Next-generation augmented reality (AR) promises a high degree of context-awareness - a detailed knowledge of the environmental, user, social and system conditions in which an AR experience takes place. This will facilitate both the closer integration of the real and virtual worlds, and the provision of context-specific content or adaptations. However, environmental awareness in particular is challenging to achieve using AR devices alone; not only are these mobile devices' view of an environment spatially and temporally limited, but the data obtained by onboard sensors is frequently inaccurate and incomplete. This, combined with the fact that many aspects of core AR functionality and user experiences are impacted by properties of the real environment, motivates the use of ambient IoT devices, wireless sensors and actuators placed in the surrounding environment, for the measurement and optimization of environment properties. In this book chapter we categorize and examine the wide variety of ways in which these IoT sensors and actuators can support or enhance AR experiences, including quantitative insights and proof-of-concept systems that will inform the development of future solutions. We outline the challenges and opportunities associated with several important research directions which must be addressed to realize the full potential of next-generation AR.

翻译：下一代增强现实技术有望实现高度上下文感知——即对环境、用户、社会及系统状态的详细理解，这些条件构成了AR体验的载体。这种能力将促进真实世界与虚拟世界的更深度融合，并提供上下文相关的内容或自适应调整。然而，仅依赖AR设备本身实现环境感知尤其具有挑战性：这些移动设备对环境的观测不仅在空间和时间上存在局限，且其搭载传感器获取的数据常存在不准确和不完整问题。考虑到核心AR功能与用户体验的诸多方面均受真实环境属性的影响，这一现状促使我们利用部署于周边环境的泛在物联网设备、无线传感器与执行器，来测量和优化环境属性。本章节系统分类并审视了这些IoT传感器与执行器支持或增强AR体验的多种方式，涵盖了定量分析结论与概念验证系统，将为未来解决方案的开发提供依据。我们概述了若干重要研究方向所面临的挑战与机遇——这些方向必须得到充分探索，方能释放下一代AR的全部潜力。