Someone recently have invoked my long waiting intention to
think and write about augmented reality or AR, but as always and this time too,
I think beyond the boundary of the subject, I became interested in something better to say “Augmented Virtuality” too, may
be term is not there or not so common but I just crop it up. As both AR and AV
for me two side of same coin.
Once I went to see auto fare at Greater Noida, India, and there I saw
a cheeta (not tiger) was roaming on one of the pavilion next to one of ours, and
I could see it through the television installed there. I hurried up to go there, surprisingly without
fear as it was roaming amid people there, as one of the visitor trying to find limousine.
It all was on the video being displayed on the TV set installed there, so I jumped
into that pavilion to find that fellow. What I found there later, almost 2 year
later, I came to know I was experiencing AR.
Now astonishingly on the same auto fare, I happened to find
a stall, in one of pavilion of Maruti cars , for a virtual drive with actual
steering, break and jerks. That was then just a game for me, but later I came to know that
is AV.
Some people also have given name like MR, which is mixed
reality of more a less AR+AV. It’s all about marrying computer data with actual
data in real time so that user take them seamlessly.
This in technological term have widespread advantage, like
for controlled simulations, step by step synthesis, hit-n-trial analysis,
prediction and many such things.
This may play a very important role in socio-economic skill
developments. With Smart City we need smart civilian too. This required both AV
and AR.
I take two examples here , as use cases ….
Those who have the privilege to drive in Indian roads must
have felt that street lights at the crossroads are not sufficient, we need a traffic
policeman there. In many busy crossroad we find few traffic policeman also, may
be 3 or 4 in number, but often we feel we need as much there as the no of cars
want to cross i.e. each for everyone, are you laughing….
AR can do this obviously with other support of the technology,
like connected car etc, but it is possible to find your own traffic police man,
not only at crossroad but every moment of drive.
Now turn to other side…….
If we want to have a virtual drive and have the real terrain.
We can improve on cuts, turn, mileage of vehicle, too with virtual traffic. But
this is all the game, we can enhance it with real traffic control i.e. you have
to bear real money for the wrong turn, your vehicle might be confiscated and
you need to spend real money to go forward.
This is not real only for the provider but for the agency from government
who control traffic law and will be providing a certificated of Excellency in
driving, may be with levels A-B-C etc.
So it’s not about smart cities but smart civilian too.