Abstract

Technology to support situated collaboration has evolved rapidly in the last three decades. Interactive tabletops have proven to be effective in fostering collaboration. Albeit commerical availability, widespread adoption is hindered by high cost and lack of mobility. Research on augmented reality (AR) solutions with standard mobile devices augmenting traditional (e.g., paper-based) support in direct, physical contact has shown similar advantages. However, these setups rely on external devices with low mobility and availability. In this monograph, we evaluate 37 technologies for their potential to enable accessible localization of mobile devices. We do so through a systematic technology review drawing on a combination of a categorization of localization techniques and another taxonomy of physical phenomena, the resulting combinations of which we then identify in technological implementations and gradually filter with the requirements of affordable AR solutions for collaboration. Thus, our review does not only show what exists, but also what could exist for other contexts and our gradual filter approach can be considered a framework for conducting technological reviews in its own regard. Beyond this novel, actionable approach to technology reviews, we present the localization technology identified by this review for a prototype to support affordable, mobile collaboration. Finally, we demonstrate the suitability of this prototype in the context of two field studies and a science fair.

Localization Technologies for Affordable Augmented Reality Solutions on Flat Surfaces: A Systematic Technology Review

Technology to support situated collaboration has evolved rapidly in the last three decades. Interactive tabletops have proven to be effective in fostering collaboration. Albeit commercial availability, widespread adoption is hindered by high cost and lack of mobility. Research on augmented reality (AR) solutions with standard mobile devices augmenting traditional (e.g., paper-based) support in direct, physical contact has shown similar advantages. However, these setups rely on external devices with low mobility and availability.

In this monograph, 37 technologies are evaluated for their potential to enable accessible localization of mobile devices. This is done through a systematic technology review drawing on a combination of a categorization of localization techniques and another taxonomy of physical phenomena, the resulting combinations of which we then identify in technological implementations and gradually filter with the requirements of affordable AR solutions for collaboration. Thus, the review not only shows what exists, but also what could exist in other contexts and a gradual filter approach can be considered a framework for conducting technological reviews in its own regard. Beyond this novel, actionable approach to technology reviews, the localization technology identified in this review is presented as a prototype to support affordable, mobile collaboration. Finally, the suitability of this prototype in the context of two field-studies and a science fair is demonstrated.