Augmented reality on UK TV

[P3D Peter Homer <P.J.Homer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Last night (28/10/96) the UK science programme "Tomorrows World " had a
feature om what is called " Augmented Reality". This was a virtual reality
set up with the addition of two small video cameras on top of the headset
allowing stereo virtual reality  and "real" reality to be mixed. For
example the presenter placed a large ball bearing in front of herself on a
table in reality and then the virtual reality morphed it into a shiny
metallic looking teapot. The feature had been advertised since last weeks
programme as providing X ray vision but what they actualy did was combine a
real view of a pregnant patient and an ultrasound display of the foetus
which I suspect was not stereo . The TV viewer only got one half of the
pairs of course but I videoed it in case you ever saw a side by side view
which happens sometimes. At one point you could see a pair of side by side
monitors which may have had both views but you never got a head on view to
enable them to be free viewed.
  It seems to me that it would be easier to have the virtual views
reflected in semi-silvered mirrors or use LCD displays to allow the real
and the virtual worlds to blend like this.        P.J.Homer
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