Overview of open source augmented reality toolkit

Augmented reality or also known as AR is not a new technology. The technology has existed for almost 40 years ago after Ivan Sutherland introduced the first virtual reality (VR) application. At that time, works and research were mainly concerned to establish the hardware aspects of the technology. The head-mounted display (HMD) or some might called head-worn display is the result of augmented reality research and also one of the fundamental equipment for accessing the technology. As time goes by, the augmented reality technology has begin to mature to a point where the hardware cost and capabilities have collided to deliver a more feasible AR thus enable the rapid development of AR applications in many fields including education. To create a non-commercial AR application specifically for education, the ARToolkit can be taken into consideration. ARToolkit is the product of AR community and it is registered under the GNU General Public License. The user is provided with basic source code that lets the user easily develop Augmented Reality applications. Despite the fact that AR is not a new technology, people may unaware or unfamiliar with its existence. Therefore this paper is intended to (1) give an overview of augmented reality; and provides (2) solution to the technical problems that one’s will face in setting up open-source augmented reality toolkit

OSGAR: a scene graph with uncertain transformations

An important problem for augmented reality is registration error. No system can be perfectly tracked, calibrated or modeled. As a result, the overlaid graphics are not aligned perfectly with objects in the physical world. This can be distracting, annoying or confusing. In this paper, we propose a method for mitigating the effects of registration errors that enables application developers to build dynamically adaptive AR displays. Our solution is implemented in a programming toolkit called OSGAR. Built upon OpenSceneGraph (OSG), OSGAR statistically characterizes registration errors, monitors those errors and, when a set of criteria are met, dynamically adapts the display to mitigate the effects of the errors. Because the architecture is based on a scene graph, it provides a simple, familiar and intuitive environment for application developers. We describe the components of OSGAR, discuss how several proposed methods for error registration can be implemented, and illustrate its use through a set of examples

A practical multirobot localization system

We present a fast and precise vision-based software intended for multiple robot localization. The core component of the software is a novel and efficient algorithm for black and white pattern detection. The method is robust to variable lighting conditions, achieves sub-pixel precision and its computational complexity is independent of the processed image size. With off-the-shelf computational equipment and low-cost cameras, the core algorithm is able to process hundreds of images per second while tracking hundreds of objects with a millimeter precision. In addition, we present the method's mathematical model, which allows to estimate the expected localization precision, area of coverage, and processing speed from the camera's intrinsic parameters and hardware's processing capacity. The correctness of the presented model and performance of the algorithm in real-world conditions is verified in several experiments. Apart from the method description, we also make its source code public at \emph{http://purl.org/robotics/whycon}; so, it can be used as an enabling technology for various mobile robotic problems

Paper-based Mixed Reality Sketch Augmentation as a Conceptual Design Support Tool

This undergraduate student paper explores usage of mixed reality techniques as support tools for conceptual design. A proof-of-concept was developed to illustrate this principle. Using this as an example, a small group of designers was interviewed to determine their views on the use of this technology. These interviews are the main contribution of this paper. Several interesting applications were determined, suggesting possible usage in a wide range of domains. Paper-based sketching, mixed reality and sketch augmentation techniques complement each other, and the combination results in a highly intuitive interface

Augmented Reality for Android Platform

Tato diplomová práce pojednává o mobilní platformě Google Android, rozšířené realitě a knihovně ARToolKit. V rámci práce byla navržena a implementována aplikace demonstrující rozšířenou realitu na platformě Google Android.This thesis deals with Google Android platform, augmented reality and the ARToolKit library. An application demonstrating augmented reality for Google Android was designed and implemented in this thesis.

Perspective Taking Through Simulation

Robots that operate among humans need to be able to attribute mental states in order to facilitate learning through imitation and collaboration. The success of the simulation theory approach for attributing mental states to another person relies on the ability to take the perspective of that person, typically by generating pretend states from that person’s point of view. In this paper, internal inverse and forward models are coupled to create simulation processes that may be used for mental state attribution: simulation of the visual process is used to attribute perceptions, and simulation of the motor control process is used to attribute potential actions. To demonstrate the approach, experiments are performed with a robot attributing perceptions and potential actions to a second robot

Development of an intelligent object for grasp and manipulation research

Kõiva R, Haschke R, Ritter H. Development of an intelligent object for grasp and manipulation research. Presented at the ICAR 2011, Tallinn, Estonia.In this paper we introduce a novel device, called iObject, which is equipped with tactile and motion tracking sensors that allow for the evaluation of human and robot grasping and manipulation actions. Contact location and contact force, object acceleration in space (6D) and orientation relative to the earth (3D magnetometer) are measured and transmitted wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection. By allowing human-human, human-robot and robot-robot comparisons to be made, iObject is a versatile tool for studying manual interaction. To demonstrate the efficiency and flexibility of iObject for the study of bimanual interactions, we report on a physiological experiment and evaluate the main parameters of the considered dual-handed manipulation task

Overview of Augmented Reality Technology

В статье рассматривается технология дополненной реальности, описаны принципы работы, компоненты для реализации, сравнение данной технологии с виртуальной реальностью. Рассмотрены существующие реализации приложений на основе дополненной реальности. Предоставлена информация о перспективах развития технологии