Augmented Reality City Visits

Using a combination of personalised location-based services and augmented reality, in which multimedia content is superimposed and merged with real-time images, a team of European researchers and city authorities has created a device to bring a little movie magic to city visits by tourists, cinema lovers, inquisitive local residents and film professionals. The device, which resembles a pair of binoculars with an integrated camera and LCD screen, was tested in San Sebastián, Spain, and Venice, Italy, and is continuing to be developed with a view to creating a commercial product. It uses a hybrid tracking system to provide location-based information, and cities’ wireless communications networks to download and share multimedia content. Though smart phones incorporating features such as location-awareness and augmented reality applications have come onto the market in the three years since the CINeSPACE project began, researchers note that none offer the same immersive experience provided by a dedicated platform and device. Unlike staring at the small screen of a smart phone, the CINeSPACE device is held up to the eye like a pair of binoculars, allowing users to see multimedia content superimposed on a city scene, be it a popular shopping street or an historical square.

Users are guided around a city by an intelligent sensor-fusion system incorporating GPS, WLAN tags, inertia cubes and marker-less optical tracking. Personalised location-aware services tell them where to go and where to stand for the best augmented reality experience. And maps and other multimedia content are provided via a 4.5-inch augmented reality touch panel on the binocular device, with user preferences taken into account when selecting points of interest and content. The project partners say the device could be rented out by local tourism offices. Content may consist of video, photos or audio recordings, stored on a central server of the municipality and downloaded as required, and can come from a variety of sources, including the users themselves. The CINeSPACE system was tested in San Sebastián and Venice last summer, with trial users rating highly the overall concept of the system and the quality of the augmented reality content. Further work, aimed at addressing user feedback regarding the device and interface, has since led to a third prototype being developed by German micro-electro-optical device manufacturer and project partner Trivisio, which is planning to commercialise it.

More information:

http://cordis.europa.eu/ictresults/index.cfm?section=news&tpl=article&BrowsingType=Features&ID=91251