Underwater mixed environments

In this chapter we give a systematic overview over Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in underwater settings and suggest several future applications. Based on a novel classification scheme we illustrate the broad range of available and future implementation options. Whilst we find a variety of previous work on creating and using virtual underwater worlds, quite few examples of real underwater settings exist up to now. Thus, we concentrate on this new category, sketch attractive application areas that go beyond entertainment, and derive requirements for Underwater Mixed Environments (UWME). Combined with a short summary on relevant aspects of underwater optics, we formulate potential topics of future research to overcome current limitations of UWME.