Homework week 1

On our first week of the course, we explored the various equipment in the EVL lab, and these are my thoughts on the demos and the devices we got an opportunity to explore.  I have categorized the demos into 3 categories based on common nomenclature. They are:-

1. Augmented reality:- Any interface which overlays computer-generated content on top of the real world comes under this category. The quiver printouts are a good showcase of what this technology represents. We required to download an app, and through its interface, point the phone’s camera to a printout of one of Quiver’s designs. The app then overlays a 3D rendition of the corresponding animation into the video view. Matching any colour or text drawn onto the image on the paper to the 3D model is a nice touch in helping blur the boundary between the real and augmented world. My favourite application of the technology so far has been social media filters (snapchat, Instagram and so on) and games like Pokémon Go.
   
   One of the biggest challenge with finding the right use cases for this technology the medium on which the output is displayed. Peering into a mobile display to look at the overlayed output is sometimes not intuitive enough to make applications of this technology for daily use.  We may have to wait for the next generation of wearable displays before this technology takes off among consumers in a big way.
   
2. Virtual reality:- Any interfaces that fully immerses us into the digital world comes under this category. We interacted with the HTC Vive to explore google earth on this interface. The Vive gives a glimpse into the future of what the future looks like for media consumption and as a general interface with computers. Visiting a location on a VR headset is a huge leap from being able to view the location on traditional visual mediums. The challenge with VR is the cost of the devices, ergonomics of keeping the device light, and the computing cost of rendering high-resolution images. There is also the challenge of accommodating health issues like disorientation, and nausea that some users might experience.
   
   We also had a chance to explore the CAVE2 setup, which was an amazing VR experience. Even though it does not cover our entire view field like traditional VR, it helps bring out a group experience to the process. This view also removes much of the disorientation caused by traditional VR headsets, by helping users maintain a good perspective of where they are and the objects around them. The exploration of Mars and the virtual forest were my favourite presentations among these demos, the former especially felt like we were in a spaceship diving towards the surface of mars together.
   
3. Mixed reality:- An interface that combines augmented reality with spatial awareness, and offers responsiveness falls under this category. Several interfaces that were traditionally AR are starting to fall under this category and hence, this category is sometimes clubbed with AR, nevertheless, the Microsoft holo lens that we had a chance to use as part of our demo solidly falls under this category. The device projects an AR image onto the view on our headset and allows us to use our hands and eyes to interact with it.  Using our eyes to move the cursor to the point of interest felt intuitive and natural. Though this is an amazing interface that allows us to solve many of the problems that AR has,  the technology is still not good enough to be used by consumers. For example, the display window in which the holo lens projects is very small requiring the users to move our head around to get a picture of the entire room, and the interaction using our hands sometimes feels hit or miss.

To conclude, the fields of AR and VR have high scopes for improvement and provide an exciting avenue for research and development. The future promises to bridge the gap between the real and the digital world and it was inspiring to experience on the cutting edge of this vision.