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Augmented Reality, or AR, has been on the lips of every other person, especially the technology nerds, for the past couple of years. Thanks to the multiple AR apps (including everyone’s top-favorite–Snapchat filters) and popular games like Pokémon Go. Once considered a distant dream–straight out of some sci-fi flick- AR has become the Reality of present times.
Many renowned tech companies, including Facebook, Google, Apple, etc., are diving headfirst into the world of Augmented Reality and investing a great deal of money and resources to make the most of it. AR, coupled with the advancements in Artificial Intelligence, is believed to be the future of the tech world. It is already changing how we see and perceive the world around us (quite literally!)
However, many often confuse Augmented Reality (AR) with Virtual Reality (VR). Though both technologies share many commonalities, they are not the same. Instead, they are more like the two sides of the same coin.
Suppose you are wondering exactly what Augmented Reality (AR) is, how it is different from Virtual Reality (VR), and how it will affect our technological future. In that case, this article is precisely what you need! Today, we will discuss AR, the key differences between AR and VR, and some real-life examples of Augmented Reality.
So, let’s get started!
Augmented Reality, or just AR, is one of the most talked-about technology trends in the world right now. AR allows us to glimpse the real-world environment right in front of us—the flowing waterfall, the stunning flowerbeds, dogs running around, kids chasing a ball–with a digital augmentation extended over it. It is an interactive experience of the real world with a modern-day technical touch-up of computer-generated inputs. The technology is designed in such a genius way that the devices using the AR concepts can quickly respond to the real-time changes in the user’s physical world. Thus, allowing them to see things are not ‘actually’ there. Instead, it uses the prevailing environment and adds information, designs, and enhancements to it, creating a new artificial environment.
One of the best and most common examples of Augmented Reality is the gaming app Pokémon GO, which was launched in 2016 and received immense popularity everywhere in the world. The game allowed the players to locate and catch Pokémon characters that pop up in the real-world environment—in the shopping complex, near a tree in the park, on your dog’s head, and even in your own bedroom—through your phone.
Today, Augmented Reality has made incredible advancements and is used in several places and industries. Recently, the technology and social media giant Facebook has revealed its brand new wristband that works on the AR interface concept. Smart glasses, like the Microsoft HoloLens, are transparent sunglasses-like devices that enable the wearer to virtually place floating app windows, images, and 3D objects around them. It will get more extensive and significant as the technology reaches new heights with each passing day.
While AR offers a lot of distinct features and unique attributes, it has one disadvantage over Virtual Reality (VR), and that is visual immersion.
AR game apps, like Fragments, RoboRaid, or even Snapchat filters, can only appear on your smartphone screen. Even devices like the HoloLens can only project images and 3D objects in a limited area in front of your eyes. In contrast, Virtual Reality is way ahead of it. VR works on this unique technical concept that allows it to fully cover and replace your field of vision, giving you a complete and much better visual immersion.
The primary difference between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality is that VR replaces Reality, taking you somewhere else–into another world! The best example can be the PSVR for gaming, Oculus, and Google Cardboard, which enable users to experience real-life places using headset-mounted smartphones.
AR, on the other hand, just adds to the prevailing Reality, extending the information in addition to what you already see. So, for example, if the Pokemon characters in the Pokémon Go game pop up in your prevailing environment only (which you can see through your smartphone’s screen), you’re not taken to the world of Pokémon.
To experience the grandeur of Virtual Reality (VR), one often needs the help of some expensive and, more often than not, quite bulky devices such as headsets. AR can also be experienced with your smartphone or tablet’s screens.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality play very different roles in two different ways. Both of them are powerful technologies that have the potential to bring significant changes in the not-so-distant future.
Now that we have the basics and the differences between AR and VR let’s look at some of the applications of Augmented Reality.
Augmented Reality is being extensively used in the healthcare sector today. It can make digital images and crucial information available to surgeons in 3D form and within their areas of view. With the help of AR, surgeons won’t need to look away from the surgical field to access crucial information they might require to perform the surgery. This makes the surgical process more precise and safe.
Gone are the days when you had to do online shopping for clothes, shoes, accessories, or anything by just looking at the pictures. Instead, you can now virtually try it on, thanks to AR.
Vyking is one of many other popular companies using AR technology to allow shoppers to virtually try on a pair of shoes through their smartphone screen. Another example of a brand making the most of AR today is IKEA, the uber-famous furniture retailer. It helps shoppers to visualize furniture and products in their homes with the help of Augmented Reality. Thus, reducing their confusion before purchasing a product.
With the fantastic features that AR provides, it is obvious that it has found an important place. Nowadays, Augmented Reality can help architects and designers to get an easy glimpse of their design. Moreover, AR allows professionals and planners to take virtual tours of their plans using AR glasses and headsets.
Gatwick Airport’s app uses Augmented Reality to assist passengers in quickly reaching their planes. The app was so successful that it was awarded the Mobile Innovation of the Year Award at the National Technology Awards in 2017.
It provides passengers with a personalized method to find their way around the airport and is further planning to incorporate ‘smart’ chatbots to take their services to the next level.
Augmented Reality has significantly enhanced the tourism industry. It gives travel agents and brands an incredible opportunity to offer an immersive experience before they catch the plane for their destination.
Imagine taking a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower in Paris through AR glasses before booking your tickets, or taking a walk on the streets of Rome, virtually looking at hotels and cafes, before making your decisions. Wouldn’t it be so much better and a lot more fun?
Augmented Reality has the potential to make choosing destinations, travel, and vacations much easier and less unpredictable.
Augmented Reality also plays a vital role in modern-day classroom-based education. Students are now widely using devices like tablets for their studies. The importance of technology has grown tenfold in the education sector after the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to only rise from here. With such devices becoming as common as physical notebooks, schools are now trying to enhance the learning experience of the pupils with the help of AR.
Apps like The Aurasma are already becoming popular amongst students as they allow them to attend classes through a smartphone or tablet while simultaneously providing a richer learning environment. Augmented Reality allows students to see the solar system in front of their eyes in an astronomy class or the structure of a human skeleton during biology lessons. It even makes music classes much more fun by enabling them to view musical notes in real-time as they learn to play an instrument.
The appeal of Augmented Reality is increasing day by day. Big and small corporations have started recognizing their unique power and are trying to utilize it fully. AR has already made its place in many vital sectors, especially in the gaming and entertainment industry. And as technology–particularly Artificial Intelligence–grows more and more prominent, AR’s significance will also expand.
Talking about AR, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook once said, “Augmented Reality is going to change everything.”
Seeing the potential of AR, it is quite evident that Augmented Reality has a bright future ahead of it. The AR applications can bring different experiences closer to users in their environments but not without making them more engaging, personalized, and lots of fun![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
