How Real is Augmented Reality?
Engagement with technology is omnipresent. It is akin to your family which stays with you, in good and in bad. Our whole life is using and upgrading present technologies, be it your smartphone, camera or laptop. Remember the times when we had not-so-clear imaging of reel-based cameras? Today, the photographs are processed in megapixels and the amount of data processed is huge. The figures (read pixels) keep piling up and continuously keep moving up the chart. But, have you ever wondered why?
Apart from the increased pixels, modern-day phones or cameras also come with multiple filters. These filters are used to enhance images or beautify them, as per the user’s whim. The #oldfilter recently trended worldwide. This enhancement feature (camera filter) is augmented reality (AR). Pokémon Go, for instance, introduced AR for the first time to its audience through a flash-light feature. Imagine – you are walking across the pavement in your area or random streets, looking for the light, and catching a Pokémon. How exciting is it? Augmented reality, therefore, is not only capturing a certain reality and processing it but instead adding newer dimensions to reality and real objects in the vicinity!
AR provides a framework that enhances the ‘visuality’ of reality. It enhances perception and interaction with the real world. So, is it used only for entertainment? No. Like artificial intelligence, AR is widely used in other sectors as well, for instance, healthcare. Today, AR is aiding physicians and surgeons worldwide during neurological surgeries and for the reconnection of blood vessels. The technology is helping medical professionals understand their patients’ condition or treatment plans. AR is also very useful in business, education and hospitality, among others.
E-commerce giants are using AR to enhance the visuality of their products and attract more target customers. It not only helps in increasing sales but the enhanced visuality also has an impact on the neurons as photographic memory is stronger than just verbal. Pictures speak better than words, remember? Today, effective content is being produced with the help of AR, in order to tap more engagement, as evolving capabilities in 3-D tracking and authoring are integrated into a seamless environment. AR systems operate simultaneously so that real-world experience can be enhanced.
However, every technology keeps updating and AR is no exception. While still in its infancy, AR has taken the world by storm. With tools and features so attractive, will it sustain for long? The technology providers argue they need to add more security and privacy to AR along with ensuring its cost-effectiveness. I believe, its full potential has not been realised yet. One of the most effective usages of this technology has been using it to improve efficiency among workers. Augmented applications like LookTel Recognizer and Qualcomm are helping intellectually-disabled workers in their day-to-day activities, thus enabling receipt of a high-performance output out of them!
Therefore, with its vast possibilities, now seems to be the right time for realising AR’s full potential. In this era of exponential technologies and exponential minds, AR is one of the gamechangers which is changing the way businesses function.