How technology creates new realities
The film "The Matrix" vividly and spectacularly portrayed the concept of the virtual world. Perhaps, in the future, humanity will face such a problem, but today, digital reality technologies are still taking only the first but sure steps from “childhood” to “adult” life.
Today, there are three main types of digital realities. To understand their fundamental difference, let’s imagine a conventional scale from the usual reality that surrounds us, to a virtual one - fully modeled by digital technologies.
The first intermediate point will be augmented reality or AR (Augmented Reality). At the same time, the image of the real environment is complemented by digital elements. This can be animated images, text or graphic information. An example of AR is Pokémon Go, when an animated object is superimposed on a real image on the screen of a gadget.
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The next item on the reality scale will be mixed reality or MR (Mixed Reality). Here are the elements of real, augmented and virtual realities. The basis is still the real image, the individual elements of which are replaced by artificially created virtual objects. Mixed reality is implemented in the program-translator from Google. When you hover the gadget on the translated text, the program recognizes it, translates, selects the appropriate font and inserts it in the image on the gadget instead of the original one.
The end point of our reality scale is virtual reality or VR (Virtual Reality). Here the observer finds himself in a completely artificial environment created by technical means. It includes not only visual images, but also technical devices for interacting with it. The current stage of the development of virtual reality can be compared with the pseudographics on the first PC. Before a full-fledged VR, which was shown in the "Matrix" is still far away. However, even today's level is enough to make virtual reality a powerful tool for performing a wide range of tasks.
There are several main uses for VR:
And although the prospects for the use of VR have a high potential, virtual reality has not yet received widespread use. This is due to a number of technical difficulties, one of which is the user's physical state when immersed in virtual reality. Due to the physiological characteristics of a person, when using a VR helmet, they often experience dizziness and nausea. This phenomenon is called kinetosis. Its essence lies in the conflict between the information coming from the vestibular apparatus and visual images. If in the real world they are synchronized and are subject to certain causal relationships, then in virtual reality only vision is, and the vestibular apparatus remains in the real world. The body treats such dissonance as a hallucination as a result of poisoning.
The lion's share of the VR market is in the entertainment industry. However, the importance of technology is determined by its practical application. Thanks to virtual reality, it is possible to successfully train high-risk professions without endangering them. For example, mining engineers working in difficult field conditions, rescuers, firefighters or military. In virtual reality, you can simulate any critical situations in a safe for the test environment.
In marketing, the wow-effect from the new technology is mainly used. But there are practical applications. One such application was Canon's free Oculus Rift helmet development, called Camera Simulator by Canon Labs. (This program is available through the app store for Oculus).
The simulator allows photographers to immerse themselves in an alternate reality to test some of Canon’s cameras and lenses, taking into account their features — without the need to rent physical models. You can remotely familiarize yourself with the technical capabilities of three cameras (Canon EOS 5D MKIII, Canon EOS 1D X and Canon EOS 70D) and three lenses (24-105 mm F / 4, 50 mm F / 1.4 and 70-200 mm F / 2.8.
In the process of familiarization, the user can change the settings, experiment with shutter speed, aperture, light sensitivity, and check the changes, removing the virtual landscape. The application allows you to view captured photos on your desktop computer.
With the improvement and prevalence of VR, new businesses appear. One example is VR Fit Tim Donahay. Tim came to virtual fitness through VR games. At first, he noticed that certain muscle groups were under considerable stress. Then Tim decided to put on a small experiment. For 50 days, he spent 5 hour classes. Two weeks later, he began to additionally use a weighting vest. As a result, VR promoted traditional fitness. Today, the number of proposals for sports using virtual reality is growing. VR parks and grounds, simulators and sports halls appear. Given this trend, we can soon expect the emergence of full-fledged e-sports.
In parallel with the virtual reality, other types of realities are developing. They can be divided into two types:
Each of these types is focused on its target audience and the implementation of a specific range of tasks.
On the modern AR market for gadgets, two main mega-players have been identified - Google and Apple. Each of them is focused on its range of tasks. In 2016, mass user attention to AR was attracted by the game Pokemon Go. The audience amounted to more than 100 million people. At the time of creating the application there was no universal development tool. As a result, images of Pokemon were simply superimposed on the image of reality without spatial reference. They seemed to be hanging in the air, not interacting with the real image. Apple has taken up this gap and in June 2017 introduced its tool for developers - ARKit. Among the main advantages of the tool is the ability to define horizontal planes. Due to this, virtual objects have a shadow, and they become more realistic, ceasing to hang in the air. Also recognized is user movement in six degrees of freedom with turns around each of the three axes.
Google's development is significantly different from the focus of Apple and focused mainly on navigation in space. Back in 2014, the company introduced its Tango smartphone with an infrared range finder, a fish-camera and other sensors for building 3D maps of the premises. The device has found application in client navigation in supermarkets and museums. Unfortunately, the technology Tango now supports only a few models of third-party smartphones. This example clearly illustrates the deterrent of application development with the technical capabilities of the gadget park.
However, even for the existing level of development of mobile devices, there are many interesting applications that have practical application. Note some of them. Basically they are intended for visualization of goods.
Companies such as IKEA, Cimagie, Blippar, Hyundai and Lego have developed their own virtual directories. In IKEA, this is implemented as follows. To see how this or that product will fit into the interior, it is enough to put a catalog on the necessary page on the floor and point the gadget camera at it. On the display on top of the snapshot of the interior superimposed image of the goods. The FXMirror application is similar to virtual directories, but uses no gadgets. It is made in the form of "smart mirror". The buyer can virtually try on your favorite clothes. By the same principle, the Makeup Genius application for gadgets from L'Oreal works. By the name it is clear that the user can virtually try out on himself a series of cosmetic products from this company.
Since for serious AR-applications the power of ordinary gadgets is not enough, specialized glasses are developed for these purposes. Their functionality is sharpened only for work with augmented reality. Therefore, the price of such devices often reaches several thousand dollars apiece. It is clear that this product is not for the mass consumer.
In 2016, Microsoft released its version of augmented reality glasses Hololens. This device was equipped with a variety of sensors and is able to draw virtual objects on a translucent screen. In Hololens, the image is built in the form of holograms.
The disadvantages of Hololens include a narrow viewing angle, which is only 300. Perhaps this will not be a completely correct comparison, but with Oculus Rift’s VR helmets, the viewing angle is 1100. However, this does not prevent Microsoft from remaining at the leading position. This is largely due to the worldwide popularity of Microsoft products and their integration into Hololens.
In their work, Hololens use such large companies as Japan Airlines, NASA, Volvo, Autodesk and many others. Augmented reality glasses have become a new digital tool, greatly facilitating production processes and training. Take as an example the company Thyssenkrupp, which deals with the maintenance of elevators. With the help of augmented reality glasses, the company's specialists at the sites receive all the necessary information. If there are difficulties in the work, then there is no need to waste time waiting for the engineer to leave the facility. The situation is analyzed online with the necessary graphic explanations on the Hololens screen.
Similarly, AR-glasses are used in the educational process. To help medical students better understand human physiology, Hololens displays animated internal organs during practical exercises with dummies. If in the manufacturing field AR-glasses help to increase productivity, then in medicine these devices save lives. For example, very often the doctor needs to urgently obtain additional information about the patient. This may be the results of tests, intolerance to drugs or other data. If this happens during surgery, then every extra second matters. With the help of AR-glasses, the doctor can quickly obtain the requested information without leaving the operating table.
Meta went its way of developing augmented reality glasses. Unlike Hololens, which contain a computer, Meta 2 glasses are essentially I / O devices. This allows developers to focus their attention on graphic detail. Therefore, Meta 2 points have a number of significant advantages. Due to the fact that data processing is carried out on an external computer, the speed of the device is increased. Since Meta 2 only performs input / output of information, the developers managed, without increasing the size of the device, to get a viewing angle of 900. Finally, the lack of an embedded computer allows the device to keep the cost at $ 950. However, with such advantages Meta 2 glasses have a significant drawback - wired communication with an external computer.
After the first Google Glass project, Google returned to its AR-glasses development in a different format. If the first project was aimed at the mass consumer as an AR-application for gadgets, then the updated Glass Enterprise Edition glasses became the tool of professionals. They were successfully applied to the production of AGCO in Jackson. The company is engaged in the production of expensive agricultural equipment, which is made to order. Each product has unique characteristics. Therefore, when assembling, the workers needed to check with the technical documentation. With each reconciliation, the worker had to retreat to the computer to search for the necessary information, and if the computer was busy, then additional time was lost waiting for the queue or searching for another free computer. Attempts to provide workers with tablets proved unsuccessful. In harsh environments, industrial tablets served an average of no more than a week.
Thanks to the use of Glass Enterprise Edition, the training time for workers has been reduced from 10 to 3 days. This gives an idea of ​​the prospects for the use of augmented reality glasses in business.
Speaking of augmented reality gadgets, it is impossible not to mention the development in the field of mixed reality (MR). This area is still underdeveloped, but there are already some interesting concepts. One of them is Canon HMD. This device is an intermediate option between AR goggles and a VR helmet. Two cameras and two screens with a resolution of 1,280 Ă— 1,024 dots are built into it. To minimize the processing time of the video signal and output the simulated image to the screen, a remote computer is used, to which the device is connected by wires.
When creating the Canon HMD developers used an interesting solution. The complexity of MR gadgets lies in the fact that they must very accurately be combined real and virtual image. To achieve this effect in a limited space is very difficult. For this, engineers used a prism to change the optical path and ensure the compactness of the device.
According to the developers, Canon HMD will find the greatest application in the field of design design. Using the device, you can create full-fledged three-dimensional virtual models without the need to produce expensive real-world models. This is especially true for the automotive industry.
Development prospects
What is the most promising way of developing AR will be one of the types of applications now difficult to say. On the one hand, the constant guidance of the camera gadgets to interact with virtual objects goes against the idea of ​​everyday use of this technology, and on the other hand, AR glasses have a number of serious limitations. The answer to this question can give the appearance of any new breakthrough technologies or ideas of development.
There is no consensus on the prospects for the development of virtual and augmented reality among experts. Digi-Capital analysts predict that in 2020 the volume of the global market for the production of VR-content in different directions will exceed 30 billion dollars. At the same time more than half of this amount will be spent on movies, television programs and games in the format of virtual reality. Jesse Shell, CEO of Schell Games and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said that by 2025 the VR market will grow to $ 22.5 billion.
Despite such an optimistic outlook, Shell believes that other expectations do not justify themselves at all. For example, according to him, by 2025, the share of VR will be no more than 5-15% of the entire gaming industry. That is, it is too early to talk about the mass use of virtual reality even in the near future.
Goldman Sachs predicts a total profit of VR and AR by 2020 of 13.1 billion dollars, and by 2025 an increase to 35 billion dollars. At the same time, the ratio of the software market for VR and AR will be 75% to 25%, respectively.
But these are dry numbers that do not give an answer to the most important question: what will the development of these technologies lead to, what tasks will they allow to solve in the future?
What do you think? Write in the comments.
Today, there are three main types of digital realities. To understand their fundamental difference, let’s imagine a conventional scale from the usual reality that surrounds us, to a virtual one - fully modeled by digital technologies.
The first intermediate point will be augmented reality or AR (Augmented Reality). At the same time, the image of the real environment is complemented by digital elements. This can be animated images, text or graphic information. An example of AR is Pokémon Go, when an animated object is superimposed on a real image on the screen of a gadget.
')
The next item on the reality scale will be mixed reality or MR (Mixed Reality). Here are the elements of real, augmented and virtual realities. The basis is still the real image, the individual elements of which are replaced by artificially created virtual objects. Mixed reality is implemented in the program-translator from Google. When you hover the gadget on the translated text, the program recognizes it, translates, selects the appropriate font and inserts it in the image on the gadget instead of the original one.
The end point of our reality scale is virtual reality or VR (Virtual Reality). Here the observer finds himself in a completely artificial environment created by technical means. It includes not only visual images, but also technical devices for interacting with it. The current stage of the development of virtual reality can be compared with the pseudographics on the first PC. Before a full-fledged VR, which was shown in the "Matrix" is still far away. However, even today's level is enough to make virtual reality a powerful tool for performing a wide range of tasks.
There are several main uses for VR:
- Entertainment industry (games, movies, sports broadcasts and shows, social networks)
- Marketing (trade and real estate)
- The medicine
- Education (this also includes corporate education and training of high-risk professions)
- Industry and the MIC.
And although the prospects for the use of VR have a high potential, virtual reality has not yet received widespread use. This is due to a number of technical difficulties, one of which is the user's physical state when immersed in virtual reality. Due to the physiological characteristics of a person, when using a VR helmet, they often experience dizziness and nausea. This phenomenon is called kinetosis. Its essence lies in the conflict between the information coming from the vestibular apparatus and visual images. If in the real world they are synchronized and are subject to certain causal relationships, then in virtual reality only vision is, and the vestibular apparatus remains in the real world. The body treats such dissonance as a hallucination as a result of poisoning.
The use of virtual reality technology
The lion's share of the VR market is in the entertainment industry. However, the importance of technology is determined by its practical application. Thanks to virtual reality, it is possible to successfully train high-risk professions without endangering them. For example, mining engineers working in difficult field conditions, rescuers, firefighters or military. In virtual reality, you can simulate any critical situations in a safe for the test environment.
In marketing, the wow-effect from the new technology is mainly used. But there are practical applications. One such application was Canon's free Oculus Rift helmet development, called Camera Simulator by Canon Labs. (This program is available through the app store for Oculus).
The simulator allows photographers to immerse themselves in an alternate reality to test some of Canon’s cameras and lenses, taking into account their features — without the need to rent physical models. You can remotely familiarize yourself with the technical capabilities of three cameras (Canon EOS 5D MKIII, Canon EOS 1D X and Canon EOS 70D) and three lenses (24-105 mm F / 4, 50 mm F / 1.4 and 70-200 mm F / 2.8.
In the process of familiarization, the user can change the settings, experiment with shutter speed, aperture, light sensitivity, and check the changes, removing the virtual landscape. The application allows you to view captured photos on your desktop computer.
With the improvement and prevalence of VR, new businesses appear. One example is VR Fit Tim Donahay. Tim came to virtual fitness through VR games. At first, he noticed that certain muscle groups were under considerable stress. Then Tim decided to put on a small experiment. For 50 days, he spent 5 hour classes. Two weeks later, he began to additionally use a weighting vest. As a result, VR promoted traditional fitness. Today, the number of proposals for sports using virtual reality is growing. VR parks and grounds, simulators and sports halls appear. Given this trend, we can soon expect the emergence of full-fledged e-sports.
In parallel with the virtual reality, other types of realities are developing. They can be divided into two types:
- gadget applications (smartphones, tablets);
- applications for special devices (glasses, helmets).
Each of these types is focused on its target audience and the implementation of a specific range of tasks.
AR applications for gadgets
On the modern AR market for gadgets, two main mega-players have been identified - Google and Apple. Each of them is focused on its range of tasks. In 2016, mass user attention to AR was attracted by the game Pokemon Go. The audience amounted to more than 100 million people. At the time of creating the application there was no universal development tool. As a result, images of Pokemon were simply superimposed on the image of reality without spatial reference. They seemed to be hanging in the air, not interacting with the real image. Apple has taken up this gap and in June 2017 introduced its tool for developers - ARKit. Among the main advantages of the tool is the ability to define horizontal planes. Due to this, virtual objects have a shadow, and they become more realistic, ceasing to hang in the air. Also recognized is user movement in six degrees of freedom with turns around each of the three axes.
Google's development is significantly different from the focus of Apple and focused mainly on navigation in space. Back in 2014, the company introduced its Tango smartphone with an infrared range finder, a fish-camera and other sensors for building 3D maps of the premises. The device has found application in client navigation in supermarkets and museums. Unfortunately, the technology Tango now supports only a few models of third-party smartphones. This example clearly illustrates the deterrent of application development with the technical capabilities of the gadget park.
However, even for the existing level of development of mobile devices, there are many interesting applications that have practical application. Note some of them. Basically they are intended for visualization of goods.
Companies such as IKEA, Cimagie, Blippar, Hyundai and Lego have developed their own virtual directories. In IKEA, this is implemented as follows. To see how this or that product will fit into the interior, it is enough to put a catalog on the necessary page on the floor and point the gadget camera at it. On the display on top of the snapshot of the interior superimposed image of the goods. The FXMirror application is similar to virtual directories, but uses no gadgets. It is made in the form of "smart mirror". The buyer can virtually try on your favorite clothes. By the same principle, the Makeup Genius application for gadgets from L'Oreal works. By the name it is clear that the user can virtually try out on himself a series of cosmetic products from this company.
AR applications for special devices
Since for serious AR-applications the power of ordinary gadgets is not enough, specialized glasses are developed for these purposes. Their functionality is sharpened only for work with augmented reality. Therefore, the price of such devices often reaches several thousand dollars apiece. It is clear that this product is not for the mass consumer.
In 2016, Microsoft released its version of augmented reality glasses Hololens. This device was equipped with a variety of sensors and is able to draw virtual objects on a translucent screen. In Hololens, the image is built in the form of holograms.
The disadvantages of Hololens include a narrow viewing angle, which is only 300. Perhaps this will not be a completely correct comparison, but with Oculus Rift’s VR helmets, the viewing angle is 1100. However, this does not prevent Microsoft from remaining at the leading position. This is largely due to the worldwide popularity of Microsoft products and their integration into Hololens.
In their work, Hololens use such large companies as Japan Airlines, NASA, Volvo, Autodesk and many others. Augmented reality glasses have become a new digital tool, greatly facilitating production processes and training. Take as an example the company Thyssenkrupp, which deals with the maintenance of elevators. With the help of augmented reality glasses, the company's specialists at the sites receive all the necessary information. If there are difficulties in the work, then there is no need to waste time waiting for the engineer to leave the facility. The situation is analyzed online with the necessary graphic explanations on the Hololens screen.
Similarly, AR-glasses are used in the educational process. To help medical students better understand human physiology, Hololens displays animated internal organs during practical exercises with dummies. If in the manufacturing field AR-glasses help to increase productivity, then in medicine these devices save lives. For example, very often the doctor needs to urgently obtain additional information about the patient. This may be the results of tests, intolerance to drugs or other data. If this happens during surgery, then every extra second matters. With the help of AR-glasses, the doctor can quickly obtain the requested information without leaving the operating table.
Meta went its way of developing augmented reality glasses. Unlike Hololens, which contain a computer, Meta 2 glasses are essentially I / O devices. This allows developers to focus their attention on graphic detail. Therefore, Meta 2 points have a number of significant advantages. Due to the fact that data processing is carried out on an external computer, the speed of the device is increased. Since Meta 2 only performs input / output of information, the developers managed, without increasing the size of the device, to get a viewing angle of 900. Finally, the lack of an embedded computer allows the device to keep the cost at $ 950. However, with such advantages Meta 2 glasses have a significant drawback - wired communication with an external computer.
After the first Google Glass project, Google returned to its AR-glasses development in a different format. If the first project was aimed at the mass consumer as an AR-application for gadgets, then the updated Glass Enterprise Edition glasses became the tool of professionals. They were successfully applied to the production of AGCO in Jackson. The company is engaged in the production of expensive agricultural equipment, which is made to order. Each product has unique characteristics. Therefore, when assembling, the workers needed to check with the technical documentation. With each reconciliation, the worker had to retreat to the computer to search for the necessary information, and if the computer was busy, then additional time was lost waiting for the queue or searching for another free computer. Attempts to provide workers with tablets proved unsuccessful. In harsh environments, industrial tablets served an average of no more than a week.
Thanks to the use of Glass Enterprise Edition, the training time for workers has been reduced from 10 to 3 days. This gives an idea of ​​the prospects for the use of augmented reality glasses in business.
Speaking of augmented reality gadgets, it is impossible not to mention the development in the field of mixed reality (MR). This area is still underdeveloped, but there are already some interesting concepts. One of them is Canon HMD. This device is an intermediate option between AR goggles and a VR helmet. Two cameras and two screens with a resolution of 1,280 Ă— 1,024 dots are built into it. To minimize the processing time of the video signal and output the simulated image to the screen, a remote computer is used, to which the device is connected by wires.
When creating the Canon HMD developers used an interesting solution. The complexity of MR gadgets lies in the fact that they must very accurately be combined real and virtual image. To achieve this effect in a limited space is very difficult. For this, engineers used a prism to change the optical path and ensure the compactness of the device.
According to the developers, Canon HMD will find the greatest application in the field of design design. Using the device, you can create full-fledged three-dimensional virtual models without the need to produce expensive real-world models. This is especially true for the automotive industry.
Development prospects
What is the most promising way of developing AR will be one of the types of applications now difficult to say. On the one hand, the constant guidance of the camera gadgets to interact with virtual objects goes against the idea of ​​everyday use of this technology, and on the other hand, AR glasses have a number of serious limitations. The answer to this question can give the appearance of any new breakthrough technologies or ideas of development.
There is no consensus on the prospects for the development of virtual and augmented reality among experts. Digi-Capital analysts predict that in 2020 the volume of the global market for the production of VR-content in different directions will exceed 30 billion dollars. At the same time more than half of this amount will be spent on movies, television programs and games in the format of virtual reality. Jesse Shell, CEO of Schell Games and a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said that by 2025 the VR market will grow to $ 22.5 billion.
Despite such an optimistic outlook, Shell believes that other expectations do not justify themselves at all. For example, according to him, by 2025, the share of VR will be no more than 5-15% of the entire gaming industry. That is, it is too early to talk about the mass use of virtual reality even in the near future.
Goldman Sachs predicts a total profit of VR and AR by 2020 of 13.1 billion dollars, and by 2025 an increase to 35 billion dollars. At the same time, the ratio of the software market for VR and AR will be 75% to 25%, respectively.
But these are dry numbers that do not give an answer to the most important question: what will the development of these technologies lead to, what tasks will they allow to solve in the future?
What do you think? Write in the comments.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/441902/
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