The next problems to solve in augmented reality

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) is a growing phenomenon. We are on the verge of ubiquitously adopting Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to enhance our perception and help us see, hear, and feel our environments in new and enriched ways. AR will really change the way people see the universe. This paper provides a review on classification of different augmented reality challenges ranges from human factors to hard problem of law and policy which aims to explore new challenges and issues for the acceptance of AR technology.

Full text

THE NEXT PROBLEMS TO SOLVE IN AUGMENTED REALITY
Zunaira Ilyas Bhutta
University of Lahore, Gujrat
Campus
Department of Information
Technology
zunaira.ilyas@gmail.com
Syedda Umm-e-Hani
University of Lahore, Gujrat
Campus
Department of Information
Technology
hani_bt08115@yahoo.com
Iqra Tariq
University of Lahore, Gujrat
Campus
Department of Computer Science
Iqra.trq@gmail.com
Abstract—Augmented reality (AR) is a growing
phenomenon. We are on the verge of ubiquitously
adopting Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to
enhance our perception and help us see, hear, and feel
our environments in new and enriched ways. AR will
really change the way people see the universe. This
paper provides a review on classification of different
augmented reality challenges ranges from human
factors to hard problem of law and policy which aims to
explore new challenges and issues for the acceptance of
AR technology.
Keywords—Augmented Reality, Augmented Reality
technologies, challenges, AR acceptance
I. INTRODUCTION
A vision for augmented reality (AR) has been
around for decades. Augmented reality is a
technology in which computer generated objects or
elements are used to augment the view of real world
environment. Augmented reality has been around
since the 1960s. As AR takes ‘reality’ as a starting
point, then adding to it so we can say that it is a term
more strongly related to the term ‘reality ’than to the
term ‘Virtual reality’. AR is related to ‘mediated
reality’ between Virtual Environments and Real
world (Telepresence) [1]. Now, with the emergence
and dispersal of the Mobile AR and AR browsers,
people start to accept this different and exciting
character of human computer interaction. AR has
gained more research interest and a focus recently.
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)
tend to be fields that have a mass of differences; the
user is entirely immersed in artificial world in virtual
reality (VR) whereas in augmented reality (AR) a
computer is used to add cues to the already existing
real world. In augmented reality user can interact
with real world and can never cut off from the real
world. In contrast the users of virtual reality
completely immersed in artificial world [1]. AR not
only adds items in real world but also represents
useful digital information in real world [2].
II. DEFINING TECHNOLOGY VIRTUAL,
MIXED AND AUGMENTED
Augmented Reality (AR) can be define as a real-
time direct or indirect view of a physical real world
environment that has been augmented by adding
virtual computer generated information to it like
video, sound, graphics or GPS. In augmented reality,
the user interacts with the real world in a natural way.
By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world
with a simulated one. The augmented reality (AR) is
closer to the real world environment and augmented
virtuality (AV) is nearer to a virtual world. Milgram’s
Reality-Virtuality Continuum is defined as it covers
the real world and the virtual world that are
composed of both AR and AV [3].
More formally, augmented reality is also defined
by involving three characteristics [1]
a) the actual combination-state involving
virtual and real-world
b) interactive in real environment
c) Authorized virtual and real objects in 3D

These three characteristics provide a proper
definition of augmented reality.
AR adds computer generated items in real world
as well as also represents useful digital information in
real world. Augmented reality boosts the sense of
reality through laying virtual items over the real
world in real time [4]. AR is related to a mediated
reality, in which a computer system is used to modify
view of reality.
Recently AR has gained more research focus;
several meanings of AR are concluded by
researchers. AR is starting a new mode of interaction
with the environment and enhances a wide spectrum
of human activities economic, cultural, and social etc.
Augmented reality is now quite well consolidated and
supports the users in a wide range of applications. AR
technology, such as the Google Glass project [5] and
contact lenses by Innovega are opening exciting
scenarios [6].
The main components of augmented reality are
displays, tracking technologies, interfaces,
registration systems, hardware and software.
Augmented reality technologies, which are rapidly
evolving and becoming commercially available, will
create new challenges and limitations. Despite the
growing interest in AR and the large body of
advances and research, several challenges and issue
still exist and need to be addressed.
III. CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS OF
AUGMENTED REALITY
Augmented reality (AR) is a well-known
technology that can be utilized to provide mass-
market users a valuable and customizable support in
a large spectrum of personal applications, by
overlapping computer-generated hints to the real
world. One factor that influences the success of a
new technology is the acceptance by users. As this
field is expected to increase in importance
rapidly due to technological advancements and
research into functionality, acceptance and
usefulness, it is important to identify what the
basic limitations for AR acceptance by users . The
aim of this paper is therefore mainly concerned with
the challenges, limitations and issues that rise in the
acceptance of augmented reality by users.
These can be broadly divided into different
categories which are discussed as below:
A. Social Acceptance Challenges
Getting people to use AR may be more
challenging than expected, and many factors play a
role in social acceptance of AR ranging from
unobtrusive fashionable appearance (gloves,
helmets, etc.) to privacy concerns. These
fundamental issues must be addressed before AR is
widely accepted.
a) Natural Interaction
For social acceptance the user should have the
ability to interact with the system in a usual natural
mode. The unnatural interaction between the system
and user may create embarrassing situation in public
places, E.g If a person’s phone receives a massage
when he/she is in a public place it not only disrupts
the owner but also the other persons [2]. Augmented
Reality systems develop for mobile phones need to
be subtle, unobtrusive. Indeed, the main problem
with social acceptance comes from the level of
disruption portable devices create in public places
and during conversations.
b) Fashion Acceptance
To fill the gap from laboratories to the
commercial use of mobile AR system, there is a need
to overcome the fashion issues related to wearing
HMD or other transparent devices that users not want
to wear. Therefore, the mobile developers need to
notice the fashion trends as it may appear a big
hurdle to jump [4].
B. Technical Challenges
a) Hardware problems
The hardware used should be small, light, and
easily portable and fast enough to display graphics.
Also the battery life used by these complicated AR
devices is another limitation for AR’s uses.
Furthermore, there is an issue of camera quality in
mobile device. The imaging produce is sometimes
poor due to bad lighting and color fidelity [7].
Another issue is Sensor accuracy like GPS, compass
etc.
C. Visualization challenges
Visualization challenges include display issues
like contrast, resolution, brightness, and field of view.
Another visualization issue is occlusion, i.e. a process
which determines which surface or its parts are not
visible from a certain viewpoint [8]. For a realistic
view, correct handling of occlusion between virtual
objects and real world objects in the scene is
important [9].
a) Display Devices problems
TABLE 1. AR DISPLAY PROBLEMS
Problems in Augmented Reality Displays
Insufficient brightness
Wide Field of View
Camera’s Improper
resolution
Projection issues
Different field of view
Fatigue and eye strain
Distortions
color depth
Delay/latency
luminance
Line of sight
focus depth

Display
Visualization issues
Real objects are not
completely occlude by
virtual objects
system alignment is
inaccurate
for eye
Low brightness in Optical
and video see
-
through
displays
Unsuccessful user
interface interaction
system alignment is
inaccurate
for eye
Unsuccessful user
interface interaction
D. Tracking challenges
Tracking is another important issue in outdoor
AR. Tracking in unprepared environments remains a
challenge Some factors involved in most augmented
reality technologies are latency [10], noise and
orientation errors on tracking distant objects in
augmented reality [11]. Most portable computers
have only one CPU which limits the amount of visual
and hybrid tracking.
E. Recognition Challenges
A different problem for augmented reality objects
is the recognition of the boundaries between physical
world and the virtual world [12].
F. Environmental issues
Another problem is that a lot of environments
need to be prepared for working with augmented
reality. Markings are needed for the augmented
reality system to pick up certain locations [13]. Some
other environmental factors includes
xLighting and weather conditions
xThe color scheme and diversity of an
environment
xCamera quality and handling in bad lighting
conditions
xColor fidelity in outside environments
G. UX challenges of AR
This type of augmented reality limitations are
totally depend on user or either individual users
a) User Interface Limits
Different types of interfaces are used in
augmented reality depending upon the type of AR
application which causes different problems like
xData availability in an unsuccessful way.
xUser’s reports and queries not organized in
valuable way.
b) Interaction challenges
Interaction challenges refer to the interaction of
users with virtual and real objects at the same time.
Interaction uses various interfaces that may be
acoustic, haptic, tangible, gaze, or text-based through
which the user interacts with virtual objects.
Interaction Techniques and User Interfaces are still
problems which need to be solved [14].
c) Overload and over-reliance in Interfaces
User interface must also follow some guidelines
as not to overload the user with information while
also preventing the user to overly rely on the AR
system such that important cues from the
environment are missed [15].
d) Human Factors
These challenges are completely depend on
individual users like
xWeak Usability
xAdaptation
xFatigue and eye strain
H. Privacy Challenges
Privacy is one of the serious challenges in AR
acceptance that really needs to overcome
xLocation of user
xConfidential history of user especially in
medical AR systems.
There are also privacy issues. With improvement
in image-recognition software combined with AR
technology it allows user to point their phones at
other people, even strangers, and straightaway we can
see information from their Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn or other online profiles. While most of
these apps people willingly to put their information
online, it may be an unwelcome and unpleasant to
meet someone, who knows so much about your life
and background instantly.
I. Registration challenges
a) Latency or system delays
A large source of dynamic registration errors are
system delays [16]. Techniques like precalculation,
temporal stream matching (in video see-through
such as live broad-casts), and prediction of future
viewpoints may solve some delay.
b) Depth perception
One difficult registration problem is accurate
depth perception. Some additional problems
including accommodation vergence conflicts or low
resolution and dim displays cause object to appear
further away than they should be [17].
c) Alignment challenges
Alignment is concerned with a proper placement
of a virtual object to the real world objects. Incorrect
alignment may cause problems such as incorrect
rendering of information to the real world. This

misalignment is more severe in medical applications.
Alignment challenges include registration problems,
which is the most basic problem in AR [1].
J. Performance challenges
Performance issue is a major concern of mobile
AR. These challenges are concerned with real time
processing, responding and evolving with the change
of real world environment. Real time processing can
slow down the performance of augmented reality
applications [18].
K. Mobility Challenges
These challenges are concerned with the
portability of augmented reality systems. It should be
small and light so it can be used any -where. The best
augmented reality system will be portable outside a
controlled environment [1].
L. Portability and outdoor use
Optical and video see-through displays are
usually un-suited for outdoor use due to low
brightness, contrast, resolution, and field of view.
M. Usefulness
Most mobile AR application nowadays, only focus
on the technology itself and it lacks the user
experience elements, which has make it useless.
CONCLUSION
While augmented reality technology is still new,
it has already proved to be useful in many fields. As a
new interaction medium, AR requires strong
understanding of the users, expectations and needs. It
is important to get it right and make sure it adds value
to the user experience.
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