All posts by : Nicola Felicini

Augmented reality and virtual reality have been advancing rapidly, with each new release bringing exciting developments to the table. As someone who’s been researching AR and VR for a while now, I can say that there are some benefits of working with such cool technologies. For one thing, it’s easy to try out the newest gear from top companies.

Researching headsets makes it possible to get your hands on cutting-edge technology without breaking the bank. Even better, resellers are often happy to bring the latest products directly to you, so you can try them out in the comfort of your own workspace. Recently, I had the opportunity to try out the latest VR headset from Meta, the Quest Pro, as well as the Magic Leap 2 AR headset from Magic Leap. Both probably represent the state of the art in the two different technologies of augmented and virtual reality. It was exciting to see how these technologies are advancing, even though they still present a few flaws that make them far from ready for the mass market.

Starting from virtual reality, one of the evident improvements of the Meta Quest Pro from its predecessor, the Quest 2, is its enhanced comfort. This is thanks to the battery pack being moved to the back of the head, the compact lenses pack developed by Meta, and the cushions and spacers that make the headset light to wear. While the resolution remains the same as the Quest 2, the Meta Quest Pro features better screen technology (QLED) and a (usually expected) increase in memory and storage. The new sensors, especially face and eye tracking, are incredibly interesting for remote collaboration applications and can really enhance the immersion of your peers in the so-called metaverse. The addition of RGB pass-through cameras is also a huge plus, as the previous model only had grayscale cameras.

However, there are a few drawbacks to be aware of. The pass-through video quality is still quite raw and doesn’t seem to be suitable for prolonged use in XR mode. It’s more useful for quickly checking the surroundings while developing. Another drawback is the battery duration, which doesn’t seem to last much more than a couple of hours during intense usage. Even keeping it plugged in, the battery doesn’t seem to charge fast enough to forget about its charging status. This can impede prolonged demo sessions and break the developing flow.

A final note about the recent price drop (~30%) of the model, whose reasons are unclear. On the one hand, it could be a strategic move to shake up the market, increase sales and gain market share. On the other hand, it could be an attempt to give away models before the release of the future one later this year. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that the VR market is incredibly competitive and moves at a rapid pace. For early adopters who paid the full price for the device, this drop might be frustrating. But for those looking for a deal, could be an excellent time to get a quality product at a lower price point.

Moving into augmented reality. The Magic Leap 2 it’s incredibly light and comfortable to wear. This is a huge plus for anyone who plans to use the device for extended periods of time, especially in a work-related context. But the most impressive feature of the Magic Leap 2 is its field of view. This has long been a bottleneck for AR devices, but the Magic Leap has managed to dramatically increase it. The device now covers all the space within the frame of the goggles, eliminating the “window effect” that previously made the AR experience less convincing. Additionally, the dimming function is a surprising feature that occludes the lenses with a black filter, making the device almost like a VR headset when activated. The dimming function has a ‘segmented dimming’ option which works only behind the virtual object visualized. It aims to remove transparency of the AR content, which is the second barrier to a perfect AR experience. While giving kudos to the company for the ground-breaking feature, it isn’t accurate enough to follow the object’s boundaries, resulting in a dark aura that isolates the object from the context. Finally, the image quality of the trial apps, in terms of resolution, texture, and lighting quality, was not as impressive as I expected in terms of realism. Despite this, the Magic Leap 2 is a big step ahead in the AR market and the newly introduced features look very promising.

From the comparison of the latest models, VR emerges as a more mature technology. AR is still in earlier stages of development, even though progressing very fast. The recent news that Apple has postponed indefinitely the launch of their AR headset is a testament to the difficulties inherent in creating convincing, high-quality, mass-market-ready AR glasses. This news shows two things: firstly, the fact that they postponed and not canceled means that it is still appealing and there are market applications to be seized. Secondly, it is evident that technological breakthroughs are still required to reach the level of readiness required for the mass market. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for both VR and AR.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are independent and purely personal from the author. The author has not received any funding or other incentives from the companies producing the products described in this post.

Introduction

The abilities to represent and simulate have always given humankind terrific support for taking decisions. The representation of space, for instance, has been one of the most important inventions of human history. Maps still allow humans to explain and navigate the world they live in.

Architecture is one of the fields that gained more from those abilities given the complexity and costs involved in the matter, and the related critical decisions. The capacity to represent space has evolved along with technological advances. The dawn of computer graphics replaced handmade scale models and graphical representations with digital tools that allow a more accurate, fast, and flexible representation and simulation. Rapid-growing technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have huge potential in the representation of spaces and in informing the decisions related to them.

The case study

A case study conducted by Bianconi et al. (2019) explored the potential of VR technology for decision-making in construction from the double perspective of the designers and the occupants of the space.

In the study, an office building was reproduced in a virtual space and made explorable using VR headsets (Figure 2). A series of experiments involved several participants which were asked to perform orientation tasks in the virtual building. The tasks required to find and reach specific rooms and to estimate their position within the facility. Collected data included the orientation success rates but also tracking of the movements of participants in the building (Figure 3) and their gaze point (where the user was looking). This information has been used to understand where the occupants got lost and where they were looking for orientation cues to reach the objectives. The data allowed to spot critical design issues and failures in the wayfinding system.

A renovation proposal has been developed and modeled in virtual space addressing the weak points that emerged from the first round of experiments. The refurbished virtual facility has then been tested in VR using the same protocol and collecting the same type of data (Figure 4). Results revealed an increased success rate of orientation tasks and less bewilderment for the participants.

 

What have we learned?

Even in this case, the representation and simulation capacities proved to be efficient tools in informing and taking decisions. The advantages of representation, enhanced by the digital nature of this one, allowed data collection in a controlled and controllable environment.

Considering the inconveniences of testing inside an operating building or the costs of building a mock-up or the proposed renovation, the amount of work appeared negligible compared to ‘real’ test options. Virtual reality has been confirmed to be a cost-effective way of running complex spatial simulations.

Another relevant aspect of the case study was the interaction between the human and the digital environment. The value of the case was not in the representation and simulation of the building but in the interaction between it and the occupants. Wearable digital tools like VR allowed a closer look at what decisions occupants took (movement tracking), which information they needed and where they looked for them (eye-tracking). As this case exemplifies, wearable technologies can constitute means of access for humans to the digital realm (and vice-versa), enabling new ways of interaction between the ecosphere and the infosphere.

What’s next?

With the diffusion of digital tools, we are assisting in a progressive ‘democratization’ of them. At the time of the study, the simulation presented required intense modeling work and knowledge of specific software and techniques. Current trends in building design tools allow real-time immersive simulation as the building gets ‘drawn’. In opposition to the simplification ad diffusion of digital tools, we need to clarify their actual potential and when they are worth the investment. In the presented case, which design decisions have been taken following the architect’s experience and which are derived from the simulation in the digital environment? A comparative study with analog design techniques could elucidate these aspects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other question that emerged from the study, is how much reality there is in digital reality? In other words, how applicable are the results obtained in a virtual environment, in the real world? Would those occupants take the same decisions in the real building? How much does the level of immersivity affect the behaviour? Again, a comparative study could help identify the weight of these factors.

Investigating the potential of digital simulations and their relationship with the real world are promising research directions that will acquire importance as digital tools and virtual experiences progressively gain ground in our daily lives.

 

Source: Bianconi, F., Filippucci, M. and Felicini, N., 2019. IMMERSIVE WAYFINDING: VIRTUAL RECONSTRUCTION AND EYE-TRACKING FOR ORIENTATION STUDIES INSIDE COMPLEX ARCHITECTURE. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing & Spatial Information Sciences.

In 2007, when only a few had a smartphone in their hand, humanity stored a hundred times more information than twenty years before [1]. More impressive is that 90 percent of that data was generated in the two previous years [2]. The pace is only accelerating. By 2025 the figure is expected to reach 463 billion or GB generated every day! [3]. This avalanche of data comes from the digitalization of our societies. We started by making our phones smarter, now we are making cities smarter.

A smart city is a technologically modern urban area. It uses a large number of sensors to collect information about buildings, assets, citizens, and devices. In return, this data is used to manage resources and services more efficiently. The concept couples with the so-called Internet of Things (IoT). The same concept but applied to a smaller scale, typically to an electronic device or a group of them. With the progressive diffusion and capillarity of connectivity, the distinction between the two might fade, leaving space for a unique network of connected assets.

The tendency of coupling digital data with real entities is already present in specific sectors. Modern buildings are digitally built using accurate 3D models before the first brick gets leaned down. The same happens with complex industrial machinery like jet engines. Digital copies of patients are being studied for healthcare applications. These ‘digital twins’ are created to collect and store data: health changes of patients, performance statistics of an engine, and energy consumption of a building. The objective is always the same: to enhance knowledge, optimize resources, and prevent failures.

Some examples of connected assets aimed to make cities smarter can already be seen around. Navigation systems already suggest the shortest route given the status of traffic. The combination of this capability with autonomous driving and different ownership models (car sharing) seems a promising solution to traffic congestion. Barcelona, Manchester, Prague, and Melbourne are experimenting with connected bins to communicate how full they are and optimize trash collection. In the Netherlands, millions of smart meters have been installed to respond to surges or reductions in demand, increasing reliability and cutting costs. The states of New York and Norway are experimenting with intelligent public illumination that allows the lights to be adjusted based on real-time data.

However, smart city development is still an infant with different cities at different maturity. Digitization of cities is an impelling challenge given their importance for the future. According to the UN, by 2050 seven people out of ten will live in cities [4].

Facing this perspective of pervasive digitisation and massive urbanizaton, we need to re-imagine the way we interact with urban areas and information, to get the most out of these ‘data cities’.

For decades we relied only on screens and buttons. A first change happened with the graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and the commercialisation of the mouse in the 1970s. The advent of smartphones brought touchscreens that we can tap and swipe. Cutting edge technologies like computer vision for gesture recognition, ultrasounds for mid-air haptic and wearable sensors promise to make the touch unnecessary soon. While waiting for Elon Musk to directly connect our brain to computers, augmented reality (AR) is the step further to remove barriers between digital and physical worlds.

Augmented reality enhances the physical world by overlaying digital information in our field of vision. A recent study in the UK reports that only 11% of smartphone users are believed to have experienced AR [5]. This data is in contrast with the hundreds of millions of augmented pictures shared daily on social media [6] or the success of apps like Pokémon Go or Ikea Place (yes, they are all examples of AR). This unconsciousness highlights how AR is more diffused than we might think. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple compared the phenomena to the diffusion of apps. When the App Store went live in 2008 people were skeptical, saying: “mobile apps are not going to take off. And then, step by step, things start to move… and now you couldn’t imagine your life without apps. AR is like that. It will be that dramatic” [7].

Even if awareness is currently low, people will progressively expect to access additional layers of content on the surfaces around them [8]. This will change our relationship with the built environment. Every object and building will become a potential trigger for digital content, which will be proactively suggested to the users at the right moment.

On top of the brick-and-mortar cities, we walk every day, we’ll see pop-up advertisements from brands, emergency alerts from authorities, service communications from institutions, and entertainment content during events. It will also work the other way around as AR will give “a face” to the smart city. Citizens will be able to upload information, report problems, and communicate with institutions from wherever they are. All things we get already, but done through the ‘diffused app’ the smart city will be; in a more frictionless, flexible, and natural way.

References:

[1] 2011, Hilmert, M & Lopéz, P. The World’s Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information. Science.

[2] 2018, Bernard Marr. How Much Data Do We Create Every Day? The Mind-Blowing Stats Everyone Should Read. Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/05/21/how-much-data-do-we-create-every-day-the-mind-blowing-stats-everyone-should-read/?sh=72c0153d60ba

[3] 2019, Desjardins Jeff. How much data is generated each day? World Economic Forum. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/how-much-data-is-generated-each-day-cf4bddf29f/

[4] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2018). The World’s Cities in 2018—Data Booklet (ST/ESA/ SER.A/417).

[5] Layered survey. April 2018, n=1000 UK.

[6] Snap Inc. Data Q3 2017.

[7] Griffin, A. (2017). Apple’s Tim Cook on iPhones, Augmented Reality, and How He Plans to Change Your World. Independent [online], 10 October 2017. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/apple-iphone-tim-cookinterview-features-new-augmented-reality-ar-arkit-a7993566.html (accessed 14 Aug 2022).

[8] Mindshare Futures (2018). Layered. Available at: https://d2j4z507ms5wl7.cloudfront.net/zappar_mindshare-layered-report.pdf.