Augmented Reality (AR) is the state-of-the-art technology that can help keep your business competitive, bridge the physical and digital worlds to better guide and train employees, solve problems faster, optimize efficiencies, improve productivity and collaboration, and better prepare for the future.
But what actually is AR?
AR is an enhanced, interactive version of a real-world environment achieved through digital visual elements, sounds, and other sensory stimuli via holographic technology. AR incorporates three features: a combination of digital and physical worlds, interactions made in real time, and accurate 3D identification of virtual and real objects.
While there are many uses for AR in our everyday lives, following are some examples.
1) Enhanced navigation systems use augmented reality to superimpose a route over the live view of the road.
2) During football games, broadcasters use AR to draw lines on the field to illustrate and analyze plays.
3) Furniture and housewares giant IKEA offer an AR app (called IKEA Place) that lets you see how a piece of furniture will look and fit in your space.
4) Military fighter pilots see an AR projection of their altitude, speed, and other data on their helmet visor, which means they don’t need to waste focus by glancing down to see them.
5) Neurosurgeons sometimes use an AR projection of a 3-D brain to aid them in surgeries.
6) At historical sites like Pompeii in Italy, AR can project views of ancient civilizations over today’s ruins, bringing the past to life.
7) Ground crew at Singapore’s airport wear AR glasses to see information about cargo containers, speeding up loading times.
Augmented reality creates an immersive experience for all its users. There are five significant components of AR:
A) Artificial intelligence. Most augmented reality solutions need artificial intelligence (AI) to work, allowing users to complete actions using voice prompts. AI can also help process information for your AR application.
B) AR software. These are the tools and applications used to access AR. Some businesses can create their own form of AR software.
C) Processing. You’ll need processing power for your AR technology to work, generally by leveraging your device’s internal operating system.
D) Lenses. You’ll need a lens or image platform to view your content or images. The better quality your screen is, the more realistic your image will appear.
E) Sensors. AR systems need to digest data about their environment to align the real and digital worlds. When your camera captures information, it sends it through software for processing.
