What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality from Smart Phones to Heads Up Displays

Steve Smith talks about how Pokémon works, and how Microsoft's HoloLens could have potentially made the game better.

Episode #6-45 released on July 24, 2016

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In the last two weeks, everyone including myself has been playing Pokémon Go, tooted as the most popular Augmented Reality games as of late, with constant issues with servers, and people just running into traffic to catch Pokémon creatures, this game for some is addicting. However, this game has only a limited amount of augmented reality applied to it, and it is not necessarily applied well. I agree, that the best tool for this, would have been the Microsoft HoloLens, and when I explain exactly what AR is, you, too, should agree with me, that the game had the potential to be very different from what we currently have.

First, augmented reality, differs from virtual reality, by not changing anything about the environment, but overlaying images and information that can be defined as hologram like, or be configured like a heads up display, or HUD, similar to airplanes, some modern cars, even the lower third of video games.

Secondly, the overlay information and images can be used with sensors to provided statistics, sensor information, reference aids, coordinates, etc.

Thirdly, the sensors that aid with augmented reality can be any type you want, as long as you can incorporate all of the information the user wants.

Fourthly, the task that AR is used for can be for work, personal, or gaming reasons. It could, also, be inputted with artificial information and used as part of training exercises. You see this in some movies, like "Halo 4 Forward Unto Dawn".

The AR equipment can be handheld, head mounted, a fixed display in a vehicle, or building with information of the equipment in front of the user. It can even be a combination of these tools, at the same time.

Using a Microsoft HoloLens, with a phone, we can have cameras and video input allowing for seeing objectives or targets, and with the handheld showing the map for navigation, allowing for changes in the heads up display, as well as, being used to deploy tools, or weapons. Basically, it would have been infinitely more interactive for everyone to play Pokémon with. Not to mention, allowing everyone to be safer becomes the heads up display could be setup to include the map, and allow us to see traffic, at the same time, without any lag, because AR doesn't change the environment, it simply overlays the information we want, over what we can already see. Google Glass could have been an option, if the display could include all of the lens, with overlays of the same information we need.

To be honest, while we are all currently wowing at this game, and we are stand in marvel at VR, its AR that will change gaming, by allowing us to play our favorite games in real life, outside, and with real-time information at our finger eyes, or should I say, on our HUD in front of our eyes.

Other applications can include cameras that record situations for soldiers, police officers, etc. with sensors that can be used to detect any weapons, allowing for more meaningful, more accurate and less dangerous situations that will not only protect the wearer, but ultimately the people around them. You could also go as far as making the weapons only function in the effect of danger making point and kill situations a thing of the past. Imagine being free of weapons yourself, and free of bullet holes, too. In the battlefield the same could save lives by allowing unarmed people to run pass soldiers and only activating their weapons on confirmed hostile targets. More sensors, smarter gear, and artificially intelligent weapons could be combined with augmented reality technology, just as much as we can hunt for Pokémon in our own suburbs.

Host : Steve Smith | Music : Jonny Lee Hart | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Productions

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