Augmented reality (AR) is precisely what it sounds like: reality, but with something added.
The “something” added can include static data (a part number, an object label), dynamic data (temperature, speed), a visualization (a building design, a game character), as well as auditory, haptic or other sensory cues, seamlessly integrated into the view of the real world through a mobile device such as a phone, tablet or dedicated glasses and similar wearable computing devices.
The “reality” can include nearly any workplace, lifestyle, educational, recreational or other environment which can be enriched and made more useful, efficient, accurate, safe or entertaining through this fusion of digital information and the world around us.
AR technology may seem like the stuff of science fiction – who can forget the floating, holographic “Death Star” in the 1983 film “Return of the Jedi”? — but advances in mobile computing power, mobile device optical systems, and object recognition have made AR technology available to anyone with a smartphone. AR is currently employed in health care, the manufacturing and industrial sector, the office, music, entertainment, games, and of course, education.
AR is less a specific technology, and more a technological concept, and as such there is a growing body of developers, software and hardware vendors, B2B service providers, investors and researchers offering AR-based products and solutions, some based on proprietary or commercial models and others based on open technologies that can be used, improved and shared freely.
For our OER (which can be viewed here) we wanted to share with you an overview of some of these technologies, and how they are being used in the contexts of the workplace, trades and industry, education, games and music, as well as prompt you to consider where this technology might take us next. It is not intended as a comprehensive guide to the creation or consumption of AR technology, nor an endorsement of any particular vendor, product, or application of AR. It’s our hope that the examples we’ve highlighted will give you insight into how AR is currently being used, how it might be applied to your specific field or interest (including, naturally, education) and what promise AR might hold for the future.
Please let us know, in the comments below, whether this introduction to AR educated you, was of use to you, or perhaps even inspired you. Consider the following, as you review this OER and provide feedback:
- What activities (educational, occupational, personal) might benefit from AR enrichment? Are there some that might not? What can’t AR do?
- What AR technologies have you interacted with (heads-up displays, children’s storybooks, Snapchat filters, Pokemon Go!)? Was that experience actually enriched, or was it more of a gimmick?
- What AR technologies would you like to see, or see more of? “Blue sky” thinking is encouraged!
- How do you imagine that AR technologies could or should be applied in your particular educational context?
- How might AR be integrated into teaching subjects which are more abstract or conceptual than “real”? Applications to hand-on subjects are easy to imagine, but could AR be effectively used in a philosophy course? How?
- The benefits of AR seem clear, but could there be drawbacks as well? What might we be losing when we augment reality?
Thank you, Team AR for a very informative presentation and great examples on AR in various fields. I especially enjoyed learning about Hololens 2 and fascinated by how much technology has been developed which I thought it would only be possible in Sci-Fi movies in the past. I have not used and never thought about implementing augmented reality in my math classroom; however, after finishing this week’s movable feast and some personal research on AR in mathematics learning, I now have some ideas/areas where I can and want to utilize AR in my teaching.
One potential area of implementing AR in math is 3D geometry. With the help of AR, teachers can raise interest and motivation of students to enhance learning process with a high potential for better learning. For instance, it can be beneficial if AR 3D geometrical models on the textbook pages are scanned using students’ mobile devices to allow them to examine the virtual objects from different angles in a 3-dimentional way. Also, students can create their own AR objects related to the topics they are studying and share their work among groups. This AR implementation in the areas where visualization is crucial can have a very strong impact in improving learning environment of mathematics classroom or even self-study anywhere.
Augmented reality provides multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. I wonder if AR technologies can “manipulate” tastes of foods so it can be used for weight loss purpose or increase vegetable intakes by children, especially mine ???? And I found this article below and Dr. Katsunori Okajima who specializes in vision and brain science in Japan has been developing an AR system that allows manipulating the perception of taste.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-augmented-reality-visor-cake-moister.html
Well done Team AR. A well organized and informative project.
I started dabbling a little bit with VR in my classes right before the pandemic hit. All the schools in my previous district received class sets of Google Goggles and a 1/2 class set of Oculus head sets. I also went to a workshop about integrating VR and AR. Unfortunately, that’s on hold right now until sharing headsets is less risky, but the potential VR and AR offer – especially for science classes, is very promising. Dissections done in AR are much less messy. I haven’t had the chance to set it up yet, but I would like to do an activity with my biology students where they use their phones to find AR tags on specific plants to find examples of different species. Another example is when we do a safety tour of the lab – the safety equipment could be virtually labelled and the students need to find the labels with their devices.
I also echo the concerns others have raised about safety, privacy, and the disconnection from the real world. That being said, the technology is not the problem, but rather how it is used.
Sorry, I meant to say Google Cardboard sets, not Google Goggles. Apologies for the mistake.
Hey Team AR, thanks for the feast!
Good job on the OER, you have a lot of great info in there. I especially liked the AR in Music section; it has a flowing narrative interspersed with video and music that tells the story of AR in music, including its many challenges… very enjoyable!
From the examples I saw in the OER as well as my own investigations, I have to say that AR seems like it can truly change the way people work but in the field of entertainment it is much more of a gimmick at this point, and this makes me think about how AR is used in education… as a tool, or as entertainment? Professions like construction, engineering, architecture, medicine, mechanics, etc. seem to have found great ways to make use of AR, but has Education? I’m not too entirely sure, because where I see AR being used as a tool in those other professions, I can’t help but see it as an “engagement device” in the primary/secondary classroom. To be sure, I have seen plenty of great classroom applications of AR, but again, it’s not really breaking new ground so much as it’s reimagining old ground. I suppose if AR in education is used in a truly mobile sense then we may start to see some revolutionary benefits that AR can add to education.
Blue Sky Thinking:
Thinking on the issue of professions using AR a bit more, I see there is one key difference between education and the other professions. With AR, a doctor wears the unit, an architect wears the unit, a construction worker wears a unit, etc… but in Education, the students wear the unit. This now makes me think about something I haven’t really considered before: how can AR change the way a teacher does their job, if THEY are the ones wearing it? In this scenario the teacher is not using AR to teach the curriculum, per se, but instead AR is helping the teacher be a better teacher. What would this look like? The obvious (and perhaps too Orwellian) feature would be for it to detect students who are getting distracted, etc., but there must be a whole host of ways a teacher can make use of AR data while actively teaching a class.
Hi Johannes,
Thanks for the feedback on the music section. Your point on AR being a gimmick in entertainment is spot on, in the OER I mention that billions of dollars will be spent on AR in marketing in the next few years. With all that investment it will be interesting to see where it goes.
Mark
Hi Team AR,
Thank you so much for giving us so many applications of AR. It is informative!
I guess the pervasive application of AR so far is entertainment. It brings us a lot of fun. Last summer, on Canada day, an augmented firework show was hosted by the government (https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/canada-day/virtual-fireworks.html). Many people across the country watched this virtual firework show by pointing their phone or tablet to the night sky. I guess it was the biggest augmented reality event.
It is amazing to see AR is used in design education or workplace, where designers can overlie their rendering in a real environment in order to evaluate the design work, or rapidly build up a virtual product model in a designated place. Likewise, AR is used in business to provide customers visualized information about products.
Compared to multisensory simulation in VR research, AR seems to relay more on visual presentation so far. Besides overlapping images on physical entities through a smart phone or a set of VR goggles, I expect that AR technology can give me more virtual feelings, such as weight, temperature and touch integrated into physical objects. After all, our perception of the world comes from several senses.
I also have another concern about VR and AR. Can VR or AR distort our perception of the real word, or dissociate us from the real but dreary world and be addicted to the virtual but fancy world? Could it be a double-edged sword?
Hi Shirley,
As you said about AR/VR as a double-edged sword, I personally feel that nothing comes without a cost. Although AR/VR applications used in different sectors are increasing the ROI if businesses, helping trainees with better skills, playing a major role is students’ learning and helping employees to collaborate effectively, the perception of the virtual world as a real world is highly possible. The demarcation line is very thin and the people using these technolgies have to make use of these technologies for constructive and productive purposes.
Your OER contains a lot of information about AR/VR applications in a wide range of settings, which I found interesting as my main focus is the education setting, so I was not as familiar with many of the applications in other settings.
In looking at AR in specifically the elementary school setting, I think there is great unexplored potential. The main focus until recently seems to have been on secondary school and higher education. I think we’ll start to see more happening in elementary education, particularly as 5G rolls out and smartphones are in the hands of more and more young students. The biggest benefits I foresee with elementary students are increased engagement and better understanding of concepts that can be explored more realistically in AR than they ever could be in a textbook. I also like the idea of AR affording better learning outside the classroom, with place-based information that can be accessed on field trips, in museums, etc. Young students are more likely to focus on the learning outcomes they’re intended to explore in the field, if they have AR opportunities at their fingertips.
The biggest drawback I see with these students using AR is the distraction issue, as many others have mentioned. Unfortunately this comes with many digital tools. But I wonder if perhaps the added benefits outweigh this downside?
Hi Wendy,
I agree with you.There are downsides of every technology, however with mixed reality where AR and VR are integrated, the students will get the better understanding of the models and scenarios which otherwise were difficult to be understood. The human augmentation in near future will definitely enhance the productivity and capability of students for knowlege seeking and skill enhancement.
Hi AR Team. I’ve really been enjoying your OER and have had fun for a bit of time each day discovering the different activities and games you’ve introduced. I particularly liked the Mozilla hub room just because it was a different way to interact with video and text, rather than just looking it up online – you got to discover what’s around the next corner. I knew about some of the applications of VR/AR/MR in education and industry, but really didn’t see it as something I would use in my classroom, especially considering the need for headsets for some applications, although this is becoming less of an obstacle with AR available on phones. My step-daughter’s last job was as a VR designer for a company that designed industrial simulations, and when I tried one of her simulations I found the VR awkward and nausea-inducing. I have heard that others have similar experiences, so this would have to be overcome in classroom situations, where some students would not catch on to the learning curve and/or experience nausea and headaches.
Some activities that could benefit from AR enrichment that come to mind for me are those experiences that might otherwise not be easily accessed in real life due to distance, expense, or time, such as tours of famous museums and galleries, or hard to reach or protected places such as the Antarctic or the Amazon. I do not think that every experience needs to be augmented and in many ways a real hands-on experience is often more valuable than a technological replacement. Although many question how valuable a hands-on dissection is in learning about anatomy, I still find that it is far more valuable and memorable than any virtual dissection possibilities I’ve encountered, though I haven’t yet been able to explore some of the more expensive virtual options.
I have not interacted with many AR technologies – some that come to mind are Pokemon Go! (I do see the attraction, so I didn’t download it), my Night Sky app on my phone that matches sky map overlay to the existing sky to help you identify sky objects, and a few different 3-D anatomy apps. I would say that the experience of looking at the stars with a helpful overlay sometimes enriches the experience, but doesn’t necessarily compare to sharing that experience with another person who can point out the constellations.
I imagine that AR technologies could be used in mathematics to encourage students to use manipulatives. Often students will use these physical tools in class when they are introduced and find them helpful, but when they see that the more successful students aren’t needing to use them they stop. Students don’t want to be singled out as different or stupid, so they may avoid using the very tools that help them succeed. I can envision AR technologies being used as an intuitive tool by all students to manipulate algebra tiles or geometric shapes without logging into or learning to use complex math programs.
In one of the videos I watched in the Hub room, the narrator said that AR will free us from our devices by placing the data all around us. My concern is that some people already don’t know how to leave their devices alone long enough to have a real conversation. What will it be like when our human interactions are being interrupted by virtual objects hanging in the air around us?
I agree with Lori regarding some of the concerns and potential drawbacks that might go with AR. The opportunities with AR are endless and it was fun and informative progressing through this OER. I wonder if there will be a cost to our interactions with the real world (just Reality?). It brought to mind a trip to New York City a few years ago, and upon visiting Times Square at night, my 7 year old said “Oh, I thought it would be brighter.” She had seen too many animated versions (maybe from ‘the Secret Life of Pets’) and was unimpressed with the real thing. Will AR make the real world boring? Will we lose the desire to simply look at the mountains or wander through a city?
Re: “In one of the videos I watched in the Hub room, the narrator said that AR will free us from our devices by placing the data all around us. My concern is that some people already don’t know how to leave their devices alone long enough to have a real conversation. What will it be like when our human interactions are being interrupted by virtual objects hanging in the air around us?”
This is a really interesting question, Lori!
I do think drawing data out of our devices and into the air might actually solve the “lost in our phones” problem to some degree. I’m thinking of one of the videos in the OER which showed a workplace utilizing AR for brainstorming around a conference table. One employee was chatting with someone present via AR and when a second person joined the room, that second person could see the AR avatar, engage with both people, and carry on as if there were three people in the room. That’s quite different than if the first two employees had been texting, privately speaking on the phone, or even on speakerphone and looking at their respective computer screens.
Imagine at home, you’re cooking and talking to a relative who’s present via AR. Your kids or partner walk in, can immediately see that relative or use a tool to seamlessly join in, and the resulting exchange is quite similar to the relative actually sitting in your kitchen! It’s just not possible to engage with communication or collaboration in the same way on our current devices. Our phones, tablets and laptops are much more like communication silos.
Because AR can be so much more present in our respective contexts I think it will likely have a transformative effect on how we view/use/value our devices in the future.
The kind of education activities I think would benefit from AR would be where students are taking their learning outside of the classroom. You could have students point their phone at a picture or QR code in a textbook and then have an AR experience around the picture in the book. But then, that isn’t really different from scanning a QR code in a textbook and watching a YouTube video. And, it’s not answering the question of, “how is AR best understood through the lens of mobile learning?”
So, I think taking students out into the community to have learning applied in context is the best use for AR and Mobile.
This is where concrete concepts can be applied to the real world to make them more engaging and relevant. It is also where abstract concepts can be made more meaningful and students can connect to them personally, by having an AR experience in the community. What if an abstract math concept was made more concrete by seeing how it was used in a real world context in your community? What if a simple concept such as local ecosystems was made more dynamic and complex applied to one’s local ravine?
I think one of the obvious downsides to using AR while out in the community is having another digital distraction between us and the natural world. Nature is a key way for us to destress and it would be a shame for people to have another tool in the way of that.
I would like to see educational AR programs that facilitate applying classroom learning to meaningful contexts outside of the classroom. For instance, what if an urban school used AR to view rivers that are under roads to help map how an ecosystem used to be? Another experience that comes to mind would be visiting a museum.
My groups A2 (5G) will illustrate some of these ideas as well.
Hi AR Team:
I am having some difficulties with your Movable Feast. As I am reviewing your content, I noticed that you do not have citations linked to your references. I am unable to determine what are your group’s ideas and what are the ideas you used from your sources. Nor am I able to identify the differences between your references since many of them are listed as https: . I am very concerned.
Wonderful OER!
I loved your hub room and fell in love with radio.garden and the Beatsy app. I feel like that app has has a lot of potential for accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. As showcased in your hub room, augmented reality can allow educators to create educational rooms where students can interact with the resources in an exciting way. This is also great for creating rooms that display a different tome period, location, etc. We can also build empathy with the use of augmented reality rooms, as individuals can enter and experience what it may be like to have needs such as an individual with low-vision or blindness. This sense of experiencing someone else’s world, can help architects and designers to create spaces that are more accessible. As a personal tool, people can use augmented reality to organize their lives and personal environments. Where augmented reality is limited, is when the experiences are designed without input from a diverse body of people. This makes some experiences accessible to some and not others. I think that the cost is also a significant factor and, with all mobile technologies, unequal access to mobile devices and wifi is another consideration. One of the downfalls to implementing too much AR in education, would be ill preparing students for interactions in the analog world. I definitely think a mix is needed and that it should be used to enhance education.
I haven’t had much experience with AR technologies, except maybe the ‘games’ feature in Facebook chat, where you can become a unicorn and race to catch rings on your horn. I feel that the use of AR in that context was both a gimmick and enriching, as the game enhances the conversation and serves as a type of icebreaker. It is gimmicky in the sense that it doesn’t offer educational value, but I am sure this can be easily remedied. I can see technologies being developed, in the future, where educators work with students in VR/AR activities remotely, or that students work together to solve problems in break out rooms. As I am typing this I am wondering if this already exists?
As I mentioned in one of the discussions at the beginning of the course, I would love to see more immersive co-experiences with remote friends. Seeing a concert with a friend in another city, where my apartment becomes the concert hall, or ‘going’ on vacation to Hawaii with a friend would be wonderful.
When I think about K-12 teaching, I think that VR technology can be used to help students with special needs, particularly students with autism, to build comfort in different environments and with different routines. I think it can also be used to give students a glimpse into how people live around the world, learning about the environment and building spatial awareness and design sense. When I think about using AR in instructional design for workplace learning, it can be used to allow individuals to practice assembling or using complex/expensive equipment, as showcased in one of your videos.
How might AR be integrated into teaching subjects which are more abstract or conceptual than “real”? Applications to hand-on subjects are easy to imagine, but could AR be effectively used in a philosophy course? How?
I studied philosophy in university, so I will try this one out! I think that you augmented reality could be used to showcase ethical philosophy, and how decision making processes can affect a larger number of people. Let’s look at Kant’s categorical imperative, or the idea that each person should act in a way that if everyone acted in that way, it would be a world worth living in. We could have students walk around on the street with their mobile devices. The student could choose from a range of options such as “throw your garbage on the ground”, or “put the garbage in your pocket for home”. When the student makes their final decision, they could now see strangers completing the same action, and what the greater effects would be on their community.
I think the drawbacks to AR include losing pleasure from real and tangible objects. There is probably AR that exists which stimulates several senses, but I still feel like it is important that we are taking in knowledge from the world through all of our primal senses.
What AR technologies have you interacted with (heads-up displays, children’s storybooks, Snapchat filters, Pokemon Go!)? Was that experience actually enriched, or was it more of a gimmick?
I have lightly interacted with AR/VR by using snapchat filters, Pokemon Go!, and trying out games on my boyfriend’s oculus headset. I would definitely say I find AR used currently on a day-to-day basis by the common lay person to be more of a gimmick than an actual enrichment. However, as your OER pointed out, there are very obvious benefits to using it in a variety of settings. However, my greatest dislike of AR/VR and mixed reality which uses headsets is that A) I hate having to wear headsets, and B) technologies like that so often make me dizzy, nauseous, and give me headaches. I also question how healthy it can be for your eyes to stare at a screen emitting blue light for so long, and at such a short distance. At least right now when using screened devices I can buy a pair of blue light blocking glasses, but if I am already wearing a headset I can’t do that.
How do you imagine that AR technologies could or should be applied in your particular educational context?
I would love to see AR/VR applied to ecology and environmental science. That would be an excellent way to supplement hands-on in-the-field learning at a time when one-on-one guidance in field skills isn’t really possible due to the global pandemic. It would also allow for greater comparison of sample to field guides, and give students a better idea of distinguishing morphological characteristics they weren’t sure of how to identify.
Your comment regarding the wearing of special headsets or glasses (and others who have commented on the need to hold and interact with a mobile phone) may be in luck soon. Hot on the heels of “Augmented Reality” we have “Augmented Humanity”. Whether it’s a neural interface (currently being researched by — who else? — Elon Musk) to AR contact lenses (with camera!) to implants that will bypass our cornea and project data directly onto our retina, some clunky glasses may soon be the least of our worries!
No, I’m not lining up for my implants, and yes, I’m being a bit facetious, but if it can be done, someone will do it.
Great presentation AR Team!
My only personal experience with VR has been on rides at Disneyworld. While on a Star Wars ride I had to shut my eyes and ended up nauseous for the rest of the afternoon – my kids had much more favorable reviews.
Stanford University has been developing a AR program to address climate change. Here is a thought paper about it I completed:
Due to its interactive nature, Virtual Reality (VR) can be used in the classroom to create meaningful learning and affect attitudes on social issues (Ahn, S.J et al., 2013). Constructivism, built on Piaget’s theories, states that learners must have active engagement with their surroundings to construct meaning (Powell & Kalina, 2009). This engagement occurs with VR technology as students move around and interact with the virtual world. Ahn, S.J et al. (2013) believe, “the realism of virtual experiences is likely to produce mental schema about the simulated event as if he or she had firsthand experience of it.” When these events are stored with existing memories, there is a higher chance of an individual making meaningful connections and this has a positive effect on learning (Markowitz et. al, 2018).
Jeremy Balienson has found that when you experience an event through virtual reality, it not only increases learning but it can alter behaviour (Stanford, 2015). Virtual reality is an engaging tool to present social issues, such as climate change. With the technology Bailenson has created, students are able to go on virtual field trips and see the death of coral reefs due to C02 pollution in the ocean. They are able to explore and interact with the reef and animals that live there (Markowitz et. al, 2018). When, “you experience something you see it in a different light” (Stanford, 2015). Students are given a new perspective and are able to see how their actions directly affect climate change. This leads to greater learning about a concept and in some cases a change in future behavior. Virtual reality provides students presence in a new environment they would not likely be able to experience first hand and has the potential to lead to transformational change in education.
If interested, check out a video of the technology – Virtual Reality and the Environment- https://youtu.be/RqEKy3cvRGo
References:
Ahn, S. J. (., Le, A. M. T., & Bailenson, J. (2013). The effect of embodied experiences on self-other merging, attitude, and helping behavior. Media Psychology, 16(1), 7-38.
Markowitz, D. M., Laha, R., Perone, B. P., Pea, R. D., & Bailenson, J. N. (2018). Immersive Virtual Reality Field Trips Facilitate Learning About Climate Change. Frontiers in Psychology. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A563980112/HRCA?u=ubcolumbia&sid=HRCA&xid=032f33a7
Powell, K. C., & Kalina, C. J. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an effective classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-251.
Stanford. [Jeremery Bailenson]. (2015, November 3). Immersive Science Learning in Virtual Reality. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYrC1hH6Ak
Hi Dee Dee.
Thank you for sharing the links to the VR technology. With the increase in computational power and networking speed, the extended reality which includes augmented, virtual and mixed reality will be used in every walk of life and will result in enhancing the capabiltites of humans.
Hi Team! Great job this week – I’ve enjoyed the layout of your OER and how you’ve separated out each section. I am still working on my 360 post as my first few attempts haven’t really worked properly!
Here’s the question I’m taking a shot at answering: What activities (educational, occupational, personal) might benefit from AR enrichment? Are there some that might not? What can’t AR do?
– AR enrichment is awesome for activities that have some inherent safety concerns (trades, crazy science experiments, extreme sports, life saving medical procedures, etc). It has the potential to create a safe environment to explore and experiment, without the real world consequences.
– AR can’t sustain life, so things like cooking and medical techniques can use AR as practice, but we still need food and medical to stay alive!
– I wonder how often AR programs glitch or have technical difficulties? Obviously things go wrong in the real world, but that is due to operator error. This goes for all things tech-related, but how to we minimize glitches? Especially considering how expensive some AR devices and programs are.
I don’t use much AR/VR in my teaching yet, but I’m excited to explore some options! I see it as a fun extra in class to supplement curriculum, but I don’t know what all the options are for Foods and PE…
Hi Meg. Safety is definitely a thing. As Michael noted below, students practicing welding with an AR simulator don’t require the same PPE (personal protective equipment) as a student working with a live arc welder or torch would. Conversely, though, like any immersive technology AR in the outside world could be a hazardous distraction — Pokemon Go! seems to have caused more than its fair share of various accidents, for example.
As far as an AR application to food science, as a foodie I’d like to see a smartphone AR app that would help me spatchcock a chicken (“now insert the tip of your knife just under the wing…”). 🙂
Hi Sean – I didn’t even think about all of the Pokemon Go accidents! Crazy how distracted we can get.
In terms of spatchcock-ing (is that a word?) a chicken I recommend that you get yourself a sturdy pair of kitchen shears and just cut up either side of the back bone, starting from each side of the tail. Then flip and do a little CPR-style compression on the breastbone until it’s flat! Tuck the legs and wings, season and you’re ready to cook! — Now that I think of it I do think there would be an AR benefit to this as most kids (and many adults) do NOT want to touch raw meat …
I loved seeing all of the various applications AR has in different areas of society. I especially see the value this type of technology has in education now that students are online and/or unable to go on field trips that this can provide opportunities of immersive and more authentic-feeling experiences for students. I know that my district has access to google cardboard-type goggles that teachers can rent for their classes for these types of activities.
As others have mentioned, there is the obstacle of the high cost of many of the more sophisticated programs and equipment which is a barrier for a lot of schools, districts and companies. I wonder what steps can be taken moving forward to mitigate the financial barrier keeping this valuable technology out of reach for many? Perhaps subsidies may be granted to help lower the cost or over time as it becomes less and less novel the prices would naturally decrease.
Hi group AR
Your website was a great overview of the many arears where AR is being implemented. I like the general tone about it being the future in many areas, which I believe to be true.
I’ll use my recent experience with AR to try and answer “What AR technologies have you interacted with (heads-up displays, children’s storybooks, Snapchat filters, Pokemon Go!)? Was that experience actually enriched, or was it more of a gimmick?”
This year, I had students use augmented welders that were brought in temporarily from the local college. Similar to the ones on your website, but were definitely not as high tech looking. Here is the model my class got to use https://www.lincolnelectric.com/en-us/Equipment/Pages/product.aspx?product=K4603-1(LincolnElectric). So these each come in around $30,000 Canadian. The welding instructors at the college hate them. They strongly believe their students got better expose by actually practicing welding. After trying the augmented welder, I agree with them. It was sometimes glitchy. It you have welded before you understand how much concentration it takes and can therefore relate to how frustrating it would be when it doesn’t run smoothly. It also simply doesn’t have the same feel. The “crackling” sound is gone (or at least not the same), and visually checking out the weld penetration doesn’t exist which are all key factors in determining if you are doing a good job. You also need to set a decent amount of time aside and train yourself on the machine first. It is not like you just pick it up and go. You have to get comfortable with the interface and understanding the settings in order to instruct the students. This is also important, for if something breaks there is limited supply of parts out there. Needless to say it becomes quite nerve wracking when a student is being ruff with the machine. However, the college instructors have more then enough welding booths and consumables at their disposal for their students. At a high school you do not. So if I can get over the initial price, and the limited support out there, I see it being beneficial in high schools. I only have 4 welding booths (one with no power if you can believe it…), and limited consumables. I had the two augmented welders set-up in the classroom. Once students got going, I did not have to watch over them, they did not need p.p.e which I have limited amounts of, and they weren’t burning through wire, sticks and gas. Even though it didn’t have the same “feel” as actual welding, I thought it did a great job of hammering home one’s welding parameters (work angle, travel angle and travel speed) which is often the concepts I am trying to get high school students to gather. On the last day we had a competition to see who get the highest score which ended up being a really fun day.
To sum it up, all the points mentioned above would change if a different brand of augmented welder was used. It is impossible to list the pros and cons that apply to all augmented welders in all educational settings. I find we do this a lot in education. A couple claims/statements will be made about a VR or AR headset and it is expected to apply to all subject teachers. Classroom composition, available technology, funding, space, subject and teachers comfortability are a few reasons why implementing AR or VR is not straight forward.
Hi Michael. Thank you for the inside story of AR welding simulators! I would assume that the utility of those or any AR simulator would be congruent with physical simulators (e.g. a plastic CPR simulator “dummy”) and would be limited to the early half of the learning curve, where mistakes are common and learners can best benefit from repeated efforts. Once a student is comfortable with the simulator, then on to a real weld (or human) with the rough part out of the way.
Hi AR team!
Great job with your Mobile Feast. AR is such a wonderful idea. I mean, who doesn’t want to pretend to be Iron Man with a co-pilot (JARVIS) that uses AR to do amazing things. I love all you incorporated AR into so many different sectors! I was unaware of the professional usage that came along with VR tech.
I love the idea of AR being an educational tool. So far, I have only looked at using VR as a way to engage students and to enrich their experience. I was a huge Pokemon Go player, and it was really cool to see the Pokémon interact with the parks and buildings that I was so familiar with. Unfortunately, it quickly got old as the game (for me) was about catching as many Pokémon as possible on my walks, which meant that there was little need to use the AR. I think I would be hesitant to use it in a classroom as it seems gimmicky for me.
I would be greatly interested in a AR and VR tech fusing with Neuro-interfacing. I find that one of the limitations of the AR is that while you are focused on interacting with your environment, you are also interacting with your virtual environment. For instance, I find that using AR for looking under the hood of a car to be something that requires you to both interface with the phone as well as the car. Currently, that would create an overload of information that would greatly reduce the usability of the tech.
AR in philosophy is an interesting idea. I would struggle to think of a way to teach theory of mind or metaphysics with AR however. It seems like AR is best used to engaged further with your environment, but loses it power when it comes to things out of your environment. For instance, there is a great VR experience of being in the International Space Station as you could feel the claustrophobic nature of being up in space with no orientation of up or down. However, when that comes into VR, it suddenly doesn’t work unless you are able to mimic the environment of space station previously. This makes me thing that AR would not be suitable for teaching anything that is out of our current environment.
I’m wondering about the financial feasibility of the hardware. I was extremely interested in the Microsoft Hololens 2.. until I realized that it was 4700 cad. It seems to me that even if there is a lot of refinement of the technology, there is still an issue of whether the hardware would be accessible to all. Unfortunately, our ministry of education is strict with funding. Are there any potential solutions to this in the near future?
Also, I’m curious as to the effectiveness of using AR in the classroom. From personal experience, I was less than impressed with many of the current functions of AR technology, as they mostly relate to games and photo related apps. While there are educational uses to AR tech, I find that there are only some benefits to it that couldn’t be found on paper/pen with still keeping it accessible. Are there any researches that points to AR being something that greatly enriches education?
Hello Team AR,
Wow, great information on your site! I really liked perusing the NJIT infographic you posted about how AR will affect education. I have seen the Virtuali-tee t-shirt (https://www.curiscope.com/products/virtuali-tee), visited museums in VR with the Oculus (http://bitly.ws/cdTH), and walked Montreal’s projected reality Cité Mémoire (https://youtu.be/gZ11yB1hLUI). We also spent many days in 2020 looking for Google animals (https://9to5google.com/2021/02/19/google-3d-animals-list/) to entertain our confined kindergartener. I much prefer AR via a screen to VR as wearing the VR glasses reminds me I get motion sickness!
Convenience is one of the major factors for using AR. Being able to pick up a device and see an augmentation the way we can look through a book makes an AR app more readily used. Walking the streets of Montreal becomes a history lesson – tourists and students on field trips flock around the red circles indicating the AR locations. Pokémon-Go now has AR mapping as a task, which engages the user in being aware of their surroundings, instead of just focusing on their pokemon (https://youtu.be/naFeJxszLOs).
The Oculus, virtuali-tee and Google animals took time to set up, and because of that there would need to be some handling of the “downtime” to keep the students active during the wait. The Virtuali-tee was a real hit – even the parents we had at the the demo were proud to name the organs viewed on a tablet – and it was neat to see the AR heart beating in time when the wearer used the phone’s pulse sensor.
There are two drawbacks that I would point out from AR use.
First are digital distractions. My husband had tried Google glasses, and it seemed that other people in the vicinity do not exist as much as the lens screen. Just as any device is a distraction, our society needs to establish a new set of “cultural manners” with regards to augmented reality.
Next is security. In order for the AR to function, you need to allow your device location to be shared. This publically announces your location to anyone with the means to collect that data. I have found that security and privacy have been discussed in many of our Movable Feasts, and this may become a topic that our global community needs to address, with policies made to establish the digital limits of personal tracking.
I really enjoy using AR, VR, and MR, and I would continue to do so for personal and professional activities. The possibilities for exploration are so great, and the sharing is so amazing; we just need to work out the drawbacks so that we can all move forward together.
Thanks for the great OER!
Thanks for the comments, and for the reminder of Google Glass. I had thought that project was deprecated, but it appears the hardware is still available, but without Google’s hype, and continued investment and development, it’s presumably just another AR viewer. One wonders how they could have fizzled the way they did. Somehow they went the way of force-feedback joysticks, “phablets”, trackballs, and the Segway scooter. To far ahead of its time? Or failed to read the room?
Hi team,
I enjoyed playing the AR games introduced in your OER, although at first, it was a bit hard to learn how to control it. I also found the Trade aspect of AR very interesting, as I’ve never thought of how AR can be integrated into that field. I’ve used heads-up displays, Snapchat filters, and 3D AR apps before and I think these technologies allow for a redefinition of what interaction looks like. If I were to used this in my classroom, I can see students really enjoying the activities and the greatest advantage would be that student engagement and motivation would increase. For example, I can see myself using something like Hubs By Mozilla to create a virtual classroom and students will go on a scavenger hunt to find the resources and activities within the AR classroom and collaborate with others to complete educational tasks. I can also see AR being used for Science labs, however, this would also require VR applications to make the experience more “real” and there would be cost concerns associated with purchasing the required devices or headsets to be able to emerge in the experience.
I understand there’s a lot of potential and resources out there but the main concern I have is how much of the human interaction AR is going to replace in the future. A lof my students are already more comfortable with the idea of augmented or virtual reality and with the increased implementation of AR technologies in different fields, is this going to become the new norm? I’m not sure what I think about that.
I would agree that it’s reasonable to be a bit concerned about how much any new technology — and in particular, enriched and immersive technologies — will claim more of our attention to the detriment of real life.
That said, one potential plus of AR (particularly in comparison to VR) is that it’s necessarily anchored to the real world — keeping it anchored to the social world might be a bit more of a challenge, of course.
As I recall, notwithstanding the groundbreaking use of AR technology in a freemium game, one of the most noteworthy things about Pokemon Go! is that it pretty much forced gamers to get outside for some fresh air, if they wanted to catch ’em all.
I am still reading through your Movable Feast. You have a great amount of relevant information for this topic, however, I am very concerned about the referencing of the content. Since the materials are not organized in APA format, I cannot determine where each piece of content comes from. If you have your APA references, I think that it will be essential to include it within this digital piece.
Fantastic Job!, Honestly this is the best breakdown and accumulation of AR resources I’ve encountered throughout the MET so far. You presented a wealth of information and created a nice launchpad for individuals like me who still have quite a bit to learn. I’ve never thought of what AR would look like in a construction or workplace and after seeing your examples it deffently seems extremely useful especially within the training. The Hololens is simply astonishing. Does anyone know the retail price? I engaged with the Livyatanim sono experiment the Augmented Songbook and the Beatsy app. I will be defiantly showing these to my students after spring break. I also appreciated the short (microlearning) length videos.
Once again incredible work!
Michael
The price of the Hololens 2 is currently $6799.00 cad for the industrial version. The basic version is $749.00 cad. Hopefully it includes shipping!
Nice mix of examples across industry and education sectors!
Hiring talent to create instructional content with the industrial version is a risk for traditional companies entering into this emerging space. Existing content repositories can be repurposed, but AR content is slow to create at scale and the risk is that a pilot project does not get the investment required to grow into something viable. I saw a very interesting set of AR nursing training materials in the works using HoloLens, only to be sold off to a competitor (which can be financially desirable) and the staff left as well. Where does the innovation budget come from, level of risk tolerance, and what are the expected results?
I think that if there is to be a solution to the barriers you mention — cost, risk of investment, limited uptake (and, I’d add, limited ROI) — it will come when AR creation tools become commonplace enough that learners can join in their creation. A purpose-built app, that does one thing and teaches one idea may or may not be worth anyone’s time, but a tool that can make an AR experience as easy as creating a video game character could be a game changer. I don’t think we’re quite there yet, but we will be soon.
Experiences:
One very popular AR tool for teaching human biology is Virtuali-Tee by Curiscope (https://www.curiscope.com/pages/education) . They sell a t-shirt that when worn can then be viewed with their mobile application to see 3D recreations of anatomical features that are over-laid on-top of whomever is wearing the shirt. It is a great alternative to the usual physical human body models that have removable parts that do not fit back together very well, pieces that often go missing and they can be quite expensive. Students enjoy that the Virtuali-Tee creates a more interactive experience and works great with groups and partners as one person can wear the Virtuali-Tee while others can use a tablet or phone to make observations.
There is also the addition to AR models that can now be accessible through the Google search engine on mobile devices. This feature on Google allows users to view multiple 3D models in AR such as sharks, dinosaurs, cellular structures, chemical compounds…etc.
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9817187?co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS&hl=en&oco=0
Finally, another application that I recommend is Qlone (https://www.qlone.pro/), it allows you to create virtual 3D models of real objects by scanning them with your mobile device. This allows users to view their scanned objects with AR or even 3D print them. I am very intrigued with Qlone because it makes me believe that one day, identification apps like iNaturalist could allow users to upload 3D scans of organism observations for more detail and information. I could also see it being useful for users to document 3D scans of artifacts in their life.
Reflection:
There is no doubt that augmented reality has place in education. I would have considered it a “gimmick” in the past when very specific hardware, such as a headset, would need to be purchased to allow for the AR experience. This happens often in education when very specific technology is not considered a needed expense and gets overlooked. Now that we have mobile devices that allow for AR without the need to invest in such specific equipment, AR has become a very unique way to engage students.
My concern with wearable AR/VR devices are the potential associated health risks (https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/health/virtual-reality-vr-dangers-safety
). I am also concerned of more wearable smart devices coming as the trend has been taking over and dominating human attention spans. Are the benefits of wearable tech worth the costs? Where is the limit to integrating ourselves with technology? Are we spending the majority of our lives in reality or in a virtual space?
What a thorough examination of where AR/MR/VR are being used today! I really enjoyed going through all the examples you found in work and trades. I knew that AR was on its way to becoming mainstream, but did not realize just how much it is already being used. My only experience with AR so far in education is with Merge Cube. I felt like it was a gimmick because it was pretty limiting in what can and cannot be explored with it. Then again, I was playing with their free demo. I would have liked to explore the app further, but of course, the full suite of its contents costed an arm and a leg and my school, which is really well funded, refused to pay for it. This is probably the biggest drawback in AR’s applicability in education. At the end of the day, schools have more pressing things to spend their funding on. My experience with Merge Cube also confirms what all educators already know, that really, the educational value of any tech is up to the teacher. I look forward to when smart glasses are perfected. I have a dream where students can pop on a pair, look at another student, and have x-ray vision. The most exciting thing about AR in education to me is how much biology classes will benefit. The leap from 2D images or chemically preserved tissues to 3D images that can be manipulated will be immeasurable.
The extensive use of AR in trades and industry kind of surprised me too. I suppose it shouldn’t have, given what AR can do (and is doing) for industry, but it doesn’t really seem to get the same sort of “airplay” in the media as entertainment-based AR like Pokemon Go! or Snapchat filters. That said, I suppose I have a golden opportunity to catch myself up, seeing as how — as a result of researching this OER — about 99% of my Google Ads now are for AR solutions for industry!
Wonderful resource based on my initial perusal. I really enjoyed the konterball and the AR examples made me realize how ubiquitous taken for granted AR is. I plan on visiting this resource again and have already bookmarked it. I plan on contributing t the street view activity when day breaks. Thanks again for a wonderful OER!
I really enjoyed reading through your Movable Feast on Augmented Reality. The first thing that surprised me was that most of the subject material reflected Mixed Reality (MR) and not Augmented Reality, however the line between the two is greying as new technologies evolve. Between Apples eventual release of the apple glasses, and Googles attempt at a similar concept years ago, Augmented Reality will soon become Mixed Reality. However at this time, there are still distinguished differences when it comes to mobile affordances.
Augmented Reality overlays digital information on real-world elements using a mobile device like a phone or tablet. Mixed Reality brings together real world and digital elements by means of a headset.
I was fortunate enough to try the Microsoft HoloLens when it was first developed, and seeing how my immediate reality became an immersive detective game where I had to solve the murder that was committed on my friends couch, immediately transported me to another world of possibilities. When I studied VR design at BCIT, we programed our experiences for the HoloLens and learned about some of the technological developments that were taking place in their institution. In the nursing program, the HoloLens is utilized to create simulations on the birthing dummies to develop other problems that could occur during labor. Patients could come in with drastic wounds, birthing complications, or heart and lung conditions, all simulated through the immersive experience in the HoloLens. The capacities of the HoloLens are limitless and the integrated methods of interaction are flawless. However, this is mixed reality, not augmented reality.
My favorite AR application is Minecraft AR. I have used Minecraft in my teaching practice for years, and the projects that the students develop truly amplify learning to a whole new level. This application allows anyone to create a world, object, or art display, then attach it to a ‘location’, making it public and visible to others who wander and explore. This application is similar to Pokemon Go, where you have to walk around to discover new artifacts. Students who had powerful enough mobile devices could now build gallery exhibits or immersive walkthrough projects, extending their learning to their space as well. I’m also a lover of Aria, which is an AR escape room you can do anywhere. (I’m addicted to escape rooms… so I’m always looking for new ways to do them) If you haven’t tried this one yet, give it a shot!
With more connections to AR/MR/VR and more individuals seeking these technologies, my never ending concern as an educator is the lack of presence in our day to day lives as now we have a secondary filter blocking us from being present in our daily lives. My students wanted to spend more time examining the artifact on their screen than engaging with their peers around them. The world becomes much more stimulating and experiential when we use these technologies and the addiction factor is remarkable. Additionally, the nonstop problem of accessibility and cost comes into play. While there are endless ways AR enhances learning, many students cannot afford the necessary mobile technology and schools do not have the budgets to purchase these types of devices for learning.
I could go on and on about this subject, but I’m happy to see from your Movable Feast how many technologies are coming to surface in so many different contexts and industries. I enjoy the discord channel, “Educators in VR”, which features a sub channel on AR and all of the latest technology developments and releases that are occurring in the world of education. They feature regular seminars, discussions, and panels for people to engage in the latest developments. If this is a field where you would like to learn more, check out this channel to see how AR/MR/VR are being used in Education today.
I certainly agree with your concerns regarding accessibility. I’m not a “phone” person, really, and my technology reflects that; as such there are a lot of potentially fascinating AR apps that I’d need to upgrade to install. Not the end of the world for an old guy like me, but problematic for students who need to access this week’s Augmented Lesson.
This is brilliant! I look forward to implementing more augmented reality into my daily routines!