Page 9 - AeM_Sept_2017

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

hardware, camera and screen, as well as integrated On the other hand, since markers must be physically
localization technologies. Thanks to these technical present in the real world and can be shifted or altered
capacities, smartphones can be used as an ideal medi- to unintended positions, the abuse risk is high and
um for AR applications: The hardware, which means there are also limitations due to the high computing
the mobile device, is equipped with a software program, intensity for the analysis and recognition of the marker.
a so-called native application, that enables it to process Furthermore, there is high dependency on light condi-
and readout data that is accessed online. The camera tions and visibility of the marker - if this is hidden or not
acts as a viewing window and interface to the visualiza- visible, the AR application does not react. Therefore,
tion of AR in which the digital information is integrated marker-based AR is mainly used for the superimposi-
or superimposed live into the video image. tion of virtual 3-D objects in the visual field of the view-
er.
For the position finding of the user, so-called "markers"
are required which are equated with fixed points in the b) Marker-less AR
real world. They serve the orientation of the AR system
and trigger an action such as the insertion of a virtual The localization serves here as a trigger for the AR pro-
object. Since the referencing of the digital data can take jection, whereby the position data get determined by
place in different ways, in practice a distinction is made the satellite technology “Global Positioning System
between two types of AR: (GPS)”. This has the advantage that physical markers
do not have to be produced separately and that the AR
a) Marker-based AR device can both receive and set up markers.

This form of AR uses individually developed patterns or A disadvantage is that, in addition to the camera, a lo-
images. By means of image recognition, these are iden- calization technology (like e.g. GPS) is needed, which
tified by the AR application so that the associated con- may not have radio reception indoors or in enclosed
tent can be unambiguously assigned and visualized. spaces.
The spatiality of the representation is thereby produced
by the perspective and positioning of the marker. Clearly, both variants of AR have advantages and dis-
advantages and it is up to the advertisers to choose
The advantage of marker-based AR is the ease with what’s most suitable for them, depending on the objec-
which the markers are produced, since no additional tives of the campaign, the service, or content available.
markers are necessary when using existing images; The developments show that our users' and viewing
that AR devices need only one camera and no localiza- habits with hardware touchpoints will continue to
tion technologies and are generally location- change with visualizations and applications literally
independent, since the display can be individually set moving virtually into the free space, without taking the
by moving the marker. view of the real environment. ◊
By Daniela La Marca

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