently become part of RIM.  This may not be a good portend for its innovative future.  One idea is that people will have separate social identities which they can switch to depending on whether they are at work or at personal events and moments.  We include a video for your perusal.  If you cannot see the embedded video, here is the link: http://youtu.be/tb0pMeg1UN0.

Augmented reality is being implemented in the automotive service industry with the work of Steve Henderson and Steven Feiner at Columbia University's Computer Graphics & User Interfaces Lab.  The have established ARMAR, Augmented Reality for Maintenance and Repair.  The purpose of the group is explained on their website:

...explores the use of augmented reality to aid in the execution of procedural tasks in the maintenance and repair domain. The principal research objective of this project is to determine how real time computer graphics, overlaid on and registered with the actual repaired equipment, can improve the productivity, accuracy, and safety of maintenance personnel. Head-worn, motion-tracked displays augment the user’s physical view of the system with information such as sub-component labeling, guided maintenance steps, real time diagnostic data, and safety warnings. The virtualization of the user and maintenance environment allows off-site collaborators to monitor and assist with repairs. Additionally, the integration of real-world knowledge bases with detailed 3D models provides opportunities to use the system as a maintenance simulator/training tool. This project features the design and implementation of prototypes integrating the very latest in motion tracking, mobile computing, wireless networking, 3D modeling, and human-machine interface technologies.

We present to you a video demonstration of this technology already being used by the military.  If you cannot see the embedded video, here is the link: http://youtu.be/8XWExrVB12I. 

We will continue with this series in our next installment on augmented reality.