Augmented Reality: Evolution

Earth2Insight

In this episode, we explore the history, progression and evolution of Augmented Reality, and learn how it's about to transform our world. #AR #Augmented Reality

Transcript

00:00Welcome to the fourth episode of Earth 2 Insight. I'm your host, Paul Archer.

00:05In this episode, we're going to do a deep dive into augmented reality.

00:10We'll take a look at its origins, its early beginnings, and where it's headed now.

00:15Augmented reality is about to shake up your life.

00:23In 2002, Minority Report gave us an almost prophetic vision of the future.

00:30It showed us video conferencing years before Skype would develop it.

00:34The film managed to blend the physical and virtual world seamlessly

00:38and introduced us to the idea of gesture-based user interfaces.

00:43We caught a glimpse of a technology capable of superimposing virtual information

00:49into our physical environment, what Apple now calls spatial computing,

00:54or what we may know as augmented reality.

00:57While this technology seems revolutionary, AR is not exactly new.

01:06Augmented reality began in the 1960s when pioneer Ivan Sutherland developed the Sword of Damocles,

01:14a head-mounted three-dimensional display that enabled users to view images in 3D.

01:20This device was so heavy, it had to be suspended from the ceiling

01:24and the user strapped to the device.

01:27By the 90s, companies like Boeing were already using augmented reality

01:32to overlay complex wiring configurations for aircraft construction workers.

01:37Augmented reality can be used to provide everything from assembly instructions

01:42to machine setup as well as maintenance.

01:45It's going to be used across a whole range of industries,

01:49and there's not many that aren't going to incorporate it at some level.

01:56In construction, augmented and virtual reality technologies have been used for some time,

02:02with building information modeling allowing for real-time guidance from the client,

02:07and planned activity within a building shell, like pipework, windows and doors,

02:13can be viewed long before installation.

02:16Augmented reality is set not only to change how we construct buildings,

02:21but also how we advertise, find and even filter through properties

02:26when we're looking for somewhere to live.

02:28Once you have found somewhere to live,

02:31augmented reality can also help with the decorating.

02:35You can overlay your existing furniture into a space,

02:38seeing how it's going to look or fit.

02:40You can order new stuff and get an idea of how it's going to sit within your space.

02:45You can play with the color schemes on the walls,

02:48or start adjusting things like the tiling in the bathrooms.

02:52In fact, the capabilities are endless.

02:55But let's have a look at how the military is using that.

02:58Over the past two decades,

03:03the U.S. Air Force has been developing virtual and augmented training programs

03:08to make pilots more efficient and effective.

03:12With the familiarity this provides to new pilots,

03:15instructors can rapidly transition them through training.

03:19Students are now able to go from their first flight with their instructor

03:22to their first solo flight in as little as a week.

03:26Meanwhile, to make soldiers more effective in battle,

03:30the U.S. Army has already spent over $21 billion on augmented reality goggles.

03:39Having grown up with video games,

03:41young soldiers are very used to having an abundance of data,

03:44and they know how to use it.

03:46The Integrated Visual Augmentation System, EVAS,

03:51projects data into a soldier's field of view,

03:54including thermal imaging, maps, and enemy positions.

03:59In fact, the U.S. Army has gamified war.

04:03Technology has radically changed many aspects of our favorite sports.

04:11We have eradicated umpire errors by using video assistant referee technology,

04:17VAR, in football games for offsides, fouls, and line calls.

04:22Whereas in tennis, we use Hawkeye,

04:26a network of cameras around a tennis court,

04:29capturing up to 60 high-resolution images per second.

04:33A centralized computer system rapidly processes those images,

04:37triangulates the position of the ball,

04:39and calculates its flight path,

04:42the yellow streak we see behind the ball in Hawkeye graphics.

04:45In the NFL, they've gone another way with augmented reality,

04:51incorporating it much more into the fans' experiences,

04:55putting on incredible mixed reality shows at halftime

04:59to keep the fans engaged.

05:03Inspired by Dragon Ball Z,

05:05Hado is the first-ever active eSport

05:08that uses AR tech and motion sensors.

05:11The digital experience is enabled by an AR device

05:15that players wear,

05:16and they're able to move unrestricted in the real environment

05:19while interacting with the digital items they can see.

05:24Hado may be the first eSports to integrate AR tech,

05:28but it's certainly not the first game to do so.

05:31In 2016, Niantic released Pokemon Go

05:35and enabled players through the AR functionality of their phones

05:40to chase, collect, and level up Pokemons

05:44by finding them in real-life locations.

05:49Augmented reality has been used in media for quite a while.

05:53This example of Robert Downey Jr. on the cover of Esquire

05:56is 11 years old.

05:59In 2009, BMW was the first company

06:03to use augmented reality advertising in a magazine.

06:07But since then, AR advertising has come a long way,

06:11with global brands like Nike

06:14showing us how advertising billboards

06:16will never be static again.

06:22When most people imagine the metaverse,

06:25they envisage some kind of digital virtual world

06:28set on a fantasy planet.

06:30But to really get the most out of augmented reality,

06:34projects are going to have to have a geolocational link

06:37or use GPS.

06:39If a brand or store wants to advertise

06:43to customers just walking by in the physical space,

06:47they are going to need that connection to their location.

06:50One project stands head and shoulders above the rest

06:54in this regard, and that's Earth 2.

06:58Earth 2 is an ambitious metaverse project

07:01that went viral in November 2020,

07:04but has largely stayed under the radar

07:06as they focused on building out the platform

07:09and developing more utility.

07:11E2's proposal to build a photorealistic

07:14digital replication of the Earth

07:16with tiles that have a geolocational link

07:19to real-world sites

07:20captured the public's imagination.

07:22This resulted in an early land rush,

07:26and to date, over 115 million tiles have been sold,

07:30making E2 the largest virtual land registry

07:34in the world.

07:35The journey to a fully functioning metaverse

07:39is a marathon, not a sprint,

07:41so adjust your expectations accordingly.

07:44Augmented and virtual reality

07:46will roll out incrementally in stages over time.

07:51Expect the next few years

07:53to be a real hotpot of innovation

07:56in the metaverse sector.

08:00Augmented reality glasses or contact lenses

08:03will soon be paired with AI virtual assistants

08:06like Jarvis.

08:08This will allow us to translate

08:10any language instantly.

08:12It's also going to let us plan

08:14and schedule things without having access

08:17to a computer.

08:18We can monitor our heart rate,

08:20our body fat,

08:21our fitness routine,

08:23and when we're abroad,

08:24the AI can make suggestions

08:26for restaurants or venues

08:28that we should visit.

08:30In 20 years,

08:32expect AR contact lenses

08:34to be more like bionic eyes,

08:36with embedded cameras

08:38that have recording and streaming capabilities,

08:41thermal and night vision,

08:42as well as the ability

08:43to replay images or overlay text.

08:47AI will also help us assess

08:49micro-expressions and body language

08:52in other people

08:53and then display this information

08:56for our protection or knowledge.

08:59And all of this will be controlled

09:01by our brain.

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