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Imagine navigating a complex building, such as an international airport terminal, without stopping to decipher signs, symbols, or other way-finding devices.
Or traversing a college campus without the aid of maps or directories. These are just a few of the mind-bending possibilities of the emerging technology of mobile augmented reality.
What is mobile augmented reality? Says Steven Feiner, a professor at Columbia University's computer science department, ``Augmented reality refers to the combination of real and virtual that assist the user in his environment.'' Typically, this involves a head-mounted display or eyepiece through which the wearer sees a computer projection of a virtual image superimposed on the real-world view.
Medical applications of such devices include displaying in a surgeon's eyeglasses a diagnostic CT scan image superimposed on the view of the patient...