Augmented Reality (AR): All You Need to Know

August 04, 2020 11:24 am
by Manek

Read how Augmented Reality revolutionizes user experience to the next level

Technologies have made our life so much better that we literally cannot imagine a day without them. We all use one kind of technology or the other in our daily life. We share moments on social media, learn from youtube, buy products. Technology was never there to help us tell these stories in the past but today it’s unlocking the power to help us to tell stories better than ever before. With the rise of Virtual Reality and Augmented reality, technologies were being given a new opportunity to bridge those communication gaps.The information age gave us practical tools and access to data, but today’s tech-enabled generation is starting to favor content consumption. Futurists have long theorized about a coming age where creativity and imagination become the primary creators of economic value.

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality known as AR, is one of the finest and fast-growing technologies and claims to be the future. It is said to be immersive in nature. Meaning, it gives the most intense experience to the user, which can make the person’s perception of the real-world a better one. What makes AR different from other technologies is explained by its features.

AR provides a combination of both physical and virtual worlds to create a perfect and immersive user experience.
With the help of AR, a user can interact with a real-world environment.
The 3D registrations of both real and virtual objects in the AR environment are accurate.

AR displays superimpose information in your field of view and take you to a new world which is a combination of the real and virtual worlds. It is not just confined to desktops or mobile screens but can even extend to the eyeglasses we use. A device named “Google glass” is a great example to prove that the possibilities of AR are amazing. It is an optical head-mounted display that looks just like a pair of eyeglasses.

What are its advantages?

Reduces the line between real and virtual worlds.
Enhances the perception of the real-world and interaction with it.
Can be used by anyone.
Can be used virtually in any sector like education, medicine, entertainment, military, and so on.

What are the scopes of AR?

1. Archaeology

AR aids archaeologists in their research and surveys by allowing them to formulate possible site configurations from existing structures. It can generate models of buildings. How would you like to see the features of your great ancestors? With AR, it is possible to regenerate models of ruins or even ancient people by combining the facts of the real and virtual worlds.

2. Repair and Maintenance

AR can be used in the faster and better repair and maintenance of all kinds of equipment. From the repair of cars to complex MRI machines, AR reduces mean-time-to-repair and saves time.

3. Architecture

AR can produce a computer-generated structure of a real-life local view of a property that can in turn help in finding any possible flaws in plans even before constructing them. Imagine how thrilling it would be to see your dream home pop out of the blueprint of its plan and how exciting would it be to know what your floor looks like or how your couch or other furniture match with the color of your wall. Everything is possible with AR.

4. Medical Training

From using MRI equipment to perform complicated surgeries, AR technology has the potential to boost the effect of Medical training. For example, at Case Western Reserve University, to learn anatomy, the students use an AR headset which permits them a 3D interaction.

5. Tourism

AR can help us see the world on a new level. Almost every one of us would have imagined ourselves in a beautiful country or wished if we could go see the wonders of the world in person. There are applications such as Walkabout and Google earth using which we can see places all around the world from where we sit, with real-life experience. Imagine walking around places like Paris without even being there. AR makes it possible for us to walk even on the land on which humans cannot possibly walk in real.

6. Military Training

There are certain situations that a soldier might encounter in real life. AR helps in training and improving the experience of soldiers in such or even worse conditions without causing any physical damage to them. It makes them ready for circumstances they have never faced in reality.

7. Entertainment

This is one of the few fields where AR gains its popularity on a daily basis. AR brings a great fortune to the Entertainment brands by being a better real-life experience provider between their characters and the audience, thus making the bond between them stronger and much deeper. You might as well fall in love with this technology if you have ever played the game “Pokemon GO. The game explains AR in action.

8. Public safety

We all are dependent too much on the digital world these days. To find out what is happening around us and where to go in case of emergencies, to ensure the safety of our friends and families, and every other possible need. AR is showing promise in solving the problem of the public safety puzzle, like for instance, people can, by using AR, find out the directions and locations of safe zones in any event of calamities.

9. Social interaction

AR can be used to help us improve social interaction. It provides the people with the ability to practice multiple types of social interactions with other people ensuring a safe, and risk-free environment, which is quite crucial in our present scenario.

10. Navigation

AR can help in improving or enhancing the effectiveness of navigational devices. To better understand this, imagine yourself driving a car in an unknown place without a map or a personal guide with you. In such a situation, AR can help you by displaying information even on the windshield of your car, indicating the destination, directions, weather, and a lot more.

11. Logistics

AR presents a lot of different ways to improve the efficiency and cost savings over a lot of different areas of business logistics. This includes transportation, route-optimization, etc. Apart from that, AR technologies can greatly helps warehouse workers for picking and sorting operations.

12. Shopping Experience

Have you ever felt the urge to know how a dress or a pair of shoes suits you while shopping online? AR has a solution even for that. It can give you the real-life experience of trying on a pair of shoes and walking in them.

Technologies similar to AR

There are many modern-day technologies similar to AR, one of them being “Virtual Reality” known as VR, that can easily confuse us into believing that the working of all these technologies is the same. In fact, both of them have one thing in common; this remarkable ability to change our perception of the world.

Both furnish user experience, but in two entirely different ways. Virtual Reality, being much more immersive than AR, might help you experience a swim with sharks in the deepest of the oceans. Whereas, Augmented Reality, which provides more freedom to its user along with a lot more possibilities, can make the same shark pop out of your business card, as you watch.

In short, VR is something that creates a simulated environment, takes you out of your real-world, and completely places you in another imaginary world. And AR instead of transferring us into a new environment, adds some graphics, sounds, etc to augment the surroundings we are in, and provides real-world interaction.

Impact of Augmented reality

Augmented Reality has gained a lot of attention to date and most of the consumers are having trouble imagining how this latest technology can have an impact on people.
Being the future, Augmented Reality, will, no doubt, transform the experiences and will present a whole new way to involve the users to experience a reality based on their personal demands and concerns. The possibilities can be never-ending.

One other major field where Augmented Reality will have a major impact is the Medical field. AR has proved its expertise in practical purposes and is going to play the most crucial role in future medicine.
Augmented Reality is going to be an inevitable part of our life and will have a powerful impact on society. The fields of marketing and advertising will be the best favored by the growth of Augmented Reality.

The impacts that AR can have on our present day are endless and the technology will affect almost every field. Not only will it be used by professionals and consumers, but also, it will become a key tool for educational purposes in classrooms all around the world. AR promises to be the next big step in the complete transformation of our world.