1. By Timothy Dedeaux

2. Augmented Reality is the overlay of computer- generated media andinformation onto a videofeed of the real world. 3. The most familiar, and one of theoldest, version of AR is the heads-up displaymost often used in aircraft. The heads-up display provides real-timeinformation about the aircraftsspeed, heading, and condition to thepilot, without obscuring the pilots view ofthe sky beyond. 4. The 2002 film adaptation of Phillip K. DicksMinority Report, starring TomCruise, featured near-ubiquitous use ofaugmented reality, including interactivepersonalized advertisements overlaid over thereal world. The ongoing Japanese anime series Ghost inthe Shell also features augmented reality. Inthis series, characters access the Internetwirelessly through augmented realityinterfaces. 5. MIT, Harvard, and the University of Wisconsin atMadison have developed the HandheldAugmented Reality Program (HARP), using ARgames to teach math and science skills tostudents in middle school http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=harp Britains Connected Education has createdsoftware converting PlayStation Portable devicesinto Augmented Reality machines. http://www.computeractive.co.uk/computeractive/news/2256084/playstations-augmented-reality 6. Beyond Reality has registered http://www. augmented-reality-games.com/ and begunwork on markerless AR (and have postedseveral concept videos) The number of AR games are increasingrapidly, and this site lists the ten with thegreatest technical and imaginative potential:http://gamesalfresco.com/2008/03/03/top-10-augmented-reality-demos-that-will-revolutionize-video-games/ 7. PDAs and Smart Phones (ApplesiPhone, Google Phones, etc) are the primarywidespread tools for accessing AugmentedReality content. In laboratory and academic settings, userscan use cutting-edge wearable AugmentedReality goggles and cameras, allowing themto see the augmented images directly, ratherthan on a small screen. 8. The technology is fast becoming available toallow the general public to view AR directly. Brother is unveiling a wearable RetinalImaging Device (glasses that project imagesdirectly into the wearers eyes).http://www.brother.com/en/news/2008/rid/ Hunters Specialties i-Kam Xtreme sunglassesinclude a built-in videocamera. Combining the two technologies would allowfor commercial, wearable AR access. 9. Widespread AR use could lead to embeddedtourist or historical information, accessiblesimply by looking at the correspondinglocation. A viewer could access restaurantreviews simply by looking at the outside ofthe restaurant, or could have a virtual tourguide to wherever they happen to be. Industrial uses are widespread. Frommanufacture to maintenance to training, theability to access reference materials handsfree at any time could be extremely valuable. 10. Augmented Reality field trips Scavenger Hunts in which the studentssearch a physical area for embedded virtualclues Educational AR games that can be playedanywhere. These can be solo games, butthey can also involve cooperation andcompetition between massive numbers ofplayers/learners. Collaborative AR classroom projects