Introduction To AR (Augmented Reality)

A live picture of a physical real-world environment in which elements are combined with virtual computer-generated imagery is what augmented reality, or AR, is exactly. It combines a real scene that a user sees with a virtual scene that a computer created and modified with additional features. To improve your experience, an augmented reality application will incorporate visual, audio, and other sensory data into the environment.

For instance, when you load up your camera, your GPS app may display arrows on your phone's screen to indicate which streets to turn down. Due in part to its accessibility, AR has become one of the XR technologies with the quickest growth rates. Many modern customers currently carry a device in their pockets that they may use to access augmented reality.

Smartphones are the ideal AR platform due to their powerful processing capabilities and high-quality cameras. They aren't the only method to experience augmentation, of course. The innovators of augmented reality today are also starting to create AR glasses, sometimes known as 'smart glasses.' These provide more"hands-free" interactions, especially in an office setting. The customer usually already uses augmented reality; they justaren't aware of it. The general public still continues to think that augmented reality is too "high tech" for them. However, AR is what powers the Snapchat dog filter and other apps.

Ivan Sutherland, a Harvard computer scientist and lecturer, developed the first head-mounted display in 1968 under the name"The Sword of Damocles." The user was exposed to computer-generated visuals that improved their sense of sight.

Tom Caudell, a researcher with Boeing, first used the term"augmented reality" in 1990.

Display Technologies

By examining how they are displayed, some groups of augmented reality (AR) are there. Optical SeeThrough, Virtual Retinal Systems, Video See-Through, Monitor-Based AR, and Projector-Based AR.

Optical See-Through AR overlays the virtual environment on top of the real world using a transparent Head Mounted Display.

With video see-through augmented reality, an opaque HMD is used to show a combined video of the VE and view from the HMD's cameras.

In 1991, the Human Interface Technology Lab (HIT) at the University of Washington created the VRD (Virtual Retinal Display). The goal was to create a virtual display that had full color, a wide field of view, high resolution, high brightness, and was inexpensive. Inc. Microvision

Although the display is a more typical desktop monitor or a handheld display, Monitor Based AR also uses merged video streams.

In Projector Based AR Using a projector, augmented reality is projected onto real-world objects.

In the industry

Numerous useful applications for augmented reality technologies exist in a variety of industries, including entertainment, education, medical, engineering, and manufacturing.

Medical industry

It is not unexpected that the medical industry uses image technology so extensively that this sector is thought to be one of the more crucial ones for augmented reality systems. The majority of medical applications are focused on image-guided surgery. The surgeon is given the necessary image of the interior anatomy via pre-operative imaging tests of the patient, such as CT (Computed Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans. To visualize the path through the affected area's anatomy (where, for example, a tumor needs to be removed), a 3D model made from the preoperative study's numerous views and slices is first created.To aid in the surgical procedure, the model is then projected over the intended surface.

The surgical team can use augmented reality to observe the CT or MRI data appropriately registered on the patient in the operating room as the surgery is being carried out. Ultrasound imaging is a further use for augmented reality in the medical field. The ultrasound technician can examine a volumetric generated image of the fetus superimposed on the pregnant woman's abdomen using an optical see-through display. As the user moves, the image is accurately rendered and appears to be inside the abdomen.

Entertainment

In the news and entertainment industries, a basic form of AR has been used. When you watch the evening weather report, the weather maps that the speaker is standing in front of are always shifting. The reporter is actually facing a blue screen in the studio. Using the chroma-keying technique, computer generated maps have been added to this genuine photograph. Game development is another entertainment industry where augmented reality is being used.

An augmented reality technology created by Princeton Electronic Billboard enables broadcasters to place adverts in particular parts of the broadcast image. For instance, this system could insert an advertisement into an image of a baseball game so that it appeared on the outfield wall of the stadium.

Engineering Design

Consider a team of designers developing a sophisticated gadget model for one of their clients. Though they are physically apart, the clients and designers nevertheless want to conduct a joint design review. This could be done if every one of them had a conference room with an augmented reality display. The designer'smocked-up physical prototype is visualized and shown in 3D in theclient's conference room. The customers can circle the exhibit and examine various features of it. The prototype can be pointed at by the client to highlight specific areas during conversations, and this will be reflected on the real model in the designer'saugmented display.

Robotics and telerobotics

The user of the system can be helped by an augmented display in the field of robotics and telerobotics. A visual representation of the remote workspace is used by a telerobotic operator to control the robot. As it is when the operator is looking at the scene, annotating the view would be helpful. Additionally, adding wireframe illustrations of the view's structures can make it easier to see the distant 3D geometry.

If the operator wants to practice a motion, they can use a virtual robot that is imagined as an addition to the actual picture. After viewing the results, the operator can determine whether to carry out the motion.

Production, Maintenance, and Repair

Instead of opening numerous repair manuals when a maintenance person approaches a piece of equipment that is new or unknown, they might turn on an augmented reality display. Annotations and information relevant to the repair would be added to the image of the equipment in this display. For instance, the location of the attachment hardware and fasteners that need to be removed would be noted.

In an experimental system created by Boing, the technicians are directed by an augmented display that shows the cable routing on a universal frame for all harnesses. The augmented display enables many harnesses to be produced using a single fixture.

Future of AR

It's hard to predict with absolute certainty what the future of AR will include, as is the case with most disruptive technology. Following the lead of pioneers like Facebook, it appears that more businesses will invest in augmented reality smart glasses and wearables.

Several industries are seeing an increase in demand for AR wearables, especially those with risky work conditions like manufacturing and engineering.

AR avatars and other virtual creations are likely to grow increasingly prevalent as we continue to create more digital versions of ourselves and learn more about the metaverse. In the future, more people might produce their own augmented reality (AR) materials and surroundings to share.