This paper surveys the field of augmented reality AR, in which 3D virtual objects are integrated into a 3D real environment in real time. It describes the medical, manufacturing, visualization, path planning, entertainment, and military applications that have been explored. This paper describes the characteristics of augmented reality systems, including a detailed discussion of the tradeoffs between optical and video blending approaches. Registration and sensing errors are two of the biggest problems in building effective augmented reality systems, so this paper summarizes current efforts to overcome these problems. Future directions and areas requiring further research are discussed. This survey provides a starting point for anyone interested in researching or using augmented reality.

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A survey of augmented reality

We are on the verge of ubiquitously adopting Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to enhance our percep- tion and help us see, hear, and feel our environments in new and enriched ways. AR will support us in fields such as education, maintenance, design and reconnaissance, to name but a few. This paper describes the field of AR, including a brief definition and development history, the enabling technologies and their characteristics. It surveys the state of the art by reviewing some recent applications of AR technology as well as some known limitations regarding human factors in the use of AR systems that developers will need to overcome.

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A Survey of Augmented Reality Technologies, Applications and Limitations

This paper suggests a framework for understanding the roles that children can play in the technology design process, particularly in regards to designing technologies that support learning. Each role, user, tester, informant and design partner has been defined based upon a review of the literature and the author's own laboratory research experiences. This discussion does not suggest that any one role is appropriate for all research or development needs. Instead, by understanding this framework the reader may be able to make more informed decisions about the design processes they choose to use with children in creating new technologies. This paper will present for each role a historical overview, research and development methods, as well as the strengths, challenges and unique contributions associated with children in the design process.

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The role of children in the design of new technology

We present a sketching interface for quickly and easily designing freeform models such as stuffed animals and other rotund objects. The user draws several 2D freeform strokes interactively on the screen and the system automatically constructs plausible 3D polygonal surfaces. Our system supports several modeling operations, including the operation to construct a 3D polygonal surface from a 2D silhouette drawn by the user: it inflates the region surrounded by the silhouette making wide areas fat, and narrow areas thin. Teddy, our prototype system, is implemented as a Java™ program, and the mesh construction is done in real-time on a standard PC. Our informal user study showed that a first-time user typically masters the operations within 10 minutes, and can construct interesting 3D models within minutes.

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Teddy: a sketching interface for 3D freeform design

This paper introduces a new sensor architecture for making interactive surfaces that are sensitive to human hand and finger gestures. This sensor recognizes multiple hand positions and shapes and calculates the distance between the hand and the surface by using capacitive sensing and a mesh-shaped antenna. In contrast to camera-based gesture recognition systems, all sensing elements can be integrated within the surface, and this method does not suffer from lighting and occlusion problems. This paper describes the sensor architecture, as well as two working prototype systems: a table-size system and a tablet-size system. It also describes several interaction techniques that would be difficult to perform without using this architecture

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SmartSkin: an infrastructure for freehand manipulation on interactive surfaces

This paper explores a user interface technique which augments an immersive head tracked display with a hand-held miniature copy of the virtual environment We call this interface technique the Worlds in Miniature (WIM) metaphor By establishing a direct relationship between life-size objects in the virtual world and miniature objects in the WIM, we can use the WIM as a tool for manipulating objects in the virtual environment In addition to describing object manipulation, this paper explores ways in which Worlds in Miniature can act as a single unifying metaphor for such application independent interaction techniques as object selection, navigation, path planning, and visualization The WIM metaphor naturally offers multiple points of view and multiple scales at which the user can operate, all without requiring explicit modes or commands Informal user observation indicates that users adapt to the Worlds in Miniature metaphor quickly and that physical props are helpful in manipulating the WIM and other objects in the environment

Virtual reality on a WIM: interactive worlds in miniature

Toolglass widgets are new user interface tools that can appear, as though on a transparent sheet of glass, between an application and a traditional cursor. They can be positioned with one hand while the other positions the cursor. The widgets provide a rich and concise vocabulary for operating on application objects. These widgets may incorporate visual filters, called Magic Lens filters, that modify the presentation of application objects to reveal hidden information, to enhance data of interest, or to suppress distracting information. Together, these tools form a see-through interface that offers many advantages over traditional controls. They provide a new style of interaction that better exploits the user’s everyday skills. They can reduce steps, cursor motion, and errors. Many widgets can be provided in a user interface, by designers and by users, without requiring dedicated screen space. In addition, lenses provide rich context-dependent feedback and the ability to view details and context simultaneously. Our widgets and lenses can be combined to form operation and viewing macros, and can be used over multiple applications. CR

Toolglass and magic lenses: the see-through interface

This paper presents a set of interaction techniques for use in headtracked immersive virtual environments. With these techniques, the user interacts with the 2D projections that 3D objects in the scene make on his image plane. The desktop analog is the use of a mouse to interact with objects in a 3D scene based on their projections on the monitor screen. Participants in an immersive environment can use the techniques we discuss for object selection, object manipulation, and user navigation in virtual environments. CR Categories and Subject Descriptors: 1.3.6 [Computer Graphics]: Methodology and Techniques - InteractionTechniques; 1.3.7 [Computer Graphics]: Three-Dimensional Graphics and Realism - VirtualReality. Additional Keywords: virtual worlds, virtual environments, navigation, selection, manipulation.

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Image plane interaction techniques in 3D immersive environments

Researchers in the field of virtual environments VE, or virtual reality, surround a participant with synthetic stimuli, The flight simulator community, primarily in the U.S. military, has a great deal of experience with aircraft simulations, and VE researchers should be aware of the major results in this field. In this survey of the literature, we have especially focused on military literature that may be hard for traditional academics to locate via the standard journals. One of the authors of this paper is a military helicopter pilot himself, which was quite useful in obtaining access to many of our references. We concentrate on research that produces specific, measured results that apply to VE research. We assume no background other than basic knowledge of computer graphics, and explain simulator terms and concepts as necessary. This paper ends with an annotated bibliography of some harder to find research results in the field of flight simulators:


â¢ The effects of display parameters, including field-of-view and scene complexity;
â¢ The effect of lag in system response;
â¢ The effect of refresh rate in graphics update;
â¢ The existing theories on causes of simulator sickness; and
â¢ The after-effects of simulator use



Many of the results we cite are contradictory. Our global observation is that with flight simulator research, like most human-computer interaction research, there are very few “correct” answers. Almost always, the answer to a specific question depends on the task the user was attempting to perform with the simulator.

A literature survey for virtual environments: Military flight simulator visual systems and simulator sickness

This work extends the metaphor of a see-through interface embodied in Magic LensesTM to 3D environments. We present two new see-through visualization techniques: jlat lenses in 3D and volumetric lenses. We discuss implementation concerns for platforms that have programmer accessible hardware clipping planes and show several examples of each visualization technique. We also examine composition of multiple lenses in 3D environments, which strengthens the flat lens metaphor, but may have no meaningful semantics in the case of volumetric lenses.

Matthew Conway

Papers

Virtual reality on a WIM: interactive worlds in miniature

Toolglass and magic lenses: the see-through interface

Image plane interaction techniques in 3D immersive environments

A literature survey for virtual environments: Military flight simulator visual systems and simulator sickness

3D magic lenses