What is Augmented Reality?

Definition:
Augmented Reality(AR) is a technology where researchers pull graphics out of television and computer and integrating them into real-world environments. An augmented reality system generates a composite view, which is the combination of the real scene and a virtual scene(generated by computer) that enhances the scene with additional information.

History:
From Year 1957 - Morton Helig began building a machine, Sensorama.

Year 1962 - First Simulator
→ It was successfully created (with sound, visuals, vibration and smell)

Year 1966 - Head-mounted Display 
→Ivan Sutherland invented the head-mounted display suggesting it was a window into a virtual world. It consists of a head-mounted display, an ultrasonic tracker and a mechanical tracker.

Year 1975 - Artificial Reality Lab was set up
→ Myron Krueger created Videoplace, an artificial reality laboratory. It allows users to interact with virtual objects for the first time. 

Year 1989 - Virtual Reality invented 
→ Jaron Lanier introduced the phrase Virtual Reality.

Year 1990 - Augmented Reality Coined
→Tom Caudell coined the phrase Augmented Reality while at Boeing helping workers assemble cables into aircraft.

Year 1992 - Augmented Reality Named 
→ David Mizell coined the term augmented reality.

Year 1993 - First Outdoor Navigation System
→ Loomis et al. developed a prototype of an outdoor navigation system for visually impaired. This consists of a differential GPS receiver and a head worn electronic compass to provide “acoustic virtual display”.

Year 1994 - Augmented Reality Defined 
→ Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino wrote their seminal paper, "Taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays".

Year 1997 - Augmented Reality Refined
→ Ronald Azuma did a survey which defined the field of AR.

Year 1999 - Augmented Reality Toolkit invented 
→ Mark Billinghurst and Hirokazu Kato invented this toolkit that uses fiducial markers. 

Year 2000 - First Augmented Game was invented 
→Bruce Thomas presents augmented reality Quake , an AR first person shooter .

Year 2002 - Leading Pioneer of AR
→Steven Feiner is the leading pioneer of augmented reality. He is the author of the first paper on AR. Feiner, S. K."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.

Year 2003 - Indoor Augmented Reality 
→An indoor AR guidance system was demostrated on the PDA.


Year 2004 - First Mobile Augmented Reality system for phones
→Mathias Mohring proposed 3D tracking Augmented Reality system for mobile phone.

Year 2005 - 
i) Development of Camera System
→Camera system developed that can analyze physical environments in real time and relate positions between objects and environments.
ii) Bionic Eyes
→Daniel Palanker, Phil Huie and Alexander Vankov developed "bionic eye".

Year 2007 - 
i) Commanding of Virtual Instruments 
→Facial feature tracking to allow for greater control of perspective. For example, a conductor could command a certain set of virtual instruments with the movement of his eyes.
ii) Medical applications
→Medical applications for users. Sending visual cues to help MS patients better keep their balance.


Year 2008 - Launching of Wikitude AR Travel Guide 
→It pulls data from wikipedia entries based on a user's GPS location. It overlays it onto the real time camera view of the android phone.

Year 2009
i) Augmented Reality Toolkit ported to Flash 
→By Saqoosha, allows augmented reality applications to be built for the web.
browser.
ii)Launching of Layar 
→ Layar is the first truly mainstream Augmented Reality App for the Apple i-phone.

Application of Augmented Reality

1. Wikitude World Browser
World Browser is a browser-based augmented reality, and location-based Wikipedia content Qype. From 350,000 points of interest around the world, through GPS or address, you can search and display in a list view, map view and the "augmented reality” view cam.

2. Satellite Augmented Reality
Point to the sky on your phone, look at the actual cost off lying in the augmented reality view of the satellite. Various satellite icons will appear. In the sun's color is yellow to help you see them in a clear night.

3. Google Sky Map
Google Sky Map Android platform phone into a window on the night sky. Pointing to the sky on your phone, and Google Sky maps show the stars, planets, constellations, and more to help you determine the view objects.

4. Sekai Camera
Sekai Camera is a community in the world of AR applications for users in the social interaction, by connecting to there world of digital content.

5. Photos Around
Panoramio pictures displayed on your current location from an AR view in the vicinity of popular photos. Location of the point of your camera, you see floating around in other people take a different photo.

6. 3D AR Compass
This program is an enhanced three-dimensional compass, compass and more realistic type of facility automatically rotate the map, title and degree, current address, bright and more rapid.

7. AR Shooting

This is an application environment in an AR shooting. Use your camera and start shooting. You can use seven guns, including pistols, shotguns, etc.; can be semi-automatic or fully automatic.

8. Travel Guide
Travel guide on steroids. Not only can help you more easily in foreign cities, its AR technology,to help you quickly get your POI.

9. AR Basketball
Into a small basketball court becomes your reality. All you need is a piece of paper to play basketball and your phone. Function of augmented reality game needs to take care of the rest.

10. Danger Copter
Helicopter is a dangerous adventure game player to become a rescue helicopter and the pilot exercise of the water spray between the skyscrapers of knives, fire and rescue people from danger.

11. TAT Augmented ID
This program uses the Flickr Polar Rose facial recognition technology to determine a person's face, as they pull up personal information on line and contact details. Creepy and amazing at the same time.

12 . Sixth Sense
Sixth Sense found in many system such as : camera , small projector , smart phone and mirror . Sixth Sense is significant because it uses simple ready-made components . It is also noteworthy because the projector surface can change into an interactive screen . In essence , the device uses cameras and mirrors to look around the world then transfer into cell phone image (image processing , GPS coordinates , and extract data from internet) . Projected from the projector can send information to the in front of the user . As the user wearing the camera on his chest , he will focus on increasing Sixth sense .

13 . Cell Phone
Augmented reality already have been for some phones , especially for the iPhone and Android mobile phone of operating system applications . In the Netherlands , mobile phones users can using the phone’s camera and GPS to collect information about the surrounding area. Hidden part of augmented reality known as the single , it need something a step . Yelp will begin application and shake three single to activation iPhone 3GS . Therefore , the phone screen will displayed information through the phone’s GPS and compass . Application of basic mobile phone is GPS and compass which can give people know where they are . Layar is a free Android software which shows you through the phone’s camera in the real world on real-time digital information display what is on your side . Layer is made of SPRX mobile development and support of T-Mobile G1 , HTC Magic and other Android phones .

14 . Video Games And The Military
Video game companies are quickly jumping on board the locomotive of augmented reality . A software company called Total Immersion make augmented reality inside the baseball cards . When you online , download the Total Immersion software and then hold up your baseball card to a webcam . Therefore , the software can identify the card and the computer screen will display associated video . Indirectly , the screen of 3-D figure will perform actions , such as throwing a ball in the target implementation actions. Head-mounted display is a augmented reality devices which give us a sort of virtual reality equipment and overlay information in our world . An augmented reality enable head-mounted display cover a blueprint or directly from a satellite or unmanned aircraft overhead the soldiers perspective .

LIMITATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF AUGMENTED REALITY
Augmented reality has some challenges to overcome . GPS is only accurate within 30 feet (9 meters) and although improved image-recognition technology also does not work aswell indoors . People may not want to rely on their mobile phones including the information superimposed on the small screen . For this reason , Sixth sense or augmented reality glasses , contact lenses and wearable devices provide users with more convenient , the expansion of the world around them advice . In the near future , you may be able to play on the computer’s real-time strategy . There are also have privacy concerns . Image recognition software combined with the augmented reality will let people , even stranger can immediately see that they are on Facebook , Twitter , Amazon , Linkedln or other online personal information .


CONCLUSION
Augmented reality of the future is clearly bright , even as it has entered our cell phones and video game systems approach .

Reference

http://mashable.com/2009/08/19/augmented-reality-apps/

http://www.iphoneness.com/iphone-apps/best-augmented-reality-iphone-applications/

http://techsplurge.com/3214/mega-list-33-awesome-augmented-reality-apps-games-android/

www.se.rit.edu/~jrv/research/ar/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_realityhttp://computer.howstuffworks.com/augmented-reality4.htm

http://htc-phones.net/android-software-layer-mobile-augmented-reality-browser.html

http://threeminds.organic.com/2009/03/projected_gesture-driven_inter.html

citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.8.6513&rep...

http://augreality.pbworks.com/w/page/9469037/History%20of%20AR%20and%20Key%20Researchers%20

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7007.pdf

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/A/Augmented_Reality.html

http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/Augmented-Reality-History