A Taxonomy of Technology: Defining Augmented Reality

Abstract

This paper outlines a functional decomposition of Augmented Reality (AR), from both a technological and human factors perspective, with a view to providing a coherent and structured framework for its development and evaluation in the future. Without a formal framework to underpin the description and development of AR technology, confusion may arise in comparing systems and applications. The proposed framework allows for the user's capabilities to be described in all their sensory detail, which, in turn, furnishes the taxonomy with a power to account for these in the development of advanced technologies. This top-level analysis can then be decomposed into discrete elements representing the enabling technologies that make up a given AR domain. This provides a much richer descriptive power within the framework and consistent criteria for comparing systems, applications and indeed conventional human-computer interfaces with AR. Furthermore, as it is a ‘user-centred’ approach, the framework does not assume that visual augmentation is the only means of providing an AR facility. Implicit in the framework is the notion that AR can be delivered through other sensory augmentation, even if the technical means is not available at the moment. In this way, the taxonomy offers a concise and precise means of categorising the technology, understanding the application, and, ultimately, supporting the user of an AR system.