Mobile Augmented Reality Applications in Education

Background

This section will start with history of augmented reality and then continue with the emergence of mobile augmented reality. Finally, the development of mobile augmented reality for use in education domain is mentioned. Augmented reality is not a new concept. It has been used in different forms in many years. Augmented reality applications may vary from yellow first-down lines sketched over a televised football game to movies, event projector’s been used to project images on the top a real setting. Those are examples of virtual graphics being placed upon a real-life situation. Since augmented reality exists about a half-century, the ancestors of this technology can be accepted as virtual reality. Concept of virtual reality is firstly used in science fiction short story named “Pygmalion's Spectacles” in 1935 (Weinbaum, 2007) (Figure 1). In this story reality system is described as a holographic recording of imaginary experiences, including smell and touch.

Figure 1.

Pygmalion's Spectacles, idea of a pair of goggles (Virtual-Realms, 2016)

Later on in 1950s arcade-style theatre cabinet Sensorama which stimulate all the senses developed by cinematographer Morton Heilig. The Sensorama was able to display stereoscopic 3D images in a wide-angle view, provide body tilting, supply stereo sound also had tracks for wind and aromas to be triggered during the film (Rheingold, 1992). Morton Heiling next invited the first example of a head-mounted display (HMD) named Telesphere Mask (Figure 2). The headset provided stereoscopic 3D and wide vision with stereo sound.

Figure 2.

Morton Heilig’s Sensorama (Virtual-Realms, 2016)