Imagine Creativity in Augmented Reality Environments

Abstract

What makes humanity so unique is the ability to create. From the contributions of Einstein in relative physics, to van Gogh’s The Starry Night, creativity is certainly what makes life worth living. Of three major forms of creativity (i.e., artistic creativity, divergent thinking and insight), artistic creativity has received the least attention and research. There is irony in this as artistic creativity is considered to be the more ecologically valid form of creativity. The scientific approach just started to explore the potential of Augmented Reality (AR). Some research has been applied to assist surgeons intra-operatively, some others have indicated that AR can be used in creativity but, to our knowledge, research examining mental imagery creativity in AR via central and peripheral neural responses is sparse. The aim of the present study was to analyse the physiological responses of mental imagery of art installations in AR. It seems that the neural correlates of mental imagery creativity involved in augmented reality environments are similar with those involved in real environments. As such, the current research provides insight into the role of AR in creative mental imagery, an unexplored domain