AugmentedReality is the idea that you have a combination of virtual worlds (VirtualReality) and material worlds.
The stereotypical example is: You have a HudInTheEye, which is drawing objects into the world around you.
For example:
You see the projections of people you are talking with, as if they were there with you. (Seen in GhostInTheShellInnocence.)
You want to go somewhere, and arrows hang in mid-air, or place themselves on the wall, showing you where to go. Perhaps a virtual guardian (an angel, guard dog, fairy, or friendly daemon) points the way to your destination. Or maybe Pac-Man pellets. Who knows. (Seen in Manna.)
You have a discussion, and invoke an ArgumentGraph, that you and your conversation partner witness.
People play games, and they see creatures walking around in the city around them.
We also see AugmentedReality in MinorityReport. Not a whole lot of attention is drawn to it, but if you watch in the backgrounds, you'll see people manipulating things in front of them, and responding to things that nobody else can see.
A significant advantage that AugmentedReality has over VirtualReality is that it's technically much easier to make immersive environments. That is, if you want a solid wall, you can have a solid wall: One that you can touch, feel, bump into, that automatically blocks sound, all these things. If you want a chair, you can have a chair: One that you can sit in, even.
Perhaps all our furnature will be white. Perhaps it won't matter what it looks like. The shapes of things can be automatically calculated via VideoAnalysis, generating 3D models, and then displayed in the eye with different texture.
We are currently (@DATE) about to see a lesser form of AugmentedReality in the form of ProjectedDisplays. While not as dramatic as drawing into (what appears to be) thin air, it can draw onto various clean surfaces. Another benefit is that it's automatically shared. That is, you don't have to write a bunch of special technology in order to make sure that two people are sharing the same ConsensusReality. Since it's drawing onto physical objects, rather than onto your eyes, everybody can see it.
It is likely that AugmentedReality will rule supreme until we reach full BrainInaJar technology.
-- LionKimbro 2005-03-28 02:50:31