It's not just about
augmenting reality,
it's about augmenting humanity.
“This is the most comprehensive and useful guide into Augmented Reality I have ever seen. Not only did I learn a lot, I will apply it to our work.”
— STEFAN SAGMEISTER, DESIGNER AND COFOUNDER SAGMEISTER & WALSH INC.
Augmented Reality (AR) blurs the boundary between the physical and digital worlds. In AR’s current exploration phase, innovators are beginning to create compelling and contextually rich applications that enhance a user’s everyday experiences. In this book, Dr. Helen Papagiannis — a world-leading expert in the field — introduces you to AR: how it’s evolving, where the opportunities are, and where it’s headed.
If you’re a designer, developer, entrepreneur, student, educator, business leader, artist, or simply curious about AR’s possibilities, this insightful guide explains how you can become involved with this exciting, fast-moving technology.
EXCERPT FROM "AUGMENTED HUMAN”: FOREWORD
Why I Wrote This Book
Twelve years ago, I caught my first glimpse of the power of Augmented Reality (AR) as a new communication medium. It was pure magic: a virtual 3-D cube appeared in my physical surroundings and I was awestruck. The augmented cube demo wasn’t interactive at the time (it did nothing else other than appear), however, it ignited my imagination for how AR could grow and evolve. At that moment, I dedicated my creative work, research, and public speaking to the new experiences AR made possible.
I wrote this book because I began to witness a much needed shift from a focus on the technology alone to a push toward creating compelling content and meaningful experiences in AR. This book is about exploring those big ideas and the extraordinary new reality AR affords. Now is the time to dream, design, and build our wondrous future.
As AR advances, we must ask: How can we design AR experiences to enhance and make a user’s life easier and better? MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte said, “Computing is not about computers anymore. It is about living.” AR is no longer just about the technology, it’s about living in the real world, and creating magical and meaningful experiences that are human-centred. This book is about how AR will enrich our daily lives and extend humanity in unprecedented ways.
Who Should Read This Book
It’s not too often an entire new medium emerges. You should read this book if you’re a maker, a doer, and an explorer who is excited by creating a path where there is no trail, and want to contribute to this rapidly growing industry. You should also read this book as an informed consumer for a peek at the new experiences that will change the way we live, work, and play.
You are a designer, a developer, an entrepreneur, a student, an educator, a business leader, an artist, and a technology enthusiast curious about and excited by the possibilities AR presents. You are committed to designing and supporting AR experiences for the deepest of human values to have a profound impact on bettering humanity.
Augmented Human is available in 5 languages worldwide