An annotated situation-awareness aid for augmented reality

Abstract

We present a situation-awareness aid for augmented reality systems based on an annotated "world in miniature." Our aid is designed to provide users with an overview of their environment that allows them to select and inquire about the objects that it contains. Two key capabilities are discussed that are intended to address the needs of mobile users. The aid's position, scale, and orientation are controlled by a novel approach that allows the user to inspect the aid without the need for manual interaction. As the user alternates their attention between the physical world and virtual aid, popup annotations associated with selected objects can move freely between the objects' representations in the two models.