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projector projects the visual information on physical surfaces such as walls and other objects. The
camera recognizes and tracks the user’s hand gestures with the help of computer-vision
techniques. Google Glass created in 2013 is an example of a wearable AR interface. It helps the
user remain focussed on the work. It displays on the user’s glass screen through a small projector.
It responds to voice commands to activate an application at any time.
AR enters the lives of most people through
phones and tablets. Vito Technology’s Star
Walk app lets a user point their phone or tablet
camera at the sky and see the names of stars
and planets superimposed on the image. One
more app called Layar uses the GPS location of
the smartphone and the camera to collect
information about the user’s surroundings. The Star Walk app
app then shows information about the nearby restaurants, stores and places of interest.
Disney Research developed a colouring book app with AR. After
the user colours in a character in the book, he / she launches
the app on the device. The app uses the camera to detect the
character that was coloured. The app also uses AR to recreate
the character in a 3D form on the screen.
Colouring book
VIRTUAL REALITY
In Virtual Reality, we create a virtual world that users can interact with. In this world, the user
cannot easily distinguish between what is real and what is virtual.
In both VR/AR, people must wear HMD (Head Mounted Displays) or
a VR Headset like Oculus Rift or the Google Cardboard. The headset
has two small video display screens one for each eye. This creates
a sense of three-dimension. You can also wear headphones and
gloves to experience VR and AR. The headphones play stereophonic
sound or even 3-D sound so that you can feel that you are hearing
sounds not only near the ears but also in various places all around Virtual Reality
you. The gloves have sensors to collect data about your hand movements. This equipment and
the software give you interactive sensory feelings similar to real-world experiences.
Both AR and VR provide a total immersive experience to the user. These technologies find the
greatest use in entertainment, sports/gaming, close interactive eye to eye communication and
aided shopping experiences.
Imagine sitting at home and browsing through a store in London where you can see and feel the
merchandise you wish to buy. This technology is also used in education. Imagine being a live
participant in a historical battle or a student of anatomy in medical school. You can really feel the
battle or touch the organs.
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