Advantages of AR head-sets over smartphone or tablet PC based AR
say ‘Restaurants around’, and then wait for the
Using a smartphone or tablet PC to see AR informa-
cases, you also have to lay the smartphone flat
tion has a lot of advantages because smart phones
to prevent compass errors. In addition, distortion
and tablets are so widely used. Many users expe-
of the virtual layer in relation to the real world
rience an extra layer of information by scanning
makes smartphones insufficient for certain appli-
AR markers or by using GPS and compass informa-
cations.
tion on their location. This can link them to cul-
Head-set AR displays, on the other hand, permit
tural, historical or commercial information.
the user to see the real world in 3D, which en-
However, there are some disadvantages too.
ables the user to move around safely and to see
The screen size is very limited, even when using
and experience virtual reality at the same time.
an iPad or Android tablet. Moreover, smartphone-
The experience of a virtual layer when using AR
based AR requires that the user hold his phone
eye-wear is immersive, as we know from our ear-
at eye-level to position the phone between his
lier experiments with AR headsets in an exhibi-
eyes and the real world he is augmenting. This
tion in Milan, where we showed virtual furniture.
puts the user in a tiring pose that cannot be sus-
By designing the headset-frame properly, we can
tained and interferes with other activities such
keep occlusions to a minimal and maximize the
as walking around in a street finding historical or
user’s field of view. This allows the AR glasses
architectural information to insert into the AR
to be used hands free and lets the user do tasks
environment.
requiring both hands, as many people have seen
Another annoyance is the process of setting up
in the BMW commercial where a mechanical en-
an AR application via, for example, Layar. You
gineer is repairing a motor.
phone to get the correct information. In most
have to start up Layar, activate the application,
The CYBER-I BI-Ocular: the new professional AR headset The ARLab ordered the manufacturing and obtained the very first optical-see through headset from our partner CybermindNL.com, the CYBER-I BI-Ocular. This is an XSGA OpticalSee-Through AR headset with two USB 2 uEye LE cameras. It is about a factor 10 more expensive than Marty, but unlike Marty apt for the professional market. We are negotiating with business partners to bring a professional version of the software of Oytun Akman on the market for this headset. Contact info@arlab.nl if you have a business proposal. The CUBER-I BI-Ocular headset
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