Improving Our View of the World: Police and Augmented Reality Technology

We live in a rapidly changing society that is driven by higher and higher levels of technological advancement. New technologies are creating greater and more powerful capabilities for humanity, offering opportunities for change that are fundamentally deeper than additional hours of relaxation and greater economic prosperity. New capabilities are changing the way people view the world and their place in it. One of the 21st century’s emerging and potentially powerful technologies is Augmented Reality (AR). Sports fans view one popular use of AR technology each weekend: the major networks augment their coverage of professional football by superimposing yellow “first-down” lines over the gridiron. While not interactive, this is AR in its simplest form. Advanced AR overlays virtual (computer-generated) images onto a person's real-world field of vision or into a real-world experience in a way that improves and enhances the ability to accomplish a wide variety of tasks and assignments. Situational awareness is greatly improved, theoretically allowing one person equipped with AR technology to do the same amount of work as three unequipped individuals.