Augmented Reality (AR) may not be as exciting as a virtual reality roller coaster ride, but the technology is proving itself as a very useful tool in our everyday lives.
From social media filters, to surgical procedures, AR is rapidly growing in popularity because it brings elements of the virtual world, into our real world, thus enhancing the things we see, hear, and feel. When compared to other reality technologies, augmented reality lies in the middle of the mixed reality spectrum; between the real world and the virtual world.
What does Augmented Reality (AR) mean?
Augmented reality (AR) is a type of interactive, reality-based display environment that takes the capabilities of computer generated display, sound, text and effects to enhance the user's real-world experience. Augmented reality combines real and computer-based scenes and images to deliver a unified but enhanced view of the world.
How Does Augmented Reality Work?
How Does Augmented Reality (AR) Technology Work?
In order to understand how augmented reality technology works, one must first understand its objective: to bring computer generated objects into the real world, which only the user can see.
In most augmented reality applications, a user will see both synthetic and natural light. This is done by overlaying projected images on top of a pair of see-through goggles or glasses, which allow the images and interactive virtual objects to layer on top of the user’s view of the real world. Augmented Reality devices are often self-contained, meaning that unlike the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive VR headsets, they are completely untethered and do not need a cable or desktop computer to function.
How Do Augmented Reality Devices Work (Inside)?
Augmented realities can be displayed on a wide variety of displays, from screens and monitors, to handheld devices or glasses. Google Glass and other head-up displays (HUD) put augmented reality directly onto your face, usually in the form of glasses. Handheld devices employ small displays that fit in users hands, including smartphones and tablets. As reality technologies continue to advance, augmented reality devices will gradually require less hardware and start being applied to things like contact lenses and virtual retinal displays.
Augmented Reality vs Virtual Reality
Augmented reality uses the existing real-world environment and puts virtual information on top of it to enhance the experience. Conversely, virtual reality involves users inhabiting an entirely different environment altogether, notably a virtual one. Users may be immersed in an animated scene or an actual location that has been photographed and embedded in a virtual reality app. Through a virtual reality viewer, users can look up, down or any which way, as if they were physically there.
Applications of Augmented Reality
Augmented reality has a wide range of industrial applications, this, of course, is attributed to the rise of consumer smart devices and overall advanced computing technology developments. Augmented Reality now has lots of potential in the mainstream consumer space as well.
The two areas having the most of commercial development or influence in augmented reality are education and gaming.
In Gaming, two major mainstream video game consoles, X-box and PlayStation, have embraced and formulated augmented reality capabilities for their last two console generations.
Augmented reality mobile games are not so rare, they can be found on smartphones, tablets and handheld consoles like PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS.
The potential of augmented reality (AR) in education is being implemented in fields such as medicine where students can benefit from live 3D models. It employs the use of existing learning material (such as cardboards) as targets for augmented reality to project an in-depth image.
In medical practice augmented reality can project information directly onto the body of a patient. For example, the Veinviewer system creates the impression of a transparent skin by projecting real-time images of infrared vein scans directly onto the patient’s skin.
Military use of AR are also quite clear, soldiers wearing heads-up displays (HUDs) can see information tagged onto real world objects. Orders, radar information or any other relevant sensor data from devices on the network can be relayed. Enemy and friendly positions are significant in strategy. Augmented reality without a doubt has a bright future in military applications.
Mobile smartphones, especially the Apple brand, iPhone use augmented reality apps that allow you to observe these CGIs (computer generated images) superimposed over real world images.
In marketing and advertising augmented reality has been used as a tool for enhancing certain aspects of a product to make it more attractive and appealing to the customer which will certainly boost sales.
Conclusion
Augmented reality is likely to worm its way into our daily lives more and more in the 21st century. Once wearable computers become more common it won’t be strange to see people interacting with and reacting to things that aren’t there from your perspective. Thanks to technologies such as augmented reality the way we work with computing devices and think about the divide between digital and analogue reality is likely to change fundamentally. Nothing is stopping you from experiencing augmented reality for yourself today though. Just hop onto your smartphone’s app store and search for “AR” apps. There are plenty to try, many of them free.
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