is anything real anymore – week 3 in gist
disclaimer: what i present to you here is not definitive. how is that even possible? augmented reality is rapidly evolving faster than i can type. it is merely a sketch of how i see augmented reality, aided with knowledge gained in class, obviously.
here goes nothing.
augmented reality. if you take the meaning of these 2 words literally, what comes to mind? ‘changed reality’ or ‘elevated reality’?
well, you’re not far from truth (ha! reality).
augmented reality helps you to increase the perception of the physical environment by means of interaction. it is a way to present information by blending it with how they see the world around them. it uses technology to enhance our senses and generate a richer experience of our immediate surroundings, which we quaintly refer to as “the real world”.
perhaps one is more familiar with the integration of augmented reality in mobile phones. on a smart phone, GPS (Global Positioning System) and other sensors, such as the compass, one can use it to estimate the position and orientation of the phone. but augmented reality is more than just that.
this video was shown during class. Pattie Maes is speaking of the research she and her team at MIT are doing on a project called “Sixth Sense”.
see how dynamic augmented reality is? it’s evolving each day, and the possibilities of how it can be incorporated into our everyday lives are infinite. while watching the video, amidst the howls of oohs and aahs, some of us might have something nagging at the back of our heads, like, “yeah who wants to wear big pieces of machines, walking around looking like a fool?
luddites. AHA! gotcha.
people, it’s the context. it’s the inherent idea that counts. as with all the things that have the potential to change, the device will inexorably get smaller and more presentable and more wearable and more convenient to use.
watch this Nokia promo video:
augmented reality will likely change how view the world, change how we think (scary), and change how we behave (scary too). augmented reality won’t even be recognised as an advent of the technology world. its very possible ubiquity in the future will hide that fact. we’ll just be using its growing smartness for the most humdrum of chores.
i have to admit that until the day i had to do a presentation on augmented reality, i was muddled of what it is. when it was further explained and illustrated by my lecturer, i realised that augmented reality is the next paradigm shift that may take over our lives.
