Hey, it’s Jonathan Strickland from HowStuffWorks.com
here at the VirtualX Live conference, it’s
a conference all about virtual reality and
mixed reality and augmented reality, but what
is augmented reality?
What’s AR all about?
We’re going to find out in AR 101.
Augmented reality is all about enhancing your
experience within the real world using digital
information.
An example of a typical AR demonstration could
be something like this design.
When you look at it with your own eyes, it
remains static.
But when viewed through the screen of a tablet
or smartphone running the appropriate app,
the image comes alive.
AR is built on decades of research in computers
and electronics.
This particular application depends upon image
recognition.
Information from the mobile device’s camera
is sent to be analyzed by the AR app software.
The software looks for identifiable features
that indicate the camera is pointed at the
painting.
Once the software is confident the camera
is pointed the right way, it can overlay graphics
on top of the image of the painting.
With many AR apps, you can move the device
around, looking at a subject from different
angles.
The information you see will adjust as well,
appearing as if it’s a real three-dimensional
object.
To accomplish this, you need a graphics engine
and processor that can change the image in
real time while still anchoring it to the
physical world around you.
While the principles of AR date back decades,
we’ve only recently reached the right level
of sophistication with technology to pull
it off well.
And while many AR apps rely on handheld devices,
the hope is that in the future we’ll have
glasses or headsets that incorporate AR into
them seamlessly.
There are hundreds of potential applications
for AR ranging from entertainment to communication
to education.
A really powerful, universal AR app could
turn the physical world around you into an
encyclopedia, tourist guide and repair manual
all in one.
Alright, now you know what augmented reality
is all about.
You understand how information can be overlaid
and how it can enrich our experiences.
You’re all ready to go out and be an AR
expert, like me.
I’m currently augmenting the reality around
me: I’m making an office park look like
a park park.
