Commercial augmented reality

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Commercial augmented reality (CAR) is the use of augmented reality (AR) to support B2B (Business-to-Business) and B2C (Business-to-Consumer) commercial activities, particularly for the retail industry. The use of CAR started in 2010 with virtual dressing rooms for E-commerce. [1]

Contents

For commercial purposes, AR applications are often used to integrate print and video marketing. With an AR-enabled device, such as a smartphone or smart glasses, aiming a camera at a printed material can trigger an AR video version or animation of the promotional and informational material superimposed on the image.

Apart from the primary use of CAR, technological advancements have yielded more commercial applications for retail, B2C and B2B markets operating with physical stores as well as online virtual stores.

History

The history of commercial augmented reality is brief compared to that of augmented reality.

In 2010, virtual dressing rooms were developed for E-commerce retailers to help customers check the look and fit of products such as clothing, undergarments, apparel, fashion products, and accessories. An AR technology was developed in 2012 to market a commemorative coin in Aruba. [2]

In 2013, CrowdOptic technology was used to create AR experiences for an annual festival in Toronto, Canada. [3] An AR app Makeup Genius released to try out beauty makeup and styles with the help of handheld devices was released in 2014. [4]

In 2016, a Wikitude app included an update to provide AR campaign opportunity to businesses. [5] Users could point phone cameras at certain places and get information from websites such as Yelp, Trip Advisor, Twitter, and Facebook. In 2017, Lenovo developed a Tango-enabled smartphone to assist retailers.

The Wayfair app can use augmented reality to enable customers to view a virtual piece of furniture in their home or office before buying. [6]

Uses

Product previews

In-store retail customers can view virtual previews of products packed in a package, without opening it at all. An AR app for Lego [7] is an ideal example of this use. Lego displays an animation of a product in an informative manner to the interested children and their parents. Image recognition technology is behind it rather than sticking a code on the box and scanning it.

To accomplish this, Lego has implemented a second-generation Sandy Bridge Intel Processor that can popup 3D animation over the top of the box. Moreover, the animation can move or rotate as the box moves or rotates. This is possible by the recognition of box movements and postures.

IKEA Place

A product catalog for certain items like furniture cannot test in real life for a real environment. Moreover, small 3D images of products are of little use when the user wants to see the furniture product in real life in their home or office. IKEA has launched their AR catalog IKEA Place [8] that helps to visualize the furniture products in real-world spaces like homes or offices. It also helps customers to judge the appropriate size and shape of the furniture be fitting in the actual environment that meets their needs.

Personal shopper

IBM has released an AR app that helps shoppers to obtain detailed information on a product without touching it or inviting sales assistants to describe it. [9] It operates if Beacon technology is applied in the store.

Art market

In 2015, an AR app was developed by Itondo with the aim of visualizing an art piece on different locations on walls before taking it from a gallery. It displayed live previews of a two-dimensional image of the artwork which is capable of scaling on the walls. Moreover, it enables an art gallery to display background previews using pre-saved photos of the different walls provided by the shopper. The app helps the user to visualize the best location for the artwork before they make a purchase.

Fashion and beauty

Fashion and apparel customers buy products after selecting the best fit by trying them on in a Changing room. This can result in lengthy queues waiting a vacant room. Topshop with Kinect has created CAR dressing rooms to overcome the problem to some extent. [10] This technology has even allowed for size estimation in the dressing room. [11] The Gap has followed the trend. [12] The Augmented Reality dressing rooms are equipped with the AR devices, which are in turn helping focus on the targeted dress/product and capture the virtual 3D image of the product/dress. It helps to visualize the dress on the body of the shopper/user.

Shiseido has developed a makeup mirror called TeleBeauty that helps female shoppers to visualize the product performance on their faces well in advance of applying it. [13] The capability of the AR mirror allows it to portray the shopper's image with lipsticks, eyeliners, and blushes with real-time updates.

An example of augmented reality is the Burberry Beauty Box AR application. [14] It provides a nail bar application. Shoppers can choose their skin tone with the app and paint different polishes on the bar to check how the polishes look in real life.

American Apparel has products in varying types of colors and color combinations. [15] This can make the color selection process daunting. Therefore, it has invented an AR app to help in the selection process without the customer having to wear the actual product. The AR app simulates the same products in available color choices and makes the selection process easier. The AR app provides real-time ratings and reviews uploaded by customers online and tempts online shoppers to visit the bricks-and-mortar stores.

De Beers has released an AR app useful for online shoppers who wish to see jewelry products as if they are wearing them in the real world. [16] A user can use the mobile AR app by pointing a mobile camera on the image of the item. The app displays a virtual simulation of the jewelry products with real-time updates so products move with the user's movements and displays different facets at different angles. Moreover, customers can judge that how the jewelry looks in certain lighting and on different skin tones.

The Converse Sampler [17] is an AR app to assist customers to visualize a shoe with real-time updates. A customer needs to focus the camera of their mobile device on their legs after opening the app. The app provides a catalog for the selection of products. Once a selection is made the app begins superimposing products on the real world legs and gives an idea of the fit as well as its look so the customer can purchase the product online with confidence.

Software and algorithms

Camera-based AR algorithms

Camera-based AR software may be capable of carrying an image registration process where software is working independently from the camera and camera images, and it drives real-world coordinates to accomplish the AR process. Camera-based AR software can achieve augmented reality using two-step methods: It detects interest points, fiduciary marker, and optical flows in camera images or videos. It can restore the real-world coordinate system from the data collected in the first step. To restore the real-world coordinates data some methods used include: SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), structure from motion methods, such as bundle adjustment, and mathematical methods like projective or epipolar geometry, geometric algebra, and rotation representation (with an exponential map, Kalman & particle filters, non-linear optimization, and robust statistics).

ARML

The aim of ARML (Augmented Reality Markup Language) is defining and interacting with various augmented reality scenes. XML and ECMA scripts are parts of ARML. The role of XML is to describe the location as well as the appearance of the virtual objects in AR visualization. The dynamic access to the properties of virtual objects is possible using ECMA scripts binding.

ARML's object model is built on three main concepts:

Software development kits

AR application development kits are available for a rapid development process in the form of Software development kits (SDKs) including: CloudRidAR, Vuforia, AR ToolKit, Catchoom CraftAR, Mobinett AR, Wikitude, Blippar, Layar, Meta, and ARLab.

Controversy

A controversy was created by Pokémon Go , a game with two technical problems. [18] The tracking and visualization processes handled in the absence of ergonomic, safe, and secure environment. The immersion in the game by players was too deep and resulted in several deaths, which caused some governments like China to ban the game. [19] This unconventional combination of technology may lead to new inventions, but the cost of the hardware, software, and implementation makes it challenging for common commercial production.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augmented reality</span> View of the real world with computer-generated supplementary features

Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated 3D content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. AR can be defined as a system that incorporates three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects. The overlaid sensory information can be constructive, or destructive. As such, it is one of the key technologies in the reality-virtuality continuum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed reality</span> Merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments

Mixed reality (MR) is a term used to describe the merging of a real-world environment and a computer-generated one. Physical and virtual objects may co-exist in mixed reality environments and interact in real time.

A projection augmented model is an element sometimes employed in virtual reality systems. It consists of a physical three-dimensional model onto which a computer image is projected to create a realistic looking object. Importantly, the physical model is the same geometric shape as the object that the PA model depicts.

Augmented learning is an on-demand learning technique where the environment adapts to the learner. By providing remediation on-demand, learners can gain greater understanding of a topic while stimulating discovery and learning. Technologies incorporating rich media and interaction have demonstrated the educational potential that scholars, teachers and students are embracing. Instead of focusing on memorization, the learner experiences an adaptive learning experience based upon the current context. The augmented content can be dynamically tailored to the learner's natural environment by displaying text, images, video or even playing audio. This additional information is commonly shown in a pop-up window for computer-based environments.

Nokia Point & Find is a mobile application, which lets you point your Nokia smartphone camera at objects and images you want to know more about, to find more information. It is a visual search technology that uses the phone's camera to obtain information by using image recognition to identify objects, images and places in the physical world in real-time. For example, one can use the application to find information on movies by pointing the camera at movie posters and then view reviews, or find tickets at nearby theaters. Its uses include city landmark tagging, barcode scanning for comparison shopping and 2D barcode scanning and finding information related to products and services based on content provided by third party publishers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtual dressing room</span> Online equivalent of in-store changing room

A virtual dressing room is the online equivalent of an in-store changing room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer-generated imagery</span> Application of computer graphics to create or contribute to images

Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is a specific-technology or application of computer graphics for creating or improving images in art, printed media, simulators, videos and video games. These images are either static or dynamic. CGI both refers to 2D computer graphics and 3D computer graphics with the purpose of designing characters, virtual worlds, or scenes and special effects. The application of CGI for creating/improving animations is called computer animation, or CGI animation.

The Webcam Social Shopper, often referred to as virtual dressing room software, debuted online in June 2009 and was created by Los Angeles–based software company, Zugara. Cited initially as an "augmented reality dressing room", The Webcam Social Shopper allows online shoppers to use a webcam to visualize virtual garments on themselves while shopping online. The software also uses a motion capture system that allows users to use hand motions to navigate the software while standing back from their computer. Social media integration with Facebook and Twitter also allows users of the software to send pictures of themselves with the virtual garments for immediate feedback.

Metaio GmbH was a privately held augmented reality (AR) company that was acquired by Apple Inc. in May of 2015. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, with subsidiaries in San Francisco, California, New York City, New York, and Dallas, Texas, Metaio provided a software development kit (SDK) for programming PC, web, mobile applications, and custom offline augmented reality applications. Additionally, Metaio was the creator of Junaio, a free mobile AR browser available for Android and iOS devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zugara</span>

Zugara is an American corporation headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States that develops and licenses augmented reality software and creates Natural User Interface experiences for brands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARTag</span>

An ARTag is a fiducial marker system to support 3D registration (alignment) and pose tracking in augmented reality. They can be used to facilitate the appearance of virtual objects, games, and animations within the real world. Like the earlier ARToolKit system, they allow for video tracking capabilities that calculate a camera's position and orientation relative to physical markers in real time. Once the camera's position is known, a virtual camera can be positioned at the same point, revealing the virtual object at the location of the ARTag. It thus addresses two of the key problems in Augmented Reality: viewpoint tracking and virtual object interaction.

WebAR, previously known as the Augmented Web, is a web technology that allows for augmented reality functionality within a web browser. It is a combination of HTML, Web Audio, WebGL, and WebRTC. From 2020s more known as web-based Augmented Reality or WebAR, which is about the use of augmented reality elements in browsers.

The Augmented Reality Markup Language (ARML) is a data standard to describe and interact with augmented reality (AR) scenes. It has been developed within the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) by a dedicated ARML 2.0 Standards Working Group. ARML consists of both an XML grammar to describe the location and appearance of virtual objects in the scene, as well as ECMAScript bindings to allow dynamic access to the properties of the virtual objects, as well as event handling, and is currently published in version 2.0. ARML focuses on visual augmented reality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augment (app)</span>

Augment is an augmented reality SaaS platform that allows users to visualize their products in 3D in real environment and in real-time through tablets or smartphones. The software can be used for retail, e-commerce, architecture, and other purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tango (platform)</span> Mobile computer vision platform for Android developed by Google

Tango was an augmented reality computing platform, developed and authored by the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP), a skunkworks division of Google. It used computer vision to enable mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to detect their position relative to the world around them without using GPS or other external signals. This allowed application developers to create user experiences that include indoor navigation, 3D mapping, physical space measurement, environmental recognition, augmented reality, and windows into a virtual world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft HoloLens</span> Mixed reality smartglasses

Microsoft HoloLens is an augmented reality (AR)/mixed reality (MR) headset developed and manufactured by Microsoft. HoloLens runs the Windows Mixed Reality platform under the Windows 10 operating system. Some of the positional tracking technology used in HoloLens can trace its lineage to the Microsoft Kinect, an accessory for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Xbox One game consoles that was introduced in 2010.

Visual computing is a generic term for all computer science disciplines dealing with images and 3D models, such as computer graphics, image processing, visualization, computer vision, virtual and augmented reality and video processing. Visual computing also includes aspects of pattern recognition, human computer interaction, machine learning and digital libraries. The core challenges are the acquisition, processing, analysis and rendering of visual information. Application areas include industrial quality control, medical image processing and visualization, surveying, robotics, multimedia systems, virtual heritage, special effects in movies and television, and computer games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Industrial augmented reality</span>

Industrial augmented reality (IAR) is related to the application of augmented reality (AR) and heads-up displays to support an industrial process. The use of IAR dates back to the 1990s with the work of Thomas Caudell and David Mizell about the application of AR at Boeing. Since then several applications of this technique over the years have been proposed showing its potential in supporting some industrial processes. Although there have been several advances in technology, IAR is still considered to be at an infant developmental stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Heritage Maker</span>

World Heritage Maker (WHM) 1.0 is a rendering program for mobile applications using Augmented reality technology. It is developed by the Institute for Virtual Culture, a Bulgarian company based in Sofia, Bulgaria, established in 2013. WHM is used in science and cultural presentation, entertainment and commercial industries such as high level scientific visualization, museums, galleries, print materials, open air cultural monuments, historical places, natural landscape, industrial design, product design, architecture and more. The company chief is Jordan Detev. In the public sector, the Institute works in favor of the International Foundation for Bulgarian Heritage "Prof. P. Detev"

ARCore, also known as Google Play Services for AR, is a software development kit developed by Google that allows for augmented reality (AR) applications to be built. ARCore has been integrated into a multitude of devices.

References

  1. ↑ D.W.F., van Krevelen; Poelman, R. (2010). "A Survey of Augmented Reality Technologies, Applications, and Limitations" (PDF). The International Journal of Virtual Reality. Systems Engineering Section, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. 9(2):1-20.
  2. ↑ Alexander, Michael (July 20, 2012). "Arbua Shoco Owl Silver Coin with Augmented Reality". Coin Updates.
  3. ↑ Wadhwa, Tarun (June 3, 2013). "CrowdOptic and L'Oreal To Make History By Demonstrating How Augmented Reality Can Be A Shared Experience". Forbes .
  4. ↑ Tanase, Alexandru (December 31, 2014). "Augmented Beauty: L'Oreal Makeup Genius App". Tech Accute.com.
  5. ↑ Palladino, Tommy (February 6, 2017). "Wikitude & Lenovo Converge for Augmented Reality Cloud Platform". Augmented Reality News.
  6. ↑ Burritt, Mary (September 19, 2017). "Wayfair releases AR app for iPhone, iPad". Furniture Today .
  7. ↑ "New LEGO catalog 2014 as an app with 3D augmented reality animations". Best Kinder Apps. January 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ Tracy, Phillip (Oct 11, 2017). "IKEA's AR app is as fascinating as it is flawed". The Daily Dot.
  9. ↑ Rash, Wayne (March 4, 2013). "IBM Launches Augmented Reality Shopping Assistant at CeBIT". eWeek.
  10. ↑ Houston, Thomas. "Kinect Virtual Dressing Room At Topshop Lets Ladies 'Try On' Clothes". The Huffington Post .
  11. ↑ KAEWRAT, Charlee; BOONBRAHM, Poonpong (2017). "A Survey for a Virtual Fitting Room by a Mixed Reality Technology". Walailak Journal of Science & Technology. 14: 10: 759–767.
  12. ↑ "A Closer Look At Gap's Augmented Reality Initiative". Forbes . Great Speculations. January 5, 2017.
  13. ↑ Lila, MacLellan (October 20, 2016). "Shiseido partnered with Microsoft to create a make-up filter for women who telecommute". QUARTZ.
  14. ↑ "Burberry turns to Apple for augmented-reality fashion app". The MalayMail Online . September 28, 2017.
  15. ↑ McQuarrie, Laura (August 5, 2013). "The Vuforia App Digitizes American Apparel Stores". Trend Hunter.
  16. ↑ DeMarco, Anthony (October 12, 2011). "De Beers Turns to Augmented Reality to Market its Branded Diamond". Forbes.
  17. ↑ "The Sampler By CONVERSE - Augmented Reality iPhone App". Freshness. December 7, 2010.
  18. ↑ Stein, Scott (July 7, 2017). "Pokemon Go changed the way people look at their phones forever". Cnet.
  19. ↑ Kain, Erik (January 10, 2017). "'Pokémon GO' Banned In China". Forbes.
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