Posts Tagged: augmented reality

1. Will augmented reality incorporate social media and networking in the near future?

I think that augmented reality is going to huge in the future. Can you imagine having a room in your house completely devoted to gaming? You are in a virtual world the entire time you are in the room. I think that social media is growing and will continue to grow in the future. It is only a matter of time before social media is incorporated into augmented reality. Your avatar in the game will contain all of your information. This allows for tremendous networking opportunities. However, I think it also poses privacy issues with the release of private information. I think that some people do not understand how important it is to be selective of what you put online.

However, on the networking side. If augmented and virtual reality catch on the way the the predictions say it will, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to network with your potential employer in a virtual world? I think that it would be amazing to network in a gaming world. I think it cuts the edge off of meeting potential employers and going through the everyday questions. This could be a very impactful opportunity.

2. What hardware and software are required to participate in augmented reality? How advanced will this technology become in the future?

I think that the future in augmented reality will contain some pretty advanced technology. As I brought up previously, I think that augmented reality will be played in entire rooms in people’s households. I can imagine it would be the ultimate gaming experience. This technology would be extremely technical. I’m sure that the “geek squad” would have to be involved in installing it. haha. I can imagine wall-to-wall televisions, even the floor and ceilings would be involved in the game. I think this would be an amazing opportunity for the gamers to interact with. And what a great interactive media piece!!!

3. What privacy and ethical concerns arise with augmented reality?

I think that if social media is incorporated into augmented reality in the future, more privacy and ethical issues will arise. Nowadays, people just aren’t concerned with what kind of information they put online. Could there be fears of stalking involved in augmented reality? I think that it could be a possibility in the future, and this is a scary thing. I think more and more people are becoming involved with augmented and virtual reality; therefore, more privacy concern arise.

The questions I had for this week were:

What benefits does augmented reality really have?

Is it necessary?

The addition of Augmented reality does seem to be an improvement to how we oriented ourselves towards technical subjects. For instance, there are talks of the U.S. Military making available a VR headset that can automatically guide a Specialist E2 in repairing the internal components of an Abrams Main Battle Tank. Also imagine that a Nuclear Technician can wear a glove that can automatically adjust the system valves in a power plant in the safety of a control room. These two options do hold the potential for increased efficiency. However, what does it do to mankind’s ability to learn? Is this more of a crutch then a benefit? Will there be a need to learn key technical terms before the use of these technological innovations? Most importantly we must gauge the necessity of said devices.

The questions for this week are:

What benefits does augmented reality really have?

Is it necessary?

Having the pleasure of presenting about the future of augmented reality for this class, I like to think that I found in a little insight on the technology. In researching for the presentation, I downloaded several iPhone apps to see just how real augmented reality is. What we talk about in class is exciting and fascinating, but as the iTunes store showed me, those potentials just aren’t quite realized yet in the commercial market. The apps I demonstrate in class are pretty much the best I could find.

So why the hype if the tech really isn’t at Minority Report level yet? Are we really just so excited by AR that we will willingly pay for novelty and impractical apps? In my opinion, yes that’s exactly what AR is right now. Here’s your average tech life-cycle: concept, crappy applications of said concept, practical uses of the concept, media overexposure,  replaced by a new crappy application of another novelty concept.

For example, let’s look at video games and their use of motion technology. A few years ago, when the Wii was released, it was the big new thing. I would call GameStop everyday to see if they had a Wii in stock until I finally got one. This Fall has seen the release of Playstation’s Move and Xbox’s Kinect. The reason non-gamers probably haven’t heard of Move is because it’s really just a refined version of Wii for the PS3. But consider the Kinect. I haven’t played it, but from what I’ve seen, its really just a novelty. There’s no games really worth indulging more than a couple hours in. Yet, what is the big seller this holiday season?

So with AR, even though there’s not much use in it now, we’re all wowed by the possibility of where it could go. We try to get whatever taste of it we can, and we’re briefly amused by the novelties, and then we convince ourselves that it’ll totally be awesome next time. The catch is – by the time we get to “next time,” the novelty will have worn off and we won’t be quite as excited by it (while Move is certainly a technical upgrade from the Wii, nobody really seems to care…).

So as designers, how do we account for the fickleness of audiences when it comes to new technologies? Well, consider Apple. When they released the iPhone, it worked out of the box doing everything they said it could. They didn’t bother releasing it when the touch controls merely worked, they released them when the controls were perfect. So when people got their iPhones, there was no real sense of “oh hey, this is cool, but it’ll probably get better in the future.” No, the iPhone was already cool. And when it did get more features and applications, that was just another reason for the same users to repurchase another phone.

But too often, companies don’t have the restraint of Apple. They throw it out there because they want the profit margin now. As far as AR goes, we’ve already got our taste of what the tech can possibly be do. But as for me, I think I’ll wait until they manage to actually deliver what they’re selling.

Going into this week, I’ll be honest- I was a little skeptical about the legitimacy of augmented reality, especially since there seems to be an abundance of hype but a scarcity of execution in consumers’ day-to-day lives. But our Skyping session on Monday put my skepticism to rest. Whurley actually touched on many of the augmented reality-related issues that I was considering while writing my framing questions for the week.

With the limited knowledge on the subject that I possessed at the time, I wasn’t sure how augmented reality was being incorporated into various sectors of society, outside of the superficial sports broadcasting examples that were given on Wikipedia. We didn’t exactly touch on the ways that augmented reality is incorporated into educational methods (maybe because it hasn’t yet reached that sector?) but we did discuss how professional organizations are using these new technologies. For instance, the smartphone apps that allow users to scan the streets before them to locate the nearest gym, restaurant, drug store, etc almost give these local businesses free advertising, in a sense- albeit without any effort on the part of the local business.

Regarding less trivial matters, it was really interesting to hear about how the military is using augmented reality-enhanced devices for a variety of uses. We hear all the time that the military utilizes advanced technologies that are way ahead of the game, in terms of what’s available to the average citizen for everyday use… but it never fails to blow my mind that military personnel have been using augmented reality to protect our country for years before I, and probably many others, even knew such a concept existed. On the other hand, it was slightly alarming to find out that military officials in the United States can remotely control weapon detonations across the world with little more than the click of a button. Sure, the technology behind augmented reality seems to present many benefits- the military can carry out attacks without putting their lives in harms way. I also think that the power that is synonymous with such advanced technologies should be exercised with great care and control. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if our enemies had access to such tools. While new technologies such as augmented reality-based devices are certainly exciting, they also raise further questions involving appropriate uses that will only continue to benefit our society as a whole.

Augmented reality is AWESOME from what I’ve seen and read. While it’s in the early stages, the possibilities of what it will bring are pretty huge. That being said, I’ve got a few questions about where it may go:

1. With augmented reality giving the user a chance to use motion to control virtual items, how could it be used in the medical field? Will it be good for training? Could we end up in a place where medical education ends up being like the game “Operation” but with augmented reality?

2. What are some practical ways augmented reality could be used in the working world?

3. Is Augmented Reality the first step in the direction towards a real-life “Avatar”? Why or why not?

Augmented reality seems to take many forms. What would the world be like if people could essentially cast illusions over the world?

Some forms of augmented reality are utilized in academic fields such as archaeology. What other areas are making use of augmented reality and how are they using it?

Is there any research about making augmented reality tangible like the panels Tony Stark uses in Iron Man 1 and 2?

1. The Wikipedia entry on augmented reality mentioned ways in which it is being incorporated into sports entertainment, advertising and even education. What are some of the more specific ways that augmented reality is (or can be) incorporated into education?

2. Augmented reality is listed as a method of enhancing collaborative efforts. Has this been applied to business conferences, non-profits, or other professional organizations?

3. One of the projected obstacles to the success of augmented reality is the high cost factor. What are potential ways to combat the current high cost, and are these realistic goals for the near future? Or is augmented reality likely to fuel a technological divide?

1. What are some ways we can use augmented reality to provide some sort of public service to society?

2. How do virtual reality and augmented reality differ? What features are taken from virtual reality and which came first?

3. What are some ways that we, as designers, can incorporate AR into the different media that we create?