27 April 2021

Applied Sciences 2021 Article

Yesterday a co-authored scientific paper was published at the Special Issue Extended Reality: From Theory to Applications, Applied Sciences, sponsored by MDPI. The paper is entitled “Color Harmonization, Deharmonization and Balancing in Augmented Reality”. In this paper, we propose a set of novel methods based on the color harmonization methodology to recolor augmented reality content according to the real background. Three different strategies are proposed including harmonic, disharmonic, and balance. They allow for satisfying different needs in different settings depending on the application field. The first approach aims to harmonize the colors of virtual objects to make them consistent with the colors of the real background and reach a more pleasing effect to a human eye.

The second approach can be adopted to generate a set of disharmonious colors with respect to real ones to be associated with the augmented virtual content to improve its distinctiveness from the real background. The third approach balances these goals by achieving a compromise between harmony and good visibility among virtual and real objects. Furthermore, the proposed re-coloring method is applied to three different case studies by adopting the three strategies to meet three different objectives, which are specific for each case study. Several parameters are calculated for each test, such as the covered area, the color distribution, and the set of generated colors. Results confirm the great potential of the proposed approaches to improve the AR visualization in different scenarios.

More information:

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3915

26 April 2021

Collaboration between Machines and Humans Improve Accuracy

Pairing people with computers is getting easier. Accurate computer vision and image processing software programs are common in airports and other situations. Costs are dropping for consumer systems that read brain activity, and they provide reliable data. Working together can also help address concerns about the ethics and bias of algorithmic decisions, as well as legal questions about accountability.

In a scientific study, humans were less accurate than the AI but the brain-computer interfaces observed that the people were more confident about their choices than the AI was. Combining those factors offered a useful mix of accuracy and confidence, in which humans usually influenced the group decision more than the automated system did.

More information:

https://theconversation.com/humans-and-machines-can-improve-accuracy-when-they-work-together-112737

22 April 2021

AR Hair Consultation

Amazon announced a one-of-a-kind hair salon and styling center that employs the latest in augmented reality (AR) and point-and-learn technology to offer what the company promises is a next-generation hair care experience. One such technology-infused service is AR hair consultation. Before deciding on a look, customers can try on a variety of potential hair colors in real-time using an AR display. Based on the photos provided, it appears as though the company is using iPads to power its dedicated creative area.

Similar technology used before by a wide range of companies such as YouTube’s AR Beauty Try-On, which allows users to sample real makeup brands while enjoying select beauty vlogs. This opens the doors for AR-based paid collaborations between companies and creators while making it easy for viewers to try before they buy. Amazon Salon takes the concept a step further by integrating AR-functionality directly into its in-store experience.

 

More information:

https://vrscout.com/news/amazon-salon-sample-hair-color-using-ar/