By HANNE PAINE, UPP Contributor—

I am trying on my first pair of designer sunglasses. They are enormous. They are plastic. And to be honest, they are seriously unattractive. Luckily, however, no one is around to witness my latest fashion disaster: these shades are virtual.

Ray-Ban is one of the latest companies to adopt augmented reality (AR) technology in advertising. With a webcam and Ray-Ban’s Virtual Mirror program, I can “try on” their products and admire my “reflection” from any angle.



Augmented reality, which superimposes virtual information and real images, is becoming increasingly advanced and accessible. Simply put, elements of AR don’t actually exist – but they appear to. And this ability to project informative or entertaining illusions has found applications in advertising, medicine, entertainment and the military.

The most useful aspect of augmented reality is its ability to present data within the user’s field of vision. This can be accomplished using either head-mounted or handheld displays. Both work by determining their location, either through visual tags, GPS, or inertial sensors. Then, images are projected using semitransparent mirrors or video. An advantage of head-mounted displays such as helmets or glasses is their immersive ability, making them useful in games and simulations. However, these can be inconvenient and isolating for everyday use. Many current applications use a computer or phone screen and camera to display AR data. Some of these are so widely accepted that they have become part of everyday life – the yellow “first down” line on televised football, for example.

Today’s concept of virtual reality began in the lab of Ivan Sutherland, a professor at the University of Utah. Sutherland and his students developed a head-mounted device that allowed the user to navigate simple computer generated rooms. His idea of combining reality and technology would inspire science fiction’s many virtual reality helmets and visors.

Augmented reality technology began to pick up speed in the 1990s, when the term was first coined by a Boeing operator. He envisioned a future repair system that would allow complex machinery to be labeled for the eyes of the mechanic, displaying instructions in real time. An AR device would allow complex tasks to be completed with confidence, making the technology increasingly attractive to the medical industry. X-rays and other scans could be instantly displayed over a patient’s body.

As with many new technologies, AR has been a military priority longer than it has been a commercial one. “Head-up displays,” allow a pilot to see targeting information and flight data without looking away from the windshield. Other military applications include interactive maps and data tables that can be laid over the landscape, providing valuable tactical information. Head-up displays are also being expanded into goggles and helmets like those already seen in video games as statistics on the screen.

Augmented reality is also attractive to communications and entertainment companies. Nokia has been researching applications for AR that present local information when a phone’s camera is pointed at the surrounding area. Restaurant ratings, tourist information and transportation tips can be seamlessly displayed over the real world. In the near future, a tour of historic Rome could involve walking through the Coliseum as it once was, using AR glasses and a handheld computer.

The major challenge in these applications is precision – although GPS and compass technology are accurate to within a few meters, specialized data requires a higher level of accuracy. One solution is image recognition. By cross-referencing images with the enormous databases created by Google Maps and others, handheld devices could do more than guess what a user is seeing.



So where will AR take us in the near future? As a society, we have become accustomed to the idea of virtual reality through video games and movies. One of its most visible applications will be the advertising industry. Currently, most advertising campaigns use games and novelty applications created by programs designed to recognize patterns and shapes via webcams, such as small, collectible 3-D characters by Doritos and virtual masks promoting the latest Transformers movie. Combined with the detailed customer profiles (compiled from memberships, credit cards and online shopping), however, AR could quickly become more personalized and persuasive. We can also expect to see more AR technology in transportation, such as car on windshields and GPS systems.

One of the most exciting – or unnerving – applications of augmented reality may soon be found in your child’s class or bedroom. New picture books, and later textbooks and nonfiction can be equipped with 3D digital “pop-ups” and primitive animations viewed with a webcam. Story time may soon come with automated narrations, sound effects and interactive characters. But don’t worry about being replaced by a robot in the near future. The power of the imagination still surpasses our augmented reality capabilities – at least for now.