Augmented Human: How Technology Is Shaping the New Reality

“The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed." William Gibson.& the future of computing is Augmented or Mixed Reality, depending on the POV(s) of the experts and/or companies with the greatest stakes and commitment to one or more of Reality tools/platforms/technologies (AR, MR, VR).Dr. Helen Papagiannis has been a pioneer, evangelist and innovator in AR for over a decade. Her Ted Talks have been engaging,, dynamic and illuminating --- Dr. Papagiannis really conveys her passion for AR and it is contagious.Pokemon Go swept the nation with Augmented Reality hunts and contests last year. Apple and Google recently released ARKIT and ARCORE, and mobile AR is poised to cross the chasm from early adopters to early majority to everyday mobile users."Augmented Human" is the best AR book I've read. Dr. Papagiannis delineates the origin/creation story of AR and its path onto our smartphones with detailed use cases, inflection points, innovations and presents an array of current and future uses in storytelling (books, films, art), healthcare, design, travel, translation, enterprise and education,"Augmented Human" is the perfect title, as the book comprises chapters that reflect how AR can amplify humans' abilities and senses, including sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and it provides examples of products and offerings that are creating this "new wave of reality", as expressed by Dr. Papagiannis.Many of the stories within the book are spectacular. The reader gets an insider’s view into newly launched offerings What I found most exciting are the referenced storytelling possibilities and projects, as well as the technical innovations that have crystallized to make the unseen become visible and contextually relevant,I wish this book would have been available when I created a pilot AR project with libraries to enhance participation and engagement with members and citizens.Dr. Papagiannis references the early film, "The Man With a Movie Camera", made by Dziga Vertov, a progenitor of the radical "new wave of reality" filmmaking. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the film has risen up the critical ranks of influential and important films, as recently was selected as the 8th greatest film of all time by "Sight and Sound"."Augmented Reality" is an entertaining and informative book well suited to persons just interested in Augmented, Mixed and Virtual Reality, artists and filmmakers, designers and architects, students and industry mavens.

As an AR startup founder and VentureBeat writer, I found this book to be immensely valuable. Dr. Papagiannis does a great job breaking down complex themes related to spatial computing and lets us know why we should care about this emerging medium.This book is useful for those of us already working in AR because it provides clear explanations and narratives about how AR will impact our daily lives and society at large. This has been massively helpful for when I'm discussing the promise of AR to people who aren't working in this space and are unfamiliar with some of its core concepts.Simultaneously, "Augmented Human" is also an informative and eye-opening read for newbies who want a crash course in AR's evolution, where the tech stands currently, and where things are headed.The past 30 years of computing have revolved around 2D screens on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, upon which we've used interactions like tapping, pinching, swiping, and clicking. However, once we move into AR smart glasses and interact with technology in a 3D spatial medium, how will things change? How do we create best practices for this new paradigm? What do we need to know to succeed and thrive as pioneers in this space?Upon starting "Augmented Human," I came equipped with these questions, among others, and felt these questions were answered phenomenally. Upon finishing the book, however, I left with the impression that as we move forward in forging AR and spatial computing into existence, it will be increasingly important for us to be asking the right questions about how the medium should evolve - in addition to trying to find the right answers.This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the future of computing, both at a high level and in terms of how it will affect them personally.

Wow just wow. What a way to start off enjoying my Labor Day weekend with a BANG! Thanks to “Augmented Human” by Helen Papagiannis, Ph.D.Still smiling with excitement over the power of AR which goes beyond the visual overlay. Its all about the experience and the problem solved by AR.Key 🔑 InsightsThe best technology is invisible. It just lets me get on with my life.When an interaction with technology is as it should be, the user is not there as an equipment operator, but as a human being. She is not walking down the street operating technology, but with the intent to go to work, or get fresh air, or exercise.Technology designed developed to meet the special needs of everyone is practical for everyoneEnsure experience to be accessible and helpful to as many people as possibleWho will be authoring this new reality? Will it be individuals, corporations, or groups of people?Does the technology drive the storytelling? Or does storytelling drive the technology?To use Oliver’s terms, will we be part of a read-write environment, or read only?How do you create a world without limitaions? WOW 😲 🎤 drop

This isn't your standard Augmented Reality read with a ton of jargon and stale explanations. Helen proves to have such deep expertise, yet a fresh, positive POV on where it will all end up. She pushes past the shiny-object syndrome and paints a world where we'll enter a new realm of storytelling.It's the perfect balance of informative and inspirational, and speaks to how WE as humans will react, adapt and live in an Augmented Reality world. A must read, you won't be disappointed.

Thank you for writing the book! This book is amazing:)I am working in AR industry for years and I came across my friend's news feed talking about this book on LinkedIn. I read it and found out that this book is professionally written and full of great concepts. I purchased it and started to talk about this book on my LinkedIn XR Talk show. Great reference for people who want to get in XR industry! Highly recommend!

If you want to know how AI is shaping our world and what the future holds, Dr Papagiannis tells it in a captivating, informative way. Highly recommend.

Il libro è di un inglese abbastanza comprensibile e più che parlare di progetti dell'autrice, ne raccoglie di svariati che ha avuto modo di conoscere, leggerne e fare anche prove dirette. Alcuni aprono decisamente la mente su quante siano le possibilità date dalla tecnologia per il "potenziamento umano".Il difetto riguarda più che altro tutte quelle pubblicazioni che trattano di tecnologia, essendo del 2017 oggi risulta in alcune sue parti molto invecchiato, facendo riferimento a progetti che non hanno avuto più seguito o sono stati sostituiti (ad esempio project Tango).Resta comunque una buona panoramica tra le più recenti. Necessiterebbe di una nuova edizione aggiornata, anche se temo che si farebbe prima a scriverne un altro.

As a software developer it is sometimes easy to get lost in the myriad of technical articles and the minutiae of specifications and implementation details. Augmented Human is the perfect tonic for that!Helen Papagiannis has done a great job with this book. It is small but it is mighty. Packed with useful and relevant content. Straight to the point.The aspect that I like the most about the book is that it deals with the human factors of AR; the holistic potential of Augmented Reality as a solution to human problems. Of course technology powers all of this but this is not a technical tome, a history of AR, or a scientific deep dive into how AR works. There are plenty of other books available that do that.I won't give away the contents of the book in this review, but I will say that after reading it I felt empowered to research some of the people, projects and ideas that were discussed. For example, @neurable (neuro tech for Augmented and Virtual Reality), or Doppler Labs Hear Now ear buds.I genuinely learned a lot! As a relative newcomer to the field, many examples I had seen of AR were purely visual. Augmented Human discusses AR as an embodied multi-sensory experience.This was the lightbulb moment for me. It connected the dots.As an aside, I have found the Augmented Reality community, especially on Twitter to be very welcoming and engaging. They are always open for discussion and receptive to questions. None more so than Helen Papagiannis.I read this book as a software developer and immensely enjoyed it. It is important to say though that this book does not get bogged down at all in technical detail. It is more than suitable reading for non-technical managers, AR enthusiasts, or people that just want to know where Augmented Reality is going and how it relates to us as humans.Read it. I know I will be re-reading it soon :)

The implications for this technology are so fundamentally massive, that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg...in the distance! Helen does an incredible job focusing on the value of humans and how technology can increase our humanity - connection, creativity and (dis)abilities! As an XR consultant, this book refreshes the heavily technological industry with what it means to be human.Spoiler Alert: AR is so much more than what you thought it was!

Some marvellous stories of using technology for good to enhance our human beings