**2. Augmented reality technology**

Augmented reality plays the role of the bridge that connects the digital and real world. It does not replace the physical world, as virtual reality does, but complements, expands and enriches the real physical environment with layers of computer-generated content. The technology provides interactive, accessible and digitally manipulative information about real objects. It transforms the way people interact with virtual content and creates the preconditions for engaging all human senses in perceiving the physical world.

Ref. [3] defines augmented reality as a system that:


Augmented reality enhances users' perception of and interaction with the real world. With technology, any real object can be enriched with additional information, which sometimes cannot be detected and perceived directly through the users' senses.

The term augmented reality was introduced in 1990 by Tom Caudell. The technology has already had a long history. In 1968, Ivan Sutherland invented the first

**15**

**Figure 1.**

elements.

reality.

criteria.

the goal in different ways.

*The Immersive Power of Augmented Reality DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92361*

opment and spread of augmented reality technology.

but are not able to perceive through their own senses.

**2.2 Types of augmented reality**

*Reality-virtuality continuum (adapted from [4]).*

head-mounted display model, which, despite its weight, is a step toward the use of augmented reality in the real world. In 1992, Luis Rosenberg created the first functioning augmented reality system Virtual Fixtures, designed to train pilots in the US Air Force. The commercial application of the technology dates back to 1998 with the introduction of yellow first down line. In 1999, Hirokazu Kato created ARToolKit-a library for developing augmented reality applications. In 2014, the launch of Google Glass set the era of the wearable devices, which gave a strong impetus to the devel-

**2.1 Augmented and virtual reality: common goal, different approaches**

The reality-virtuality continuum, proposed by Paul Milgram, is a continuous scale, varying between reality (a physical space with no virtual elements) and virtuality (a virtual space with no physical elements). The area between the two endpoints is mixed reality-a space where real and virtual objects are combined in different ratio. It is clear from the scale (**Figure 1**) that augmented reality is closer to the reality than to virtuality, since it is a physical space with integrated virtual

When discussing augmented reality technology, analogies are invariably made with virtual reality. The two technologies have a common purpose-to immerse users and give them a complete and real sense of the world around them, but they achieve

Virtual reality replaces physical world with a digitally created one. Users are completely immersed in the artificial environment and cannot see, feel or interact with the physical world around them. Virtual reality is one of the technologies ensuring that people are completely focused on situations in the digital world. But the technology detaches them from the physical world and is not possible to make a connection between what is happening in the digital world and the surrounding

Unlike virtual reality, augmented reality creates virtual objects that overlay the physical world and provide additional details for real objects. It allows users to be in touch with the real world and interact with real objects and people as well as with computer-generated content. The basic idea behind augmented reality is to immerse users in the physical world and give them more information about what they see,

There are different classifications of augmented reality according to various
