Patent attributes
A new interaction/input device for an augmented reality system is provided. In an augmented reality system using infrared video-based tracking, the interaction/input device is employed by placing markers, e.g., small disks, at a predetermined location in a scene viewed by a user which are augmented to simulate physical buttons. These augmented markers, as viewed through the augmented reality system, can then be physically manipulated by the user. The user will put their fingers on one of these markers, and in turn, the infrared video-based tracker will recognize this action and process it accordingly. The augmented reality system can also augment simulated menus in the user's view giving the user the necessary feedback for interaction. By exploiting conventional tracking technology, the interaction/input device can be implemented with minimal additional hardware and minimal additional processing required by the augmented reality system.