One way to address [the limitations of virtual reality (VR)] is to use fancy peripherals—gloves, helmets and so forth—to make immersion in a virtual world seem more realistic. But there is another approach: that taken by VR’s sibling, augmented reality (AR). Rather than trying to create an entirely simulated environment, AR starts with reality itself and then augments it. “In augmented reality you are overlaying digital information on top of the real world,” says Jyri Huopaniemi, director of the Nokia Research Centre in Tampere, Finland. Using a display, such as the screen of a mobile phone, you see a live view of the world around you—but with digital annotations, graphics and other information superimposed upon it.
This has many potential applications for physicians - I'll be looking at this in more detail in the near future.
I agree you're on the right track. Combine real world (360-degree video) environments with embedded CG, meta data and sensory peripherals and you establish effective immersion. visit: www.biglook360.com for examples.
Posted by: Lance | September 08, 2009 at 10:20 AM
Hi Lance,
Ordinarily I delete posts with a commercial motivation without further ado, but I took a quick look at your work and am definitely intrigued. Although this shouldn't be construed as an endorsement (yet), I will definitely be taking a closer look.
Posted by: Hunscher | September 08, 2009 at 11:11 AM