Augmented reality is a relatively new type of technology being developed that aims to merge the view of real world environments with that of virtual computer generated imagery. This merged view is aimed to be generated in real time.
The current example of use in augmented reality technology would that of watching football games on TV where a yellow line appears along the first down in the football field on TV screens. The merging of the computer generated yellow line and the real world elements of the field and the players may be a simple example of such technology.
Other more advanced uses for augmented technology is being developed and may someday find themselves even in mobile phones. With advanced AR technology, information surrounding a person in the real world becomes more interactive and more usable.
In the future, AR technology may be used to provide digital information concerning a current real world environment. Devices may store information concerning places and objects in the real world environment that can automatically be retrieved once that object becomes visible to the user or the device in question.
In the future, employees passing through corridors may pass different doors. A special device may then be able to provide information about certain tasks they they need to accomplish and be alerted about them as they pass through offices of the people who might need them.