Abstract
Although augmented reality (AR) research dates back to the early 1960s, the technology seems to have come to fruition only recently---nearly 50 years after its invention. Researchers have solved many technical challenges during that time, finally allowing practical access to this user interface. While early AR research focused on head-mounted displays and backpack computers, it now encompasses a variety of enabling technologies, including camera phones and other handhelds, advanced projector-camera systems, and AR-extended professional devices, such as x-ray scanners. It is this evolution that has finally made it possible to use AR in our daily lives. Although AR's practical applications have not yet reached the level that many people involved in the field have dreamed of, the number of these applications is steadily increasing. Beyond what has been published about AR in the scientific literature and the lay press, current research in the field poses some exciting questions: What's real about augmented reality? What role does it play for all of us today, and what impact will it potentially have on society in the future? Will there be a killer app for AR, or will the AR bubble finally burst? Currently, the areas in which AR seems to do very well include entertainment, education, advertising/marketing, and medicine. Where will it go from here?
