Augmented reality: pictures added to the real world
ICT P6 Term 1, Theme 1: pp. 18–21
GoalExplain what augmented reality is and say how it is different from VR.
New words
augmented reality (AR) · real view with computer pictures added on topcamera · a device that sees the real world for the computeroverlay · a picture or label placed on top of another viewreal world · everything around us that is not made by a computer
Explanation
Augmented reality, or AR, adds computer pictures to the real world. A camera looks at the room and shows it on a screen, and a program draws something extra on top of it. For example, a cube or a cylinder can seem to stand on your desk, or a picture of a sofa can seem to be in your living room before the family buys one. In AR you still see the real world, so it is different from VR, where the real room is hidden. Augmented means ‘made bigger’ or ‘added to’. AR can help a student learn a model of the heart by walking around it, or find the name of a star by pointing the screen at the night sky. Like VR, the extra pictures are made up, but the room, the desk and your hands are real. A grown-up can help with any device that has a camera.
camera sees the real desk→program adds a picture→screen shows both together
Worked examples
Jana points a tablet at the floor of her room. On the screen, a pretend sofa appears next to the real bed. She can check if it fits before her parents buy it.
In a science corner, Youssef sees a pretend heart floating above the table on the screen. When he walks round the table, he sees the heart from behind.
Nour is wearing a headset that hides the room and shows an ocean. Is that AR? No. The real room is hidden, so it is VR. If she could still see her room with a fish added, it would be AR.
Class activity
AR or not? Draw a table with two columns: ‘I can still see the real room’ and ‘The real room is hidden’. Put these in the right column: a pretend dinosaur on a phone screen in your yard; a walk through a museum with a headset that covers your eyes; a pretend cube on your desk seen through a tablet.
Practice
1
What does AR add to the real world?
Computer pictures.
2
In AR, can you still see the real room?
Yes.
3
Which picture shows AR? Say the letter.
A
B
a headset hides the room and shows a jungle
the screen shows your real desk with a pretend cube on it
B, the real desk with a pretend cube added on the screen.
4
Name one way AR could help you at home.
For example: seeing if a cupboard fits before buying it.
