Week 2, Part 1: 23 Feb. - 2 Mar. [Augmented Reality history, understanding functionality]

-

Basil has mentioned on several occasions that the interactivity of what we produce is what he is most concerned with. Of the ideas suggested to basil at our meeting, augmented reality is the most easily accessible to many simultaneous visitors.

“Augmented reality is used to enhance environments or situations and offer perceptually enriched experiences” (En.wikipedia, 2018)

We decided to each develop an AR application to explore the functionality available. By building a mobile app there is realistic potential to involve almost everyone at the event. After downloaded, device cameras could be used to view the event pamphlet, posters, or information panels and then display further details or 3D models.

To begin research into augmented reality I first considered the history of the technology.

The origin of computer generated AR dates back to 1968, when “Ivan Sutherland developed the first headmounted display system” (Virtual Reality Society, 2017) the system was used to show users simple computer-generated wireframe drawings. Though the title wasn’t officially established until “Tom Caudell coined the term ‘augemented reality’ in the early 1990s” (Augment news, 2016).

By the mid-90s, the technology had been employed by the US Air Force (termed “Virtual Fixtures” (Augmented reality games, 2018)) as part of pilot training programmes – with their funding fuelling further research and development.

The application of AR entered mainstream entertainment in the late-90s with investment continuing to grow. In 1999, there was a significant leap forward when “Hirokazu Kato from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology released a unique piece of software called the ARToolKit.” (Augmented reality games, 2018). This open-source tracking library provided a foundation for developers to produce further applications.

Shortly after this, the first outdoor mobile AR video game was produced in 2000. This trend of rapid growth in development has continued exponentially in recent history, with hardware required to run applications becoming ever more accessible to developers and consumers.

Large companies, including Microsoft and Google are heavily investing in and producing equipment specific to the implementation of AR experiences (Google Glass, Hololens etc), indicating the sector will continue to grow.

To begin work on my project, my first task will be to assess available methods of implementing augmented reality, then begin experimenting with its functionality to determine viability for the airship exhibition.



References
  • Augment News. (2018). Infographic: The History of Augmented Reality - Augment News. [online] Available at: http://www.augment.com/blog/infographic-lengthy-history-augmented-reality/ [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].
  • Augmented-reality-games.com. (2018). Augmented Reality History. [online] Available at: http://www.augmented-reality-games.com/history.php [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].
  • En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Augmented reality. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].
  • Virtual Reality Society. (2018). History Of Virtual Reality - Virtual Reality Society. [online] Available at: https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html [Accessed 26 Feb. 2018].

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 3: 2 - 9 March [Continued AR prototype]

-
Image
I have spoken with the university’s 3D technologist, who is happy to assist with printing the airship model, but does not have the capacity to do so for several weeks. Until I can print a model I will continue to develop the prototype started last week. Instantiating model versus instantiating model with shadow shader. To add an element of realism to the instantiated airship, I added a plane below the model so the light source within the scene would be blocked by the model, casting a shadow onto the plane. The shadow had very poor definition, not appearing to look even vaguely similar the model, and often went unnoticed against grey/white backgrounds. To improve this, I added a shader to the airship model, which casts a much more well-defined shadow. I also updated the components of the plane within Unity, setting its alpha value to 0, making it transparent. This still casts a shadow onto the planes surface, while making it appear to the user that the shadow is cast direc...
Read more

Week 7, Part 2: 30 March - 6 April [Leap Motion, Prototype]

-
Image
Thinking of possible uses of the Leap Motion in the application, I ruled out a pop-up menu as this could only be used to trigger scene changes – not the level of engagement the project requires. Despite this, I was still able to draw inspiration from the ‘Hover-UI-Kit’ menu I experimented with in the previous blog entry, in Unity. Using a gesture to activate a ‘mode’ then more intuitive movements within the mode for further functionality. Using the hand to select parts of the airship to then display related information was the idea I decided to develop. This could be done with relative ease through raycasting out from the hand prefab to detect colliders on a ship model. I used the last bone in the index finger for the origin of the ray, casting the ray forward in the direction of the bones Z-axis. Once this functionality was implemented it needed to be made toggleable, triggered by a user gesture. Leap Motion provides an example script to detect predefined hand positions. Th...
Read more

Week 1: 16 - 23 Feb. [Meeting with Museum Director]

-
Image
While I was intrigued by both the energy efficient car and the museums interactive experience, the prospect of working with new technology directly related to the content of the degree, where people outside of the university would be the end users made the museum’s project far more appealing. Diss museum had reached out to the university for assistance with their upcoming exhibition, to commemorate the successful double Atlantic crossing of the R34 airship. No brief or requirements were specified in the museum’s request, so after learning of the project I contacted the museum manager, Basil Abbott, to arrange a meeting to further clarify what they hoped to include in their exhibition and available resources. From initial email exchanges it was clear that the intention was to involve the community with a hands-on experience(s) rather than a static exhibition, the implementation of which the museum has left to our discretion. To prepare for the meeting it was necess...
Read more