In many hybrid systems for augmented reality, the user may wear special glasses or a headset that is not entirely opaque to the world of light. The user can see the physical world, but the headset can also display computer graphics over part or all of the field of view. Instead of blocking out the world, the computer writes over the world and therefore comments on and (in some cases literally) colors what the user sees.
The information is already there, hours of research and experimentation captured in a rendition we call objects. Everything the human race has ever invented carries in itself knowledge and information that can be parsed through computer vision. Instead of carrying special glasses or headsets, the users will have access to the information through devices we have recently grown accustomed to; mobile phones and pads. These devices already have access to the Internet, GPS, and built-in cameras, all which help the future of augmented reality.
In an educational form, students will be able to further explore objects and locations than what is visible to the human eye. Even in the case where the educator will lead the exploration, such as early implementation, students will be able to follow in the discussion by viewing what the teacher sets in front of them. The technology is already here and being used in such applications as restaurant finders on the iphone and android.
Even objects as books will be given new depths of information that they hold in their pages [see the video below]. Though in this case, the medium is not disappearing from the users perspective, it enriches the experience and enjoyment of the media itself. It furthers the understanding that former pages of text (or static digital text for that matter) would never be able to display.
Augmented reality is hypermediated, for it makes the user aware of computer graphics as medium, even if the goal is to keep the graphics and the external object in close registration. In this sense, augmented reality is the opposite of telepresence, although, like telepresence, augmented reality celebrates the reality of its own mediation, the power of computer graphics to act as objects in and therefore to affect the world.
The familiarity of computer graphics in today’s society makes the transition into augmented reality smoother and feel less artificial compared to actual reality. We see this happening in brand awareness and corporate identity. As consumers, we become accustomed to a particular icon representing a much larger company and associate even the color of a brand with a particular name. In the same sense, icons and graphics will have become so intertwined with reality, that the ability to tell the difference between augmented reality and reality will be grayed out, maybe eventually completely eradicated.
The future of augmented reality points us to the idea that education and knowledge that is already available in objects we come in contact will be able to be dissected in unforeseen manners.
Future Institution 