Tracking in unprepared environments for augmented reality systems

Many augmented reality applications require accurate tracking. Existing tracking techniques require prepared environments to ensure accurate results. This paper motivates the need to pursue augmented reality tracking techniques that work in unprepared environments, where users are not allowed to modify the real environment, such as in outdoor applications. Accurate tracking in such situations is difficult, requiring hybrid approaches. This paper summarizes two 3DOF results: a real-time system with a compass - inertial hybrid, and a non-real-time system fusing optical and inertial inputs. We then describe the preliminary results of 5- and 6-DOF tracking methods run in simulation. Future work and limitations are described. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. Al rights reserved.