Augmented Total Theatre: Shaping the Future of Immersive Augmented Reality Representations
Expanding Human Sensory Experiences through Theatrical Innovation
Expanding Human Sensory Experiences through Theatrical Innovation
| Sergio Cicconi
- Dept. Information Engineering and Computer Science - University of Trento (ITALY) Published in i-com - Journal of Interactive Media, Special Issue on “The Future of Human-Computer Interaction”: Cicconi, Sergio. "Augmented total theatre: shaping the future of immersive augmented reality representations" i-com (2024). https://doi.org/10.1515/icom-2024-0011  |
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Abstract
This work introduces Augmented Total Theater (ATT), a new theatrical form that combines Total Theater with Augmented Reality (AR) to transform theatrical experiences. We first explore ATT features, highlighting its capabilities in creating theatrical representations that surpass traditional theater. We also examine current technological limitations that hinder the deployment of ATT potential. We venture then into a journey into the future, particularly focusing on the next decade. We try to envisage the evolution of AR and assess whether future advancements will yield a form of AR capable of creating digital worlds that can deceive human senses. Additionally, we explore the role of Generative AI systems in addressing the problems that hold back the current ATT. Specifically, we probe the feasibility of a cost-effective, autonomous, and highly efficient generative AI system to reshape and empower ATT, making it capable of real-time production of (theatrical and non-theatrical) representations of many events in the world. Finally, we try to imagine the ATT of the future: a sophisticated device that integrates cutting-edge AR technology with a super-performing generative AI system. This ATT, transcending its theatrical origins, emerges as a powerful tool for augmenting our sensory experiences and enriching our perception of reality.
FULL TEXT in i-com journal