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: Gunman

Gunman is a game in which your phone becomes a weapon sight. It is available for iPhone and Android (the latest Android version is called Paintball). The authors claim it to be an AR game, but I disagree according to the definitions we have discussed in class. The main point is that there is no registration of virtual elements with the environment; only a fixed HUD with a scope aiming at the center of the screen and some information about ammo and hits/misses is mixed with the camera image.

The technology behind the game, according to what the authors explain in their webpage, is basically a color detection algorithm they have developed and trained under different lighting conditions. When starting a new game, players select their opponent’s shirt color. Therefore, the phone does not really know if you are shooting your opponent, a random person or even at some drawing that has the color you selected!

This game inspires me to create a real AR application to simulate Laser Tag combats. Using registration, localization and a map of the area, this game could be played both indoors and outdoors and include a variety of modes: capture the base, eliminate the other team, protect the VIP member…