AR Experience Report: Wide-Area AR

Wide-Area Augmented Reality allows the users to set up their own environments for the characters to interact in. Around the one minute mark in the following video, a little dog runs around an obstacle course that the user was still rearranging. The virtual creature that seems to freely roam in the augmented environment of trees (which are stationary in the position of their cards) is what makes this demo the most appealing to me. It makes me think that a similar augmented reality experience could be used by the military to train their soldiers who would wear augmented reality glasses as they crawl, jump, and run through a bigger, more complicated obstacle course. A simpler use of wide-area augmented reality could be to simulate the behaviors of other pets or small wild creatures like butterflies for children to learn about them in great detail.

Experience Report: AR/MR Narrative Interactive Theme Park Experience

Videos:

1.

My project, which I have titled “AR/MR Narrative Interactive Theme Park Experience”, will involve the creation of a digital, interactive theme park environment which will be represented by a large overhead map characterization of an area with various themed environments through with the user will navigate. By using their finger, the user can select an area, zero in on that area and select a ride on which they wish to embark

Throughout the park and the various themed sections, there will be rides which model realistic engineering projects that utilize augmented reality and mixed reality design through out their course and/or duration (See Video 1). These will be activated through their selection by the user, initiating a corresponding (interactive) video sequence which “takes the user on a ride”. The rides will have a narrative focus and will composite various storylines for the user to explore. Different rides can be embarked on in differing orders to vary up the sequence of narrative.

My inspiration for this project comes from various aims to achieve the same means: the ultimate, fully accessible, interactive MR theme park. By venturing into the area of AR/MR, I am able to navigate the obstacles of accessibility and costs with relative ease in comparison to making an actual physical park. In addition, a park where the rides in differently themed sections of the park can compose a multitude of narratives for users to explore is something that greatly appeals to me as a design goal. I think of the experience akin to a real life MMORPG, which is in fact what I intend to achieve, starting from this project.

AR Experience Report: Augmenting Indoor Spaces

This is one of Microsoft’s research projects in the field of augmented reality. This project involves the use of Environment-Aware Handheld Projecters to blur the lines between real and virtual space. There are three projectors along with the kinect systems and with this technology it becomes possible to merge the virtual world into the real world. Most of the uses of this technology are explained in more detail in the video. I believe that the technology can be classified as an AR/MR system as it not only augments reality but can be altered in real time through interaction with the user. It clearly satisfies the first two of Azuma’s charecteristics of AR, however the third is lacking. Projections are not exactly 3D, even though they can be made to seem that way.

Augmenting Indoor Spaces Using Interactive Environment-aware Handheld Projectors

Of the the many uses that are explained throughout the video, I find the idea of a smart room that coexists with virtual space most interesting. Having spent time in India where real space is lacking, this superimposition of the virtual world onto the real space within a room is amazing. It inspires me to work on ideas that can make rooms into something dynamic, living even. If the technology can be provided for common house-holds then the world would completely change. Our rooms and even homes could become living spaces. The fear of lack of space would be greatly diminished. Adding the interaction portion makes the entire experience seem more alive and the users do not feel automotized. Although it may be harder to implement on a mobile device, if done properly I feel it can change the way we live.

Augmented Reality : Cinema Tourism

We travel around the world and more often then not, we will will visit places that are featured in a particular movie or some major news or event happen. This application even though do not qualify as a true augmented reality by Azuma, it does not overlay 3d  nor does it show the real environment behind it, is a nifty idea to bring to life a place that was used for some production. In this case it is a movie but many things are recorded everyday, from news to documentary and historical events. A featured movie replay or a maybe a documentary of this locations history in the scene brings about much more value to the place then just listening to what happened or how it was used.

The idea itself entices me the most as imagine a travelling device, be it a mobile phone or viewing glasses, with advances in matching and rendering, we could easily overlay events as its viewed or even reverse the time line. From the time when the movie used the place for a shoot to a historical event that happened a few decades back, the user may “rewind” time and view overlayed footage rather then  just text, a definite plus to any experience.

Augmented Reality : National Geographic

This clip is about having everybody step into the world of National Geographic. in some kind of a public display in a mall there is a large screen and cameras where it detects people at the designated spot to be surrounded by all sorts of animals, including prehistoric dinosaurs. This interaction allows users to experience a scenario which is impossible in the real world. Being adjacent to prehistoric animals or even dangerous animals such as the cheetah is near impossible, yet through augmented reality, it gives a partial scenario of what it could be like. You could observe the bedazzlement from the audience that they are enjoying this whole new experience. I particularly liked this example because it presented the fact that it will allow people to enjoy all sorts of scenarios which they normally would not be able to.

AR Experience Report: Augmented Reality Museum Experience

Many demonstrations on YouTube qualify as augmented reality as described by Azuma. A small subset of these use the technology to enhance a real-world experience in a meaningful way. This museum experience introduces several applications of augmented reality. At the beginning of the museum, an exhibit on Benjamin Franklin invokes an avatar of the famous scientist to theatrically describe his life. This video then uses Franklin to act as tour guide of other exhibits throughout the museum, directing patrons to points of interest and providing continuity through disparate themes and exhibits.

Introducing multiple historical figures as tour guides would allow a museum patron to view each exhibit through separate viewpoints: An Aztec warrior would be amazed by Franklin’s balloon, but Neil Armstrong might describe it as quaint. Encouraging museum patrons to view exhibits from new perspectives can strengthen the relationship between the patron and the physical artifacts on display.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxSb4tjdTPk

 

AR Experience Report : Interactive Catalog

In the interactive ikea catalog mobile application, by using a unique augmented reality feature, users can select a piece of furniture from the catalog and place it anywhere inside the room around them, changing its size to fit the perspective by using the phone. The augmented reality feature provides an opportunity for users to try out the furniture before buying. In addition, this application also serves as a branding tool that drives consumers into bricks-and-mortal retail stores.
People enjoy to decorate their home, but sometimes it is problematic for them to figure out whether the style of this sofa fits their living room. And buying furniture is not a comparable shopping experience as picking out clothes. It is not effortless to return it if the furniture is not suitable to your decoration style. However, with AR technology, we could attempt several styles of sofas at home painlessly, and it is less workload and unique shopping experiences for consumers. After comparing different sofas, consumers may go to retail stores to touch the texture of the furniture. And it also saves lots of time for busy people.
Ikea interactive catalog mobile application demo video:

AR Experience Report: Augmented Reality on iPad seen via Vuzix glasses

In this example of Augmented Reality, the experience becomes possible through the iPad and Vuzix glasses. While wearing the Vuzix glasses and looking at the iPad, a 3D helicopter can be seen and manipulated in several ways. The main highlight of this video example is, in my mind, the aesthetics. It’s pretty awesome to see in use as the helicopter can be taken apart, rotate in any direction, fire missiles, or change skin color. While this specific example might not be the most useful (what would I do with a helicopter?), I began imagining ways in which this technology could support a better purpose. For example, if this was integrated into a Nike catalog, I could browse and pull up certain shoes, modify the colors, and actually see what shoe size I would need. This would redefine the shopping experience. I could order shoes without having to send them back because they were made too small or large. While we will be only working with 2D models, this example still inspires me to see if online shopping could be changed to create an actual shopping experience.

AR Experience Report : Ghost Recon

This is one of the examples of military applications of Augmented Reality. On the battlefield, information is crucial. Various intel such as enemy’s position and distance, hidden enemies, the effect of wind and gravity on the bullet’s projectile etc., helps or accelerates the decision-making process. The soldier’s head gear (optical see-through HMD) displays these information in real-time on his goggles. The video I have included is not exactly AR because it is a game which is actually quite the opposite – ‘virtual reality’. But the concept presented in the game is definitely AR. I wanted to post this because I have played the game and experienced the immense benefits of AR in making tactical decisions in the virtual world. There is no doubt that this would be even more useful in the real world.

Another interesting feature I would like to point out is the connectivity between the AR systems of all soldiers in the squad. This sharing of information, among other purposes, is responsible for displaying hidden targets. A target which is directly visible for one soldier, would be displayed virtually for other soldiers if they dont have a direct line of sight on the target. This inspires me to create an application that is shared between a group and each person in the group can view the world from the eyes of others in the group.

Note that the concept would also be useful in circumstances where the soldier loses his visual cues from the real world, for example due to smoke grenades, shadowy lights or during night time.

AR Experience Report: Golfscape

Let me start off by saying that I don’t play golf, but if I did this app seems like it would be really cool. The basic idea of Golfscape is using GPS coordinates to tell you the distance to several points of interest on a golf course. Other products usually transmit this information from a bird’s eye view. While useful, it can be difficult to translate from the third person view to your first person view. Golfscape’s solution is to superimpose this  information on top of the camera view. This makes it easy to see exactly what trajectory to aim for.

I think this is another good example of how “In Place Display” can really make a better experience.