CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Augmented reality (AR)

Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment
where the objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer-
generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities,
including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be
defined as a system that incorporates three basic
Features which include; a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time
interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects. The overlaid
sensory information can be constructive (i.e. additive to the natural environment),
or destructive (i.e. masking of the natural environment). This experience is
seamlessly interwoven with the physical world such that it is perceived as an
immersive aspect of the real environment. In this way, augmented reality alters
one's ongoing perception of a real-world environment, whereas virtual reality
completely replaces the user's real-world environment with a simulated one.
The primary value of augmented reality is the manner in which components of
the digital world blend into a person's perception of the real world, not as a
simple display of data, but through the integration of immersive sensations,
which are perceived as natural parts of an environment.

1.1 Brief History of AR

There have been several efforts over the years in the development of augment
reality which has contributed to the success and advancement of AR to its present
state.
Augmented reality was first achieved, to some extent, by a cinematographer called
Morton Heilig in 1957. He invented the Sensorama which delivered visuals,

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sounds, vibration and smell to the viewer. Or course, it wasn’t computer controlled
but it was the first example of an attempt at adding additional data to an
experience.

‘AR’ technology was invented in 1968, with Ivan Sutherland's development of the
first head-mounted display system. However, the term 'augmented reality' wasn't
coined until 1990 by Boeing researcher Tim Caudell. The technology has come a
long way with a growing list of use cases for AR.
The earliest functional AR systems that provided immersive mixed reality
experiences for users were invented in the early 1990s, starting with the Virtual
Fixtures system developed at the U.S. Air Force's Armstrong Laboratory in 1992.
Commercial augmented reality experiences were first introduced in entertainment
and gaming businesses. Subsequently, augmented reality applications have
spanned commercial industries such as education, communications, Medicine and
entertainment. In education, content may be accessed by scanning or viewing an
image with a mobile device or by using markerless AR techniques. The first
commercial AR application appeared in 2008. It was developed for advertising
purposes by German agencies in Munich. They designed a printed magazine ad of a
model BMW Mini, which, when held in front of a computer’s camera, also appeared
on the screen. 
There were many other breakthroughs in augmented reality between here and today;
the most notable of which include:
 Bruce Thomas developing an outdoor mobile AR game called ARQuake in
2000.
 ARToolkit (a design tool) being made available in Adobe flash in 2009.
 Google announcing its open beta of Google Glass (a project with mixed
success) in 2013.

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  Microsoft announcing augmented reality support and their augmented reality
headset HoloLens in 2015.

Augmented reality is used to enhance natural environments or situations and offer

perceptually enriched experiences. With the help of advanced AR technologies
(e.g. adding computer vision, incorporating AR cameras into smartphone
applications and object recognition) the information about the surrounding real
world of the user becomes interactive and digitally manipulated. Information about
the environment and its objects is overlaid on the real world. This information
can be virtual. Augmented Reality is any experience which is artificial and which
adds to the already existing reality, information such as electromagnetic radio
waves overlaid in exact alignment with where they actually are in space.
Augmented reality also has a lot of potential in the gathering and sharing of tacit
knowledge. Augmentation techniques are typically performed in real time and in
semantic contexts with environmental elements. Immersive perceptual information
is sometimes combined with supplemental information like scores over a live video
feed of a sporting event. This combines the benefits of both augmented reality
technology and heads up display technology (HUD).

1.2 The Present application of AR

Augmented reality is achieved through a variety of technological innovations;
these can be implemented on their own or in conjunction with each other to create
augmented reality. They include:

 General hardware components – the processor, the display, the sensors and
input devices. Typically a smartphone contains a processor, a display,
accelerometers, GPS, camera, microphone etc. and contains all the hardware
required to be a an AR device.

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 Displays – while a monitor is perfectly capable of displaying AR data there are
other systems such as optical projection systems, head-mounted displays,
eyeglasses, contact lenses, the HUD (heads up display), virtual retinal displays,
EyeTap (a device which changes the rays of light captured from the
environment and substitutes them with computer generated ones),Spatial
Augmented Reality (SAR – which uses ordinary projection techniques as a
substitute for a display of any kind) and handheld displays.

 Sensors and input devices include – GPS, gyroscopes, accelerometers,

compasses, RFID, wireless sensors, touch recognition, speech recognition, eye
tracking and peripherals.

 Software – the majority of development for AR will be in developing further

software to take advantage of the hardware capabilities. There is already an
Augmented Reality Markup Language (ARML) which is being used to
standardize XML grammar for virtual reality. There are several software
development kits (SDK) which also offer simple environments for AR
development.

There are apps available or being researched for AR in nearly every industrial
sector including:

 Archaeology, Art, Architecture

 Commerce, Office
 Construction, Industrial Design
 Education, Translation

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  Emergency Management, Disaster Recovery, Medical and Search and
Rescue
 Games, Sports, Entertainment, Tourism
 Military
 Navigation.
The importance of augmented reality can’t be over emphasized to the
improvement of the future of technology. AR is the future of design and we tend to
agree. Already mobile phones are such an integral part of our lives that they might
as well be extensions of our bodies; as technology can be further integrated into
our lives without being intrusive; it is a certainty that augmented reality provides
opportunities to enhance user experiences beyond measure.
 Other application of augmented reality include;

Projection mapping
Projection mapping augments real-world objects and scenes, without the use of
special displays such as monitors, head-mounted displays or hand-held devices.
Projection mapping makes use of digital projectors to display graphical
information onto physical objects. The key difference in projection mapping is that
the display is separated from the users of the system. Since the displays are not
associated with each user, projection mapping scales naturally up to groups of
users, allowing for collocated collaboration between users. Examples include
shader lamps, mobile projectors, virtual tables, and smart projectors. Shader
lamps mimic and augment reality by projecting imagery onto neutral objects. This
provides the opportunity to enhance the object's appearance with materials of a
simple unit—a projector, camera, and sensor. Other applications include table and
wall projections. One innovation, the Extended Virtual Table, separates the virtual
from the real by including beam-splitter mirrors attached to the ceiling at an

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adjustable angle. Virtual showcases, which employ beam splitter mirrors together
with multiple graphics displays, provide an interactive means of simultaneously
engaging with the virtual and the real. Many more implementations and
configurations make spatial augmented reality display an increasingly attractive
interactive alternative. A projection mapping system can display on any number of
surfaces in an indoor setting at once. Projection mapping supports both a graphical
visualization and passive haptic sensation for the end users. Users are able to touch
physical objects in a process that provides passive haptic sensation.

Tracking
Modern mobile augmented-reality systems use one or more of the following
motion tracking technologies: digital cameras and/or other optical sensors,
accelerometers, GPS, gyroscopes, solid state compasses, radio-frequency
identification (RFID). These technologies offer varying levels of accuracy and
precision. The most important is the position and orientation of the user's head.
Tracking the user's hand(s) or a handheld input device can provide a 6DOF
interaction technique.

Networking
Mobile augmented reality applications are gaining popularity because of the wide
adoption of mobile and especially wearable devices. However, they often rely on
computationally intensive computer vision algorithms with extreme latency
requirements. To compensate for the lack of computing power, offloading data
processing to a distant machine is often desired. Computation offloading
introduces new constraints in applications, especially in terms of latency and
bandwidth. Although there are a plethora of real-time multimedia transport
protocols, there is a need for support from network infrastructure as well.[69]
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Input devices
Techniques include speech recognition systems that translate a user's spoken words
into computer instructions, and gesture recognition systems that interpret a user's
body movements by visual detection or from sensors embedded in a peripheral
device such as a wand, stylus, pointer, glove or other body wear Products which
are trying to serve as a controller of AR headsets include Wave by Seebright Inc
(California) and Nimble by Intugine Technologies.

Computer
The computer analyzes the sensed visual and other data to synthesize and position
augmentations. Computers are responsible for the graphics that go with augmented
reality. Augmented reality uses a computer-generated image which has a striking
effect on the way the real world is shown. With the improvement of technology
and computers, augmented reality is going to lead to a drastic change on ones
perspective of the real world. According to Time, in about 15–20 years it is
predicted that augmented reality and virtual reality are going to become the
primary use for computer interactions. Computers are improving at a very fast rate,
leading to new ways to improve other technology. The more that computers
progress, augmented reality will become more flexible and more common in
society. Computers are the core of augmented reality. The computer receives data
from the sensors which determine the relative position of an objects' surface. This
translates to an input to the computer which then outputs to the users by adding
something that would otherwise not be there. The computer
comprises memory and a processor. The computer takes the scanned environment
then generates images or a video and puts it on the receiver for the observer to see.
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The fixed marks on an object's surface are stored in the memory of a computer.
The computer also withdraws from its memory to present images realistically to
the onlooker. The best example of this is of the Pepsi Max AR Bus Shelter.

Projector
Projectors can also be used to display AR contents. The projector can throw a
virtual object on a projection screen and the viewer can interact with this virtual
object. Projection surfaces can be many objects such as walls or glass panes.

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 CHAPTER TWO
2.0 VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer technology to create a simulated

environment with the aim of providing the users with a virtual environment where
the user can interact with a computer just as in the real world, that is, by talking
with a virtual human in a spoken language, by writing a letter, or by drawing a
picture. VR applications immerse the user in a computer-generated environment
that simulates reality through the use of interactive devices, which send and receive
information and are worn as goggles, headsets, gloves, or body suits. In a typical
VR format, a user wearing a helmet with a stereoscopic screen views animated
images of a simulated environment. The illusion of “being there” (telepresence) is
effected by motion sensors that pick up the user’s movements and adjust the view
on the screen accordingly, usually in real time (the instant the user’s movement
takes place). Thus, a user can tour a simulated suite of rooms, experiencing
changing viewpoints and perspectives that are convincingly related to his own head
turnings and steps. Wearing data gloves equipped with force-feedback devices that
provide the sensation of touch, the user can even pick up and manipulate objects
that he sees in the virtual environment.

Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (e.g. video games),

education (e.g. medical or military training) and business (e.g. virtual meetings).
Other distinct types of VR-style technology include augmented reality and mixed
reality, sometimes referred to as extended reality or XR. One may distinguish
between two types of VR; immersive VR and text-based networked VR (also
known as "Cyberspace"). The immersive VR changes your view, when you move
your head. While both VRs are appropriate for training, Cyberspace is preferred
for distance learning. In some cases these two types are even complementary to
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each other. This page mainly focuses on the immersive VR. Currently, standard
virtual reality systems use either virtual reality headsets or multi-projected
environments to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that
simulate a user's physical presence in a virtual environment. A person using virtual
reality equipment is able to look around the artificial world, move around in it, and
interact with virtual features or items. The effect is commonly created by VR
headsets consisting of a head-mounted display with a small screen in front of the
eyes, but can also be created through specially designed rooms with multiple large
screens. Virtual reality typically incorporates auditory and video feedback, but may
also allow other types of sensory and force feedback through haptic technology.

2.1 Brief History of VR

 Etymology

"Virtual" has had the meaning of "being something in essence or effect,

though not actually or in fact" since the mid-1400s. The term "virtual" has
been used in the computer sense of "not physically existing but made to
appear by software" since 1959

Virtual reality technology was invented in 1957 by Morton Heilig. His

multimedia device called the Sensorama is considered one of the earliest VR
systems. However, the term ‘virtual reality’ was coined much later in 1987 by
researcher Jaron Lanier. We will briefly look at the works and development of
virtual reality from 70s till date.

1978: Developed by MIT, the Aspen Movie Map used photographs taken from a
car in Aspen, Colorado to give viewers what they called a “Surrogate Travel”
experience.
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1982: The movie Tron brought the concept of virtual reality to the masses. Geared
at gamers, the characters were immersed in a fully virtual environment that
simulated a video game.

1986: Furness worked on his Air Force simulation project through the 80s and in
the end developed the Visually Coupled Airborne Systems Simulator (VCASS).
The system gave pilots a virtual view that streamlined the barrage of information
they get every moment.

1987: John Lanier, computer scientist, researcher, and artist, coined the term
‘virtual reality’. He founded the Visual Programming Lab (VPL) and developed a
range of VR gear, including the Dataglove alongside Tom Zimmerman, and the
EyePhone HMD – making VPL the first company to sell VR goggles.

1991: The Virtuality Group released a series of games and arcade machines

bringing VR to the general public. Players would wear a pair of virtual reality
goggles and play immersive games in real-time.  In the same year, Sega attempted
to bring a similar gaming experience to homes with its console. The company
never released the Sega VR headset accessory because developers were comically
worried it was too realistic and users would get hurt.

1995: Nintendo Virtual Boy launched as the first portable console that could
display 3-D graphics.

1997: Georgia Tech and Emory University researchers teamed up to create Virtual

Vietnam. The group used virtual reality to simulate war zones to assist in veterans’
exposure therapy sessions treating PTSD.

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1999: The Matrix came to theaters and had massive buzz, popularizing the idea of
virtual realities with an even bigger portion of the general public.

2001: SAS cube was introduced as the first PC based cubic room. The SAS library
eventually led to the Virtools VRPack.

2007: Google, with Immersive Media, announced Street View. The technology

launched with imagery for five mapped cities. The panoramic images were
captured from a patented camera mounted on a moving car to show users roads,
inside buildings, and more.

2010: Palmer Luckey designed a prototype for what would become the Oculus Rift
virtual reality headset. Facebook bought Oculus VR for around $3 billion in 2014,
just after the first shipment of kits went out via the Kickstarter campaign – there
was a lawsuit filed against Facebook and Oculus for taking company secrets.

2013: Valve corporation found a way to display lag-free VR content and shared it

freely with Oculus and other vendors. Valve and HTC announced their partnership
alongside the HTC Vive headset and controllers in 2015 and released the first
version in 2016.

2014: Sony unveils Project Morpheus, aka PlayStation VR, for the PlayStation 4
video game console. he final consumer version released in 2016, encouraging its
users to not just play the game, but “live the game”.

2015: Google introduces Cardboard, a do-it-yourself stereoscopic viewer where a

user places their phone inside a literal piece of Cardboard to wear on your head.It
solved the price tag problem, but is it really a virtual reality headset? That’s
debatable. 

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2016: Hundreds of companies were developing virtual reality products. Most of
the headsets had dynamic binaural audio, but the haptic interfaces were still
lacking. 

2018: At the Facebook F8 Developer Conference, Oculus revealed the Half Dome
– a headset with a 140-degree field of vision.

For decades, virtual reality (VR) has seemed like a futuristic dream that is
just around the corner, but never reaches its full potential. This time, however,
might really be different. Recent advances in the power of VR hardware, notably
the headsets and processors used to produce realistic VR experiences, suggest that
VR is finally powerful enough and cheap enough to go mainstream.

VR broadly refers to immersing yourself in a three-dimensional (3D) digital world

using sophisticated hardware and software. While a video game is experienced
through a screen, VR often is experienced through a headset that shuts out the
external world and transports you to a virtual one. It can also be experienced
through room-sized systems that use special projectors and glasses to create VR
experiences.

Historically, VR has relied on clunky headsets, expensive computers, and

complicated peripheral hardware to produce immersive experiences. VR in various
forms has been commercially available since the 1990s, but the technology has
been widely criticized as too expensive, too complicated, or too imperfect to
produce powerful, affordable virtual experiences that inspire consumers to open
out their wallets.

That is beginning to change. Today, powerful commercial VR headsets are sold by

Sony, Facebook, HTC, and other major technology players. Sophisticated
augmented reality (AR) devices (like your smartphone and Google Glass) are
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available from the likes of Google, Apple, and Microsoft. The market for VR is
growing accordingly, with research firm Marketsand-Markets forecasting industry
growth to reach $20.9 billion in 2025, from $6.1 billion in 2020.

Why is VR (finally) having its day in the sun?

It all comes down to better hardware. VR heavyweights now are able to produce
headsets that are cheaper and more powerful than models from just a few years
ago. As a result, consumer demand for headsets is rising, driving more innovation
and investment in VR hardware. Companies are even researching entirely new
techniques and designs to make the next generation of VR hardware so light and
powerful that it transforms one's daily life.

"Over time, we would like a device that is nearly the size of your reading glasses
or sunglasses, but performs all of the functions of your smartphone, tablet, PC, and
even TV, and enables new, 3D (three-dimensional) and spatial functions," says
Siddharth Saxena, founder and CEO of Oblix VR, a VR software startup.

That day might not be far of.

Better Hardware, Better VR

The top three players in VR headsets by sales are Sony, Facebook, and HTC,
according to research provided by Statista. In 2019, 5.7 million VR headsets were
shipped, according to research from SuperData.

Back in 2016, commercial VR systems required users to connect a headset,

controllers, and sensors to an external high-end computer, says Saxena. "This was
an expensive, bulky, and inconvenient setup," he says.

Today, however, systems like Facebook's Oculus Quest 2 are all-in-one VR

platforms with built-in processors that require no external computer at all. This

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represents a huge leap forward from just a few years ago, says Bill Myers, director
of Emerging Technology at S3 Technologies.

In 2017, Myers started a VR arcade that offered consumers access to sophisticated

VR stations. Each station used an HTC Vive headset and a high-end computer,
which cost a total of $2,500 at the time. Now, he says, consumers can experience
the same level of VR immersion with a headset like those available today for just a
few hundred dollars.

Why the big jump forward?

In Myers' view, VR has hit a consumer tipping point. By 2016, the technology
finally was good enough and cheap enough (though still limited to those with deep
pockets) that consumer demand drove continued progress. Companies were
incentivized to manufacture more VR headsets. Suppliers improved their tooling
and lensing capabilities to serve demand, and better processing power allowed
developers to create truly immersive experiences.

"Now, when a developer sits down to create an experience, it doesn't have to be

what the previous generation was, which was a lot of low-polygon graphics," says
Myers. This is leading to higher levels of performance expected from consumer
headsets, and growing consumer demand.

"With advances in inside-out tracking and improved chipsets like the Qualcomm
XR2 [the chip used in the Quest 2], the standard for simple, portable VR is now a
lot higher," says Angel Say, CEO and cofounder of Resolve, a company that uses
VR to help construction companies review building designs faster and more
economically. "Receiving a VR headset as a gift used to be a burden if you didn't
have the right-specification PC or knowledge to set it up; now, it's as easy as
unboxing and setting up a phone for the first time."

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This was not the case when you had to install desktop software, install drivers,
calibrate sensors, and deal with bulky peripherals, says Say. "Standalone VR
headsets are enabling anyone to pick up a VR headset and, within 15 minutes, be
up and running."

2.2 The Future of Virtual reality.

Despite advancements in processing power and price, today's VR hardware is still

limited. Sony's Playstation VR headset, a popular model, weighs more than 1.3
pounds. The heaviest of the most popular headsets, the Valve Index, weighs almost
two pounds. Researchers are trying to get around weight constraints with designs
that use innovative techniques and materials.

In 2020, Facebook Reality Labs researchers Andrew Maimone and Junren Wang
released a paper outlining how holographic optics could be used to create ultra-
lightweight VR headsets.

In the paper, titled "Holographic Optics for Thin and Lightweight Virtual Reality,"
Maimone and Wang outline the problem facing today's headsets. Commercially
available headsets use "curved optics of solid glass or plastic, which has limited
designs to goggles-like form factors." While goggle-like VR headsets have become
lighter and slimmer, they're still relatively heavy and bulky. The researchers
suggest using a combination of new optical design techniques to overcome the
problem.

One such technique is polarization-based optical folding, a way to design lenses so

light bounces in the right way to the human eye so on-screen images are displayed
properly—but the light doesn't need to physically travel as far as it does in
traditional optics. That makes the space needed for VR optics smaller.

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The other technique under consideration is holographic optics, an optics
technology that "bends light like a lens but looks like a thin, transparent sticker,"
according to Facebook's summary of the research. Holographic optics replace glass
or plastic lenses, making the resulting VR headset much lighter.

In fact, these advances could make the VR headsets of tomorrow, with proposed
designs less than 10mm in thickness. While still in the prototype phase, the
research suggests a possible approach to VR that almost entirely eliminates the
need for bulky hardware.

That means the future of VR hardware could actually be closer to that of

augmented reality (AR), experts say. With the ability to project immersive imagery
through thin, lightweight lenses, the lines between the virtual world and the real
one could get extremely blurry.

The new proposed technology from Facebook actually controls the light within a
thin lens. That can theoretically solve the issue of external light interfering with
simulated images projected to the user, which could further reduce barriers to
integrating VR and AR. This is important because, as Facebook chief scientist
Michael Abrash explains, "Even when AR is something that everybody uses, 99%
of the photons that hit your eyes or your retinas are actually still going to come
from the real world."

"We're already seeing glimpses of VR devices converging with AR," says Say.
"Being able to toggle between being completely immersed in a digital world and
overlaying digital info on the real world is really powerful."

It's a future that VR hardware leaders are actively exploring.

"Facebook is in a unique position from a hardware standpoint because they are

producing both AR and VR headsets simultaneously," says Myers. He points to the

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company's partnership with Ray-Ban to release a pair of smart glasses. The product
won't have AR features to start, but is seen as the first step toward Facebook's
Project Aria (announced at the same time), an initiative to build true wearable AR
devices.

If these plans come to fruition, expect VR, AR, or a combination of these

technologies to integrate more seamlessly into your everyday life.

"These products will be lifestyle products," says Myers. "In order to get our tasks
done in the next five years, we'll have access to these pieces of technology that
allow us to work and play in a whole new way."

2.3 Virtual Reality and the importance of audio

Convincing Virtual Reality applications require more than just graphics. Both
hearing and vision are central to a person’s sense of space. In fact, human beings
react more quickly to audio cues than to visual cues. In order to create truly
immersive Virtual Reality experiences, accurate environmental sounds and spatial
characteristics are a must. These lend a powerful sense of presence to a virtual
world. To experience the binaural audio details that go into a Virtual Reality
experience, put on some headphones and tinker with this audio
infographic published by The Verge. While audio-visual information is most easily
replicated in Virtual Reality, active research and development efforts are still being
conducted into the other senses. Tactile inputs such as omnidirectional treadmills
allow users to feel as though they’re actually walking through a simulation, rather
than sitting in a chair or on a couch. Haptic technologies, also known as kinesthetic
or touch feedback tech, have progressed from simple spinning-weight “rumble”
motors to futuristic ultrasound technology. It is now possible to hear and feel true-
to-life sensations along with visual VR experiences.

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2.4 The importance of Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality

 Education

Augmented Reality (AR) in education features aspects that enhance learning of

abilities like problem-solving, collaboration, and creation to better prepare students
for the future. It is also good for traditional pedagogy focused on technical
knowledge and proficiencies.

‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ Augmented Reality helps you in achieving

this. Rather than reading a chapter, it will be more effective to visualize the
subject. It helps students get a better understanding and insights about the topic.
Also, offering interactive experiences, the Augmented Reality keeps students
excited and interested in new learning.

One of the most significant benefits of Augmented Reality in Learning and

Development is that it does not require any investment regarding hardware. We
can experience Augmented Reality using our smartphones or tablets. For example,
Augmented Reality application development allows to place the smartphone
camera in front of a textbook and see a 2D image turning into a 3D animation.

While

AR is still somewhat in its infancy, especially in comparison to virtual reality

(VR), it does offer more cost-friendly options to school districts with tighter
budgets – while still providing many of the same features and benefits.

Virtual Reality exists in an entirely artificial environment. So, to develop a VR

app, we first need to establish an environment and then build animation around it.

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Opposite to its name, Virtual Reality seems much more real compared to
Augmented Reality, but a downside of it is that it needs a dedicated VR headset to
run any application.

 Social

AR games can be a way to make physical activity more fun, and thereby encourage
people to move more and improve health. Placing fun activities in the physical
world encourages people to go out and complete these, as demonstrated by the
2016 mobile app Pokémon Go. Pokémon Go is an AR game which took the world
by storm in 2016; This game places Pokémon creatures in the real world for people
to capture, and the only way to do this is to actively go out and explore the
physical world – which is exactly what people did. Pokémon Go became a social
activity, encouraging people to not only go out and capture creatures together, but
to also go to specific locations where they could have ‘battles’ with their creatures.
This prospect of competition made people even more likely to go out and capture
Pokémon to increase their chances of winning these battles.

Annotation

Annotation with AR helps guide you through the completion of a task,

navigate a new environment or even provide real-time descriptions of
what’s happening around you.

Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 Remote Assist on HoloLens and mobile devices

enables cross-distance collaboration by sharing a live view with experts for
assistance. Experts can directly annotate what you are looking at to guide
you through a process. Previously used in the workplace for field service
repairs and training, remote assist scenarios can be extended to

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emergencies in remote locations where an expert, such as a medical
professional, may not be readily available.

Storytelling

AR makes new modes of storytelling and creative expression possible with

experiences unfolding in both our homes and public spaces. Introducing
new and alternate perspectives, it changes the way we tell, share and even
remember stories

(https://www.themandarin.com.au ) reference

 Health sector
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by a
traumatic event. It can develop days or even years after the event and manifests
itself through a range of symptoms, including nightmares, flashbacks and loss of
sleep. It is estimated that 1 in 3 people who have a traumatic experience are
affected by PTSD and there are range of psychological therapies which are used
to treat the disorder. The use of VR in treating PTSD is already being trialled by
Bravemind facilities in the US, where government-sponsored research is being
undertaken into the application of how VR technology can be used to treat PTSD
in veterans. There is no doubt that VR has potential for future treatment of PTSD,
and this does not have to be limited to war-time experiences. Other traumatic
experiences can be recreated through simulation, such as a natural disaster, in
order to support the individual to process their trauma and overcome their
subsequent symptoms. However, it would not be appropriate to recreate all
traumatic experiences; recreating sexual abuse for example, would not be ethical.
When applying this technology to PTSD, it is also important to remember that

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 there is a fine line between helping an individual to process their trauma and
forcing them to re-experience it.

VR and AR for Phobias

A phobia is the most common type of anxiety disorder and can have a range of
triggers, including particular situations or objects. This affects many people and
can range in severity, with varying degrees of impact on everyday life. One way in
which phobias are treated is through gradually exposing an individual to their
phobia, stage by stage. This type of therapy provides the perfect opportunity for
VR and AR.
Cues and triggers can be worked into the VR world, and then brought to the
physical world using AR. One example would be arachnophobia, which is a fear of
spiders – this is one phobia many of us are familiar with. Starting with VR, patients
can be put in a virtual world with spiders, to help them process their fears and
overcome these cues and triggers. This is something which is already being done
by the Human Interface Laboratory at the University of Washington, who add
more and more spiders to each of their twelve virtual worlds to help an individual
overcome their arachnophobia. Once this first stage is complete, AR can be used to
simulate spiders in real world settings. This would provide a more realistic
situation for them to process their fears. The final stage will involve patients
applying what they have learned in virtual settings to the real world, in the hope
that they will be able to overcome their phobia when faced with it in the physical
world.
VR can also be applied to social phobias. By placing patients in the very situation
they fear, they can work to overcome their cues and triggers in a safe and
controlled space, from which they can remove themselves at any time.

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 Major limitation of AR and VR to the health sector is that Some traumas
would not be appropriate to recreate in virtual settings.
Virtual experiences can be nauseating, so it may not be able to accurately depict
real life.
2.5 Comparison between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented Reality Virtual reality

In augmented reality (AR) the user is In virtual reality (VR), the users'
provided with additional computer perception of reality is completely based
generated information within the data on virtual information.
collected from real life that enhances
their perception of reality.
Augmented reality (AR) differs VR the surrounding environment is
fromvirtual reality (VR) in the sense completely virtual. A
that in AR part of the surrounding demonstration of how AR layers objects
environment is actually 'real' and just onto the real world can be seen with
adding layers of virtual objects to the augmented reality games (WallaMe).
real environment.
A head-mounted display (HMD) is a A virtual retinal display (VRD) is a
display device worn on the forehead, personal display device under
such as a harness or helmet-mounted. development at the University of
HMDs place images of both the Washington's Human Interface
physical world and virtual objects over Technology Laboratory under Dr.
the user's field of view. Thomas A. Furness III. With this
technology, a display is scanned directly
onto the retina of a viewer's eye. This
results in bright images with high

23
 resolution and high contrast. The viewer
sees what appears to be a conventional
display floating in space

2.6 Advantages and Disadvantages of AR and VR

Augmented Reality Virtual Reality

Advantage Disadvantage Advantage Disadvantage

Quite expensive to use it in Virtual Reality in VR is becoming much more

Increase user
everyday life and it might be education field makes commonplace but programmers are
knowledge and
less accessible for small education more easily still stuck with how to interact with
information
businesses and comfort virtual environments.

Ability to Share your Regarding user experience, Escapism is common place among
Virtual Reality user can
experience with other socially using Augmented those that use VR environments and
experiment with an
people in real time over Reality may be inappropriate people often live in the virtual world
artificial environment
long distances in some situations instead of dealing with the real one

24
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