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business setting. Often people mix up virtual reality and augmented reality so let's begin
first with clear definitions of those concepts as used in this chapter and for purposes the
ROTATOR model of virtual reality and augmented reality implementation.
One expert defines virtual reality as a “three-dimensional, computer generated simulation in
which one can navigate around, interact with and be immersed in another environment”
(Briggs, 1996). While this definition has been expanded over time to include spaces that are
less real in terms of mimicking the real world for business purposes, these business spaces
almost always mirror closely in some way a real world setting. Virtual reality, (Milgram &
Kishino, 1994) takes a computer-generated world and begins to immerse the user through
varying levels of “real” content (Hampshire, Seichter, Grasset, & Billinghurst, 2006) (Haller,
Billinghurst, & Thomas, 2007) (Ritsos, Ritsos, & Gougoulis, 2011).
As for augmented reality, various technologies have and continue to be developed that seek
to enhance a user's current perception of real world reality in varying degrees. Where
virtual reality attempts to replace the entire real world perception with a simulated one the
concept of augmented reality takes the user's unmodified or actual reality and begins to
infuse computer-generated elements into that real world reality (Alem & Huang, 2011). The
computer-generated elements in this environment then in effect 'augment' what the user
senses in their real world environment (Kroeker, 2010). So, for example someone working in
a design environment and as a support the person might see computer-generated materials
that are overlaid by computer projection into the client's landscape environment so the
client can see what it would look like if there were palm trees in the west corner of the
garden. The most common example of simple augmentation in fact is in TV sports casting
where the viewer of an American football game might see lines and graphics depicting the
ball placement or movement overlaid on the live TV feed from the game.
As computer graphics and generations become more sophisticated these augmentations are
becoming more and more sophisticated as well and are drifting closer to merging with the
virtual reality environment in a natural way. For example, as applications become mobile
there are new and more challenging options for the use of augmented reality. Some recent
examples of mobile applications that augment one's reality include Layar, a 'reality browser'
that retrieves point-of-interest data on the basis of GPS, compass, and camera view (Alem &
Huang, 2011). GraffittiGeo is another augmented reality application that lets users read and
write virtual Twitter-style comments on the walls of restaurants, movies and cafes (Kroeker,
2010). There are additional advanced uses of augmented reality being employed in design
and urban renewal work as well; allowing designers to literally sit together at a table and
manipulate and overlay computer generated materials and design drawings on say a real
world table in front of them using programs like ARUDesigner (Wang, 2009).
Additionally, the concepts of augmentation coincide with real-time presentation that is in
semantic context with the real world. So if we had a sliding scale viewpoint of these
concepts, we would see the real world reality on one end of the continuum—say to the left
with full immersive virtual reality worlds (we have not yet reached the capability to use
practically fully immersive virtual reality technologies) on the far other end of the scale—
say to the far right. Augmented reality would of course fall on that scale somewhere in
between but close to real world reality and relatively far away from the virtual reality side
of the scale at the other end. However, as augmentation develops it trends closer and closer
to the VR side of the equation. One challenge for planning implementation of VR worlds
