Blending the Real and the Virtual

Abstract

Some of the main constraints in computer-mediated information access accrued from the first mainframes up to the desktop computer, which can be characterized as a stable relationship between commodity, technology and user. With the advent of mobile computing technology the user has become increasingly independent from predefined working spaces and technical equipment. Mobile technologies and wireless access points have created a new field of communication and interaction among individuals towards ubiquitous computing. The first trials combining real and virtual world experiences in the late 1960’s (e.g. Sutherland’s “Head-Mounted Display”) opened up a new direction in researching the intro-, extrospective and interactive possibilities with computer technology in light of extending our perceptional apparatus. From the first developments of reality-enhanced concepts through graphics up to the present, a consistent development thread can be drawn including concepts of augmented reality (graphics enhanced by video, reality etc.) and mixed reality, mixing various proportions of virtual and real worlds.