Realizing a visual marker using LEDs for wearable computing environment

In order to utilize the real world via computers by means of camera images in augmented reality systems, the concise coordinate information of the systems must be identified. Image-based approaches are promising for this purpose since they provide direct mapping from the camera images to the coordinate system for virtual objects, and therefore, no camera calibration is necessary. However, the conventional image-based markers are typically stickers, and the information they deliver is limited and susceptible to change dynamically. In this paper, we propose a location marking method, called VCC (visual computer communication), which uses more intelligent markers. In our method, a marker, consisting of 16 LEDs (light-emitting diodes), keeps blinking to provide both coordinate information and attached information such as an address or a URL.