| This thesis investigates the technical possibility and human factors associated with dynamic contextualization using Augmented Reality technologies. Dynamic contextualization, a new term developed during this research, goes beyond traditional context-aware computing. Dynamic contextualization not only discovers and utilizes context information as a factor in the user interface design, but also modifies context using augmentations and diminishments, virtually contextualizing real object with virtual objects that have connections to the real object. Dynamic contextualization is a new method of human computer interaction. Since the context setting can be manipulated by dynamic contextualization, people's perspectives of the real world can be directed and influenced.; Further more, this thesis discusses the application of employing context-aware computing into Augmented Reality systems. Context-aware augmented reality systems can selectively provide more relevant information to users so that the augmentations are more meaningful and useful without disturbing users with excessive information. In addition to providing more relevant information, context-aware computing also provides augmented reality system with more realistic blending if the geometry context and illumination context are taken into account. For example, the virtual elements will be more realistic if they can be lit and shadowed as if the light source was the same as that of the real world.; This research investigates the context-aware solutions and dynamic contextualization for augmented reality systems based on the PromoPad test-bed system an augmented reality powered shopping assistant. Several user studies conducted using the system demonstrate the effectiveness of dynamic contextualization.; This thesis first presents an overview of context-aware augmented reality technologies. Then the concept of dynamic contextualization is presented in detail. The thesis discusses the design of PromoPad, the test-bed system and user experiments and data analysis that illustrate the effectiveness of the device. |
