The books used in the MagicBook interface are normal books with text and pictures on each page. When the reader looks at these pictures through the handheld display, computer vision techniques precisely calculate the camera position and orientation relative to the tracking mark. Once the computer calculates the user s head position, it generates virtual images that appear precisely registered with the real pages. The MagicBook application can track the user s head position and render graphics at 30 frames per second on a Pentium III 800-MHz computer. When users see an augmented reality scene they wish to explore, flicking the switch on the handle will transition them into the immersive environment.
Readers can look around the scene in any direction.
By pushing the pressure pad on the handle, they can fly in the direction they re looking. The harder they push, the faster they fly. To return to the real world, users flick the switch again. The Opera glass form factor of the handheld display encourage seamless transistion between reality and virtual reality. Users can look through the display to see augmented reality and VR content but can return to viewing the real world by removing the display from their eyes.