Augmented Reality: Information for Workplace Decision-Makers, Managers, Workers and Researchers

Until recently, Augmented Reality (AR) technology has rarely been discussed outside of the computer science world. It has taken years for this technology to become closer to a stable existence, and will most likely take several more years before it will be used by average citizens. However, the technology does exist, it has been applied in several areas, and research is being done to create even more stable systems that are adaptable to various environments. For this reason, it is necessary for decision-makers in establishments where education and training, knowledge distribution, and individual and collaborative task completion are essential, to be aware of this technology, its abilities, and the possible impacts to common workspaces and workers. The purpose of this chapter is to inform decision-makers of AR’s history, the completed research and current applications of AR, possible impacts to managers and workers, and the future trends of the technology. AR and the Workplace 3 Introduction As humans we have an amazing ability to use whatever items available to complete a task, and if an appropriate item does not exist, we attempt to invent a technology to assist us. For example, we understand that, although possible, it is not practical to memorize the name and location of every body of water on Earth, or every mountain range. Instead, we create a drawing that represents the location and name of every body of water or mountain range. We place this information on a large piece of paper that may be displayed on a wall, or smaller versions that may be rolled or folded for travel purposes. Then, during a task-solving situation where it is necessary for us to recall a specific locale, we check the inscription on the map for an appropriate answer. Here, the map works as a mnemonic device for solving a simple task. In the case of using a map for travel, we open our map, check our location, envision our place on the map in contrast to the destination, possibly take a few notes to assist our memory, and plan our voyage with a higher level of understanding of our location in comparison to our destinations. A document with inscribed symbols has allowed us the ability to simply recall information, or more importantly as a task-solving traveler, it has shown us multiple ways to envision our path to our destination. The information needed to solve our task, the location and possible routes, has been enhanced, and thus, so has our mind. The microscope, telescope and x-ray machine are other examples of technologies that enhance information and allow us to better understand and conceptualize our world. Without them, we would struggle to envision solutions or possible pathways to solutions in scientific and medical applications. With Augmented Reality technology, enhancement of information in a variety of workspaces is possible. AR and the Workplace 4 Great technological inventions allow us to not only complete tasks in more efficient and less error-filled ways, they also allow us to “see,” categorize and understand the task at hand in multiple new ways that we were once unable to envision. Douglas Engelbart (1963) explains his plan for a “program aimed at developing means to augment the human intellect. These methods or devices can include many things, all of which appear to be but extensions of those developed and used in the past to help man apply his native sensory, mental, and motor capabilities” (p.1). Engelbart’s view was to develop technologies, namely computer technologies, that assisted in augmenting the human mind. Personal computers and the internet have followed. Technologies that augment of this sort are needed in the workplace, and this chapter discusses Augmented Reality as such a device that as Engelbart (1963) believed, can be used for “increasing the capability of a man to approach a complex problem situation, gain comprehension to suit his particular needs, and to derive solutions to problems” (p. 1). It is imperative for those of us that research the interactions of humans, technology and communication, or manage in industry those complex interactions, to be at the forefront of advanced technological equipment information. Augmented Reality Systems hold promise of impacting workplace environments as drastically as the internet did in the 90’s and continues to do so today. Similarly to early publications that explained and defined the possibilities of the internet, its impacts on education, workplace settings, and information distribution for humans worldwide, this chapter takes similar aim. It is true that information on Augmented Reality has been contained mainly in computer science journals and in editorials forecasting new technologies in popular tech-related magazines. Because of the limited number of stable systems, the lack of widespread use in industry, and the lack of collaboration across academic departments on most campuses, AR and the Workplace 5 information on this technology has yet to find its exit from computer science literature. However, Augmented Reality systems are being used in several areas. The military has used Heads Up Displays in fighter jets for years assisting pilots in finding targets and providing additional information. BMW is likely the most popular car manufacturer that has conducted research into how the systems may be used to assist while driving and in engine repairs. There are several examples of systems designed for use in the field of medicine. These systems provide doctors additional information overlayed on a patient’s body to assist in surgery, or provide a type of xray vision into the patient’s body. This chapter discusses similar examples in a variety of fields and how it can be used in the average office setting. It is because knowledge of Augmented Reality has stayed within such a narrow audience and because it is an immerging technology, we find it necessary to provide information so that researchers in social sciences, human computer interaction, writing studies / technical communication and similar fields will begin to apply methods of research to this technology. We also wish to inform managers and workers in industry of the technology and the possible impacts on workplace environments to better prepare decision makers when the technology becomes readily available. This chapter will: 1. Define Augmented Reality (AR), situate it amongst similar technologies, and provide a brief history of research conducted. 2. Explain how workers can use AR as an Online Communication Tool (OCT) for: • Organizational Knowledge Management • Workplace Training / Education • Conceptual Design and Display AR and the Workplace 6 • Advanced Concept Understanding 3. Provide an outlook for the future of AR systems, including an explanation of Mobile Augmented Reality (MARS), the inclusion of voice, sound, and an authoring system. 4. Discuss appropriate workplaces for AR and the potential impact on workers. Augmented Reality Defined and Situated In 1965 Ivan Sutherland, a pioneer computer scientist, coined the term, “The ultimate display,” and in 1968 he published a paper on his invention of the first Head Mounted Display (HMD). His invention provided a user of the HMD with additional three-dimensional information only the user could see while wearing the HMD. This invention is accepted amongst augmented reality (AR) researchers as the first attempt at creating what is now the modern day AR system. An AR system “supplements the real world with virtual (computer-generated) objects that appear to coexist in the same space as the real world” (Azuma et al., 1997, p 34). Thus, the world around the user becomes augmented in real time, and the real world with the virtual information becomes the user’s interface. To better understand AR, we can define it within what Paul Milgram and Herman Colquhoun Jr. (1999) call the Reality-Virtuality (RV) Continuum. Within the continuum there are five terms: Real Environment (RE), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), Augmented Virtuality (AV), and a Virtual Environment (VE). The two polar opposites are the RE and VE. The RE contains no computer assistance or modeling, and the VE is completely computer assisted and modeled. MR encompasses both AR and AV because in both of those worlds the computer assisted and modeled portions of what the user encounters, thus creating a mixture of virtual and real information in an environment. In the case of AV, the base AR and the Workplace 7 environment in which the presentation takes place is predominantly virtual – a computergraphics-generated VE, which is commonly experienced through a head-worn display or via surround-view projection displays. A few real objects and 2D and 3D photographs add more realism to such an AV. AR, the topic of this chapter, is closer to the RE side of the spectrum, because it is concerned with augmenting a user’s RE with virtual information. The base environment is the physical world itself. Below is a graphical representation of the RealityVirtuality Continuum.