The concept of Virtual reality (VR) or the Augmented reality (AR) originated as early as 19th century and with the latter coming into more and more commercial aspect recently through the introduction of support with mobile phones, most widely used in small-scale gaming and entertainment predominantly. Augmented Reality which is still in its preliminary stages is tending towards a definitive revolution. Augmented reality by definition is the integration of digital information with the user’s environment in real time.
Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality uses the existing environment and overlays additional information on top of it.
The concept discussed here is about a visualization device or add-on based out of VR and AR as to how can we put it to good and ample use for visualization and also that of providing an augmented control for the industrial processes from a remote location with the help of these futuristic technologies along with the help of holograms as a further development.
The design of this product can be put in simple terms as it would consist of variable transceivers on both ends as the transfer of control signals (user control input) or data stream in the form of live stream video (holographic visuals) where the visuals can be provided with holograms clubbed with Virtual reality.
Typically, a hologram is a photographic recording of a light field, rather than of an image formed by a lens, and it is used to display a fully three-dimensional image of the holographed subject, which is seen without the aid of special glasses or other intermediate optics. The hologram itself is not an image and it is usually unintelligible when viewed under diffuse ambient light. It is an encoding of the light field as an interference pattern of seemingly random variations in the opacity, density, or surface profile of the photographic medium.
This flowchart describes a simple example or a representation as to how the concept works. First, the live relay would be streamed out and captured with the help of cameras. These would then be converted into a stream of signals and transferred to the end where the user is present. At the receiver end, as in where the AR device is present would be able to receive the signals and then convert it into live relay and would be visualised based on AR/VR technology. To give the visuals a bit more enhancement holograms are used, which could give a notch upward with 3D imaging and with AR controls. This will provide in marketing and remote controlling a particular process which would be of great help in industrial processes where high risks are involved.
The use of holograms in this could be of greater advantage as that could provide a 3D view of the visuals on a 2D surface and with the use of Augmented Reality concept, we can have control mechanism also incorporated. The concept suggested here would be in hand with Holoxica a model in Scotland which has holographic displays that take a computer-based 3D image and turn them into a digital hologram. Users can interact with and “touch” icons in space and draw in mid-air.
The core exciting feature of the concept suggested here would be how much it would improve the present remote-control concept of controlling a process which is via control signals alone and monitored only based on system outputs and variables which can be elevated to actual visuals with the controls further with Augmented Reality.
On application basis, this could be a great prospect in attracting customers and in marketing prospect with the feasibility enabled through the product by which they get a real-time experience of the industrial process from a different continent altogether.
