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Section 9. Pedagogy LEARNING-ORIENTED AUGMENTED REALITY

TECHNOLOGY

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Section 9. Pedagogy

Section 9. Pedagogy
Poghosyan Shushan,
Ph.D. in Information and Communication Technologies,
Department of Radioengineering and Communications
The National Polytechnic University of Armenia
E-mail: [email protected]

LEARNING-ORIENTED AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

Abstract: Emerging technology applied in any aspect of our everyday life and education is no different. Aug-
mented Reality(AR) with its four main subcategories can be implemented in different subject and discipline of formal
education. The research discusses the potential benefits and utilization techniques of this advanced technology in
the learning process.
Keywords: Augmented Reality (AR), Educational Technologies, AR in Education.
Introduction expensive headsets to experience the technology. AR can be
It is a widely accepted truth that technological interven- experienced just with the help of smart devices as the camera
tion in industries increases the productivity, efficiency and is the primary sensor requires for AR experience.
provides better results. Education and educated employees For experiencing the AR, the user requires only a smart
are the keys for each government to build well skilled and device which should contain a camera sensor, GPS sensor,
technologically advanced society which directly reflects the compass, and accelerometer. For more realistic experience
level of the social-economic situation of the region. Integra- device should have a notable CPU, GPU, and RAM.
tion of cutting-edge technologies in learning environments The types of Augmented Reality and their implemen-
are critical to increase the level of education and develop a tation in education
modernized educational curriculum. Education is an investment in human capital and, a pledge
Introduction to Augmented Reality(AR) on a nation’s sustainable growth and further development.
R. Azuma proposed the most widely accepted definition Integration of new educational approaches and technologies
of Augmented Reality(AR) [1]. According to Azuma, Aug- into educational programs is one of the most responsible tasks
mented Reality (AR) is a variation of Virtual Reality(VR) for governments for shaping more effective and employable
technology. VR technologies require a VR headset to com- society. New technologies provide opportunities for creating
pletely immerse a user inside a synthetic environment gen- a specific ecosystem enhancing learning process preparing a
erated with the help of realistic images, sounds and other globally compatible workforce.
sensations that gives the user a feeling of being in a different The integration of emerging technologies and advanced
environment than the actual one where the user cannot see techniques such as AR into the curriculum is becoming a part
the real world around him. of good and productive teaching. Several governments includ-
Unlike Virtual Reality, which creates an entirely artificial ing USA, France, South Korea, China, etc. are heavily invest-
environment in Augmented Reality technology computer- ing in AR educational technologies as foresee benefits of this
generated digital information(i. e., virtual 3D objects, sound, technology and the efficiency on the educational domain [2].
image, etc.) is overlaid onto live direct or indirect physical real- The history of AR technology implementation in learn-
world environment in real time, thus enhancing user’s percep- ing dates back to 1990s when Tom Caudell, a former Boing
tion of reality. Therefore, AR supplements the actual reality, engineer created first head-mounted display system with
rather than completely replacing it. In AR the new reality ap- simulated AR features. The system used augmented com-
pears to the user that the virtual and real objects coexisted puter- generated graphics that were implemented in the
in the same space. In contrast with VR technologies, in AR learning environment of the pilots helping create a realistic
technologies, users are not required to have specially made simulation of actual flight [3].

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Currently, counting four main types of Augmented Re- In AR applications, the fiducial marker can be any ob-
ality technologies that can be utilized in education systems. ject that’s placed in front of the camera which can recognize
• Marker-based Augmented Reality; the marker and visualize AR features assimilated with the
• Marker-less Augmented Reality; marker. Visualization can include later, image, text, sound,
• Projection based Augmented Reality; video and even 3D interactive objects that augmented on
• Superimposition based Augmented Reality. top of the selected marker. In AR, these markers can provide
Marker-based Augmented Reality system: an interface between the physical world and the augmented
In marker-based AR systems, a marker refers to what com- content.
monly known fiducial marker. Fiducial marker is a square im- Markers allow the device to calculate the position and
age of consisting of black and white square, that are randomly orientation of its camera for a correct imposition of the aug-
generated by a computer system. mented content (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Marker Recognision in the marker-based AR technologies

This process is known as marker tracking. Marker tracking Marker-less Augmented Reality system:
can be achieved with only a camera and no additional sensors In contrast with marker-based AR systems, marker-less
such as a gyroscope are necessarily making the camera the AR systems do not require tracking for earlier designed spe-
primer sensor for experiencing marker-based AR. cific marker or any pre-knowledge of a user’s environment to
Users can point the camera of their smart devices onto the overlay 3D content into a scene and hold it to a fixed point in
designated marker to experience 3D augmented object that space. Marker-less augmented reality technique allows the use
appears on top of the marker on the screen of their device [4] of any physical environment to superimpose the generated
Being a technology that is easy to develop and no need of data. In this technology, there is no predefined target or base
specially designed external devices, marker-based Augmented for illustrating superimposed virtual objects [8].
Reality technology can find its unique implemented in a dif- As in marker-less AR technologies, the user’s environ-
ferent level of formal education. Another advantage of marker- ment depends on the natural features of a surrounding rather
based AR technology is that it can be applied to already exist- than the fiducial identifying markers it can have a success-
ing teaching materials, as pages on textbook can operate as a fully implementations in science subjects, where the lab
marker to build the supplemented data. classes are necessary for more in-depth and comprehensive
This technology can be implemented in all subjects where learning.
visualization can enhance students learning process including When used in smartphones and other smart devices,
Biology, Physics, Chemistry, etc [5–7]. the marker-less AR system uses the inbuilt GPS feature of

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Section 9. Pedagogy

the device to determine the location of interact available location-based AR involve mapping directions, finding nearby
augmented reality resources. Some standard methods of services, and other location-centric mobile apps [9].

Figure 2. An example of marker-less AR in Biology Class

For a full-scale experience, the user requires to have a usually equipped with an infrastructure-based sensor that po-
smart device that is equipped with at least camera sensor, GPS sition is tracked with the help of four Kinect sensors mounted
sensor, compass, and accelerometer. on the ceiling at the mid-point of each room wall. Further-
With advantages mentioned above, marker-less AR tech- more, these sensors are used to create a model of the envi-
nology can be implemented in such a learning environment, ronment and, thereby, also provide geometry awareness [10].
where students required to move from one place to another Using tablets or smartphones can reduce the cost of edu-
and the learning object does not have a fixed location. cational institutions for further implementation of AR tech-
Projection based Augmented Reality system: nology in their educational curriculum. But the drawback of
Projection based Augmented Reality works by using pro- these devices is that they have to be held by one hand while
jectors to project light on real-world surfaces. Projected light the other hand is used for interactions on the screen. This way,
contains data, which can be anything ranging from colors and the user has to lay down the tablet for interactions with his real
text to augmented 3D objects. Besides projecting light onto environment or the tablet has to be fixed somewhere requiring
the surface, the projector also powered by human-surface in- users always to come back to see any augmented information
teraction detecting sensor that senses the human interaction on the tablet’s screen. Projector-based AR, enables a group of
(i. e., touch) of that projected light. These unique projectors users to see the same augmented information.

Figure 3. An example of Projection-based AR in Geography Class

Utilizing of Projection-based AR in education can drastically control over the subject being taught. This metod also help stu-
increase the interaction between students, keep them all concen- dents to touch the surface of projected information allowing them
trated towards the same topic of study. Instructors can have direct to interact with superimposed details in the form of 3D objects.

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 LEARNING-ORIENTED AUGMENTED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

This technology suggested to be applied in such studies, Object recognition is vital for this technology that ap-
where students are required to learn new information through plication can replace the original view of the object with an
motion, which will activate the kinetically to develop physical augmented one.
and reaction skills. The drawback of this technology is the requirement of
Superimposition-based Augmented Reality system: the full object recognition. Depends on the scale and the
Superimposition based Augmented Reality is a technol- color of the object as well as the environmental conditions
ogy where the features of the original object either partially or of the object location, the identification of the object may
entirely replaced with newly augmented features that super- be partial leading technology failure. Another disadvantage
imposed on the same item of the research. of this type of AR technology is the limitation of the free
Unlike marker-based AR technology, where augmented movement. When scanning the object from different angles
date appears on top of specially designed fiducial markers, in camera of the device may not be able to detect all the features
superimposition based AR, the technology recognizes the full of the object and users may receive an unstable augmented
object. image or even receive no augmented feedback.

Figure 4. An example of Superimposition-based AR in a History Field-trip

Further development of superimposition-based AR tech- Conclusion:
nologies can become an unrepeatable technology in history This research discusses four main subcategories of Aug-
and natural science classes, where the learning process is mented Reality technologies and methods of its successful
combined with field-trips. With this technology students can implementation in different subject learning. AR implemen-
attend field-trips to historic sites, battlefields and museums, tation in the modern educational curriculum can be a game-
discover features of historic buildings of the past, explore the changing by increasing the efficiency of the learning process
outcomes of battle outcomes, see and interact with unique and allowing direct interaction with the content of the learning
scare exhibits presented in the museum. knowledge.
References:
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mentation and government support, Proceedings of 4th International Conference of the Virtual and Augmented Reality in
Education (VARE2018), – Vol. 1. – P. 23–28.
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