AUG - Understanding Augmented Reality (AR) Lesson

Understanding Augmented Reality Lesson

"Augmented Reality" sounds so futuristic, yet it's something very active in our technology world, used today, and the name is very clear. To "augment" means to add on in order to enhance something. Therefore, the concept is adding to reality in order to make it better, or at least that's the intent. And where might you see it? Have you heard about Pokemon GO? Developed by the Niantic Company, it adds a cartoon map and Pokemon characters, laid on top of a Google Map. You can even take pictures of Pokemon with your camera! They take your real location, real roads and maps, even locations like city halls, and add a game to it in order to "augment" your reality.

Pokemon GO uses your phone, including the GPS, camera and other sensors to play the game. Another big idea about augmented reality is the Microsoft HoloLens. Watch this movie:

 

This movie demonstrates ways to work, live, play, with "augmentation" to enhance or even enable the experience! It's a bit different from the Pokemon GO concept, in that it uses a headset for more of the job, and less about your location. And this is not "virtual reality" or VR. When using VR, there is nothing real involved, it is all virtual. AR is an addition to reality.

How does it all work? Here's a great video from Mashable talking about it using Snapchat as an example using a face as a "target image".

 

There are so many sensors beyond the camera in your phone. Pokemon GO uses a GPS sensor to tell your location, a "gyroscope" to tell your direction, and others to involve you in the game. Like some other apps, it uses your GPS to determine your geolocation (where you are in the world). Also established in the game is geofencing, which is like a set of virtual walls around something, and once you are within those walls it alerts you or involves you. Another example is Starbucks and their app: if you're close enough to a Starbucks, it can ask you if you'd like to order your favorite drink! These are called "location-based services".

Who knows what else the military might be developing, or the next video game. The computing power that exists today, along with sensors that gather information, can combine to create this magical layer!

 

Vocabulary Review

Use the following activity to help review the vocabulary terms related to augmented reality.

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