Context-aware 3D visualization and collaboration services for ubiquitous cars using augmented reality

Abstract

Context-aware, ubiquitous computing is a vision of our future computing lifestyle in which computer systems seamlessly integrate into our everyday lives, providing services and information in anywhere and anytime fashion. Augmented reality (AR) can naturally complement ubiquitous computing by providing an intuitive and collaborative visualization and simulation interface to a three-dimensional information space embedded within physical reality. This paper presents a service framework and its applications for providing context-aware and adaptable 3D visualization and collaboration services for ubiquitous cars (U-cars) using augmented reality, which can support a rich set of ubiquitous car services and collaboration services for distributed maintenance and repair. It utilizes augmented reality for providing visual interactions by superimposing virtual models of car components or sub-assemblies onto real cars, which realizes bi-augmentation between physical and virtual models. It also offers a context processing module to acquire, interpret and disseminate context information. In particular, the context processing module considers user’s preferences for providing customer’s context adaptable services. The prototype system has been implemented to support 3D animation, text-to-speech (TTS), augmented manual, and pre- and post-augmentation services in ubiquitous car service environments.