Augmented reality involves a combination of the real and the virtual to assist a user of such a system in his environment. It involves a combination of the graphics from a computer display or television screen integrated into the real-world environment. The line between what is real and what is computer-generated will be blurred. This relatively new technology is closer to the real world in that it integrates graphics, sounds, and even smells into the real world as it exists. In augmented reality the user can see the real world integrated with computer graphics. This is in contrast to virtual reality, the basic idea of which is to immerse a user inside a completely imaginary, computer-generated world. In augmented reality the real world is not replaced, it is "supplemented."

Video games have been a strong driving force in the development of augmented reality, but it has...