Types of Augmented Reality Applications
Before we dive into the development tools for augmented reality, let's review types of AR applications, including marker-based and markerless AR solutions, as well as location-based and superimposition AR.
Marker-Based AR
These applications use a marker,' such as a QR code or another image. The 3D content of the app is displayed in relation to or over the marker. The PlayStation 3 Wonderbook is an older but still interesting example of AR that uses markers. It's a gaming peripheral which allows users to see a spellbook on their screen. When the player picks up and moves the device, it rotates. The camera displays the AR content using the patterns of the book. This is a similar technology to that used on Snapchat and Instagram.
For example, we use a marker approach to create AR indoor navigation solutions. The user scans the marker in order to begin a route that includes AR pointers and to reach the desired location inside the building.
Markerless AR
Markerless AR uses a camera instead of codes or patterns to trigger content. Motion sensors are used to detect surfaces, and 3D objects can be placed. This usually involves several technologies working together.
- GPS and other Location Tools
- Digital Compass
- Camera
- Accelerometers and Gyroscopes
- Depth sensors
For improved precision, the latest devices come with hardware that measures depth (LiDAR and ToF). Markerless AR relies on depth sensors, other positioning data and ML algorithms. This allows for more accurate renderings of 3D content and gives the illusion that digital items are a part of the physical world.
Markerless AR has become the most popular form of augmented reality. It can be used in many different situations. It's also used to create AR try-on solutions, such as IKEA Place. This allows you to try out the furniture you wish to purchase at home or in your office. Markerless technology is also used to power augmented reality measurement tools in the construction industry.
Location-Based AR
AR applications can accurately display virtual content when users enter specific locations. Here's how location-based AR functions. Developers can display objects in geographic space so that users can interact and observe them.
Location-based AR is reliant on GPS, digital compass and accelerometer. There are also several ways to pinpoint the exact location of the device.
- BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons
- VPS (Visual Positioning System)
- RTT Wi-Fi
- UWB (Ultra-WideBand).
Travel solutions often use this type of AR because it lets you launch an AR immersive experience the moment the user arrives at a particular point of interest.
Superimposition AR
This type of AR involves replacing or superimposing an object digitally. Superimposition AR could include an app performance that digitally changes the color of your sofa. This technique can be used to demonstrate cause and effect. A user can, for example, point their camera at certain areas in their city and see how it looked ten years earlier from Google Maps archives.
How To Create An Augmented Reality App
Here are five steps to building an AR application.
Select the type of AR Application you want to Build and Launch
Your business needs will determine the type of AR app that you launch.
- You are probably a tech startup, and you want to create a new app with this futuristic technology. You can fill a gap in the market, integrate AR into a business that was lacking previously, or create an AR-supported video game.
- You are probably looking for a solution to boost your marketing and sales efforts if you have an established business. Then, follow the examples of IKEA Place or Target. You can add AR features to your existing business app.
Write Down the Features you Want to Add
Here are the top 5 features you need in an augmented reality solution.
- Map integration and GPS detection
- Camera built-in - captures or scans real-world environments
- Marker recognition - for detecting images, icons, QR codes etc.
- Library of 3D visuals, text elements and other materials
- Social media sharing and guest sign-up
You can offer as few features or as many as you want as an appreneur. It's important to choose the features of an app because you need to balance core functionality and boost user experience.
Take an example. You launch an app for a marketplace and include an AR scanning function to view and pay. It sounds good, and it completes the app in terms of experience. You launch a measurement application and add push notifications.
Alerts and reminders keep you in touch with your audience. These reminders aren't needed for a measurement app. And if you send out too many alerts, it can actually degrade the user experience and result in low downloads.
Consult a UX or product strategist during this phase of decision-making to ensure that your app is designed with a minimalist look and feel and meets all customer expectations in terms of usability.
It's now time to actually get into the game and see the coding and programming process.
Select a Tech Stack and Create a Development Strategy
After you have decided on the features that you would like to include in your app, you can move on to the next step, which is to choose the best tools and technologies to create your digital product. Keep in mind that different features will require different levels and types of support.
Technically, Augmented Reality applications require a robust architecture of programming, particularly in the backend, because this helps them recognize real environments and to place virtual objects that create an integration between two different landscapes.
AR development also requires certain frameworks and toolkits for software development - most of which are not open-source or free. These tools can be expensive. It is important to choose a tech stack wisely because it can be a significant cost. When choosing a technology stack, you should consider four things:
- Your AR app's size and target audience
- Features and core functionality
- Do you plan to scale up your AR business or product in the future
- Budget for AR App Development
Technology Stack for Augmented Reality Apps
For building an AR application, you or your AR developer need to use a custom technology stack. What a typical AR app consists of:
Languages of Programming
C++ and HTML is the most popular choice when building a tech stack. The tech stack is the foundation of any digital product, whether it's an app, website, SaaS or corporate software.
Front-End and Backend Frameworks
JavaScript supports different frameworks and libraries, such as Node.js, that allow for backend and forward-end development on different devices. Python is a great choice for an AR developer because it works well with many different languages and databases.
AR Frameworks
Here are the top 3 AR SDKs we use at cisin during development:
- Wikitude
Wikitude is an AR software development kit that's exclusively designed for corporations, businesses and enterprises investing heavily in Augmented Reality. It has features like image recognition, CMS Integration, location-based Support, 3D detection, and CMS Integration.
Wikitude Studio is one of the company's specialized products. Other products include 3D Object Targets and Cloud Recognition. Wikitude allows you to create apps for Android and iOS, as well as Smart Glasses. It allows both marker-based and markerless AR development.
Wikitude offers a free plan, but it's not enough to develop AR apps. The pro version of Wikitude starts at EUR2490, and other enterprise plans are available with custom quotes.
- MAXST
MAXST, a Korean AR Framework, has two software development kits dedicated to tracking 2D objects and detecting 3D locations.
MAXST is used by many app developers to develop AR games because it's compatible with Unity, a game engine. Other AR features include image tracking, environment mapping and the placement of digital objects in real environments or simulations.
- Vuforia
Vuforia, another leading AR framework and development kit, is also worth mentioning. It has something to offer every business type, from startups and small businesses to large enterprises. Vuforia Engine is one of the many corporate products it offers.
It supports text and other visual elements and recognizes objects in different shapes. It currently has 100,000 words in the directory. It supports Android and iOS, Unity and UWP.
Vuforia offers basic prototyping plans, but its main costs begin at $99/month. This includes cloud add-ons.
You may also want to look at other augmented reality development toolkits, such as ARCore or ARToolKit. Here is an article which discusses six AR frameworks that can be used for Android and iOS apps.
A strong database system, such as MongoDB, or MySQL, is required for AR apps, just like other applications. It also needs cloud services like AWS or Amazon Web Services.
Hire an AR App Developer and Complete Technical Milestones
This is the A-team who will help you through and after your development process. You will need a smaller group if you have some technical experience, such as app coding or AI programming, or AR integration. If you come from a business background but have limited programming skills, you will need a smaller team.
The choice of your human resources is a major cost center for this project. You can optimize your costs by looking at your team's work locations and operational locations.
- The cost of hiring a full-time team and paying them full-time salaries and benefits is high.
- Hiring development teams at an hourly rate - similar to staff augmentation - is a new concept that gives you full control and flexibility over project timelines.
- Outsourcing your entire app development project is a common solution. You can monitor the project remotely to ensure that it is completed on time, tested and launched.
Here are some quick tips on where to hire:
- It is important to have a budget when hiring from the USA, particularly from Miami and Houston. It's still cheaper than European developers.
- You can find the best rates in the Middle East, but you must carefully assess the portfolio of the company before signing the contract.
Test the Augmented Reality app development and launch the product
It is one final step before you can release your app for your audience to download and use. It is important to test your app before releasing it for download and use by your target audience.
AR app developers follow three standards to test and assess the quality of mobile applications:
Professionals in QA assess the technical performance of the app. They make sure the app is free of bugs and viruses and that it doesn't crash on different platforms or screens.
Navigating and user experience: Testers in this stage make sure the app is intuitive for different users and has minimal steps. This test is mainly concerned with the app's loading speed, sign-up and sign-in, and other features for end users.
Apps are only as good as their security. To ensure that the app is not vulnerable to data breaches or leaks, penetration testers conduct ethical hacking. The second part of the test evaluates an app's accuracy in returning responses. These responses in AR apps include accurate recognitions of text and images, as well as locations and environments.
These types of testing are known as functional testing, unit testing and instrument testing.
After the app has been tested, it is sent to clients for approval. Now it's ready to be deployed and launched in the store.
Technology Used for Augmented Reality
The technologies used to develop augmented reality apps can vary depending on several factors. These include the hardware used, the power of the device and the application AR will be used for.
Mobile Augmented Reality Platforms
Smartphones offer unique advantages over other AR platforms. Smartphones are widely available and extremely portable. AR is now more accessible for consumers, as smart glasses and bulky headsets haven't yet reached the mainstream. Mobile AR is, therefore, a popular choice for business applications.
Mobile AR, while not the most powerful nor immersive, has the potential to generate a lot of profit and is a trend that should be closely monitored. Mobile AR is a great way for businesses to get involved in the metaverse trend. Try-on solutions, which allow users to try on cosmetics or clothing before purchasing them, and AR avatars that are available for smartphone users can help businesses communicate with their customers in a virtual world.
Businesses have three options for mobile AR.
- Native Android AR apps with ARCore
- Native iOS AR apps with ARKit
- Apps that run on multiple platforms
Native augmented-reality app development lets developers take full advantage of the device's power. Cross-platform applications may not have the power of native features, but they can reduce development time. It will cost more to create the same application with native code for each platform, but it could be more efficient in the end if you need more power or features. Cross-platform code can be sufficient if the application is simple.
Despite Android being the most popular OS in the world, GitHub developers have always seemed to prefer ARKit based on the number of repositories they've created over the last few years.
Read More: How hard it is for a web developer to be AR developer?
AR Development: ARKit 5, ARKit 6, And iOS Devices
Location Anchors
Developers can attach virtual objects to the real world using geographic coordinates. Location anchors can display, for example, a three-dimensional text or icon in space next to an iconic building. Location anchors are dependent upon Apple Maps data. This means that functionality for location anchors will be limited if Apple Maps does not support the city.
The location of anchors can be approximated. This is one of the most innovative features. GPS is not precise enough to display location anchors on a user's screen. Developers can use their cameras to scan the buildings in front of them. Apple Maps Look Around, and these architectural features can help users better estimate their location.
This feature is very useful when building AR outdoor navigation apps as well as AR applications for tourism and retail.
Lidar And Depth Api
The Depth API was another great feature in ARKit 4, and it continues to be a valuable tool for ARKit 5 & 6. The LiDAR scanner is one of the most powerful AR hardware features on mobile devices. It's available on the iPad Pro, Phone 12 Pro Max (13 Pro), 13 Pro (13 Pro Max), and 14 Pro smartphones. This allows for a much more accurate analysis of scenes, and real-world objects can be used to obscure virtual objects.
LiDAR can be used for projects involving augmented reality, but also in other fields where scanning of surfaces is needed. Lidar enables you to scan and recognize complex surfaces and surfaces in both horizontal and vertical directions. Its capabilities are not limitless. It can't scan behind an object, only in a straight line, and you need to go around the object to scan it from all angles. LiDAR may also not work correctly with surfaces that are highly reflective, such as glass or mirrors.
Android devices are equipped with an analogue to the LiDAR-ToF sensor. However, this is only available on a small number of devices.
Raycasting Api
Apple's Raycasting API allows for enhanced object placement when depth data is combined. This allows for more accurate virtual object placement on different surfaces, while also taking into consideration their curvature. This allows you to place objects on curved surfaces, such as the sides of walls or the curves of sofas, rather than just flat on the ground.
ARKit 6 Updates
ARKit 6 introduced several new features that improved AR experiences on iOS devices. They include improved motion capture, camera access improvements, and new locations for Location Anchors. Plane Anchors are a tracking feature for flat surfaces such as tables. It is now easier to move these surfaces without disrupting AR.
Room Plan
The RoomPlan framework is a relatively new and cool feature in ARKit. RoomPlan lets you create a 3D room plan in seconds by using an iPad LiDAR scan and AI processing. The output quality depends on the sensor's quality and the surface type.
RoomPlan allows you to export scans of rooms in USD or USD formats. The dimensions and items in the room (such as furniture) are included. These formats can be imported into other software for processing and development. RoomPlan accelerates the development and implementation of AR measurement solutions.
cisin's ARKit research included a test of gaze tracking. This opens up many possibilities for iOS, such as eye-based actions, heatmap-based analytics of websites, and preventing distracted driving.
You can find more examples in our portfolio. Here are more AR demos.
AR Development of Android Devices: ARCore
Google, in an effort to remain competitive, has pushed ARCore to become one of the most flexible AR development platforms on the planet. Explore some of the features used by developers.
Cloud Anchors
This tool lets users place virtual objects into physical space, which can then be viewed on other devices. Google ensured that Cloud Anchors could be viewed by iOS users as well.
ARCore introduces new features on the Android side to keep up with ARKit. ARCore v1.33.0 brings new terrain anchors and Cloud Anchors. Both of these improvements improve the geographic anchoring for virtual objects. Google launched ARCore Geospatial API last year. It uses data from mapping databases, just like ARKit Location Anchors. Google Earth and Street View images are used in this case to accurately identify the user's location.
This cisin demonstration shows how ARCore's object detection capabilities for virtual manual work.
AR Faces
ARCore allows developers to create high-quality renderings of faces by generating a 3D model with 468 points. After the face of the user is recognized, masks and filters are available. This is a popular application of AR app features. AR faces assistance in developing solutions such as virtual cosmetics and accessories for eCommerce.
AR Images
Augmented reality images can be used for a variety of applications, including virtual business cards and posters. These features can be implemented using 2D markers or more advanced solutions such as AR indoor navigation.
cisin has tested ARCore indoor navigation solutions. Since our first experiments in 2010, applications such as indoor positioning have become easier. This makes this technology more practical for real-world use. Learn more by watching this video.
Wearable Augmented Reality Devices: Development of AR Wearables
We usually refer to Google Glass and Microsoft HoloLens when we discuss wearable technology.
Microsoft Hololens is built on Microsoft's technology stack and the Azure Cloud.
Demonstrate the Microsoft HoloLens capabilities for educational and product presentations.
Most of the AR Glasses hardware is Android-based, and manufacturers offer SDKs to developers so they can create apps. Some important aspects still need to be taken into consideration. First, we need to consider User Experience and User Interface. This is because the way in which such software is used is completely different from what we're used to on smartphones. Engineers must also be able to build lightweight, optimized apps, as energy consumption remains a major concern for many devices.
AI is the Answer when AR is not Enough
The technology of augmented reality is amazing, but the AR frameworks that are available are often not sufficient, especially when it comes to complex, innovative solutions. Artificial intelligence algorithms can help. AI is used under the hood in some form or another by many AR tools. RoomPlan, for example, uses machine-learning algorithms to detect objects and understand scenes. If the ready-made features are not able to achieve the desired results, custom AI may be able to help.
What AI can do for AR projects
- Improved object detection, object Recognition, and Image Tracking
- Using more data to improve AR experiences
- Improved accuracy in measuring distances and objects
Standard AR libraries, for example, have limited capabilities when it comes to creating a solution, such as a virtual trying-on room or a virtual fitting (poor body part identification, rendering issues, and so on). This requires the creation of a custom model for human pose estimation that can detect key points in real time if only a part of the image is processed.
cisin's in-house AI laboratories allow us to handle complex projects that combine AR and AI. We can create models or use artificial intelligence tools that are already available.
How to Start Building AR Applications
The definition of business goals is the first step in developing any software product. A development team can only help you create a workflow that suits your business needs when you know what you want to achieve. The process of developing an AR-powered application consists of five steps.
Pre-contracting is the first step in building an AR mobile app. You should discuss project requirements with the developers to ensure that everyone understands the objectives and scope of the project. This allows for back-and-forth feedback between the developers and the business owner in order to clarify the idea and select the best route to success.
The next logical step is to choose a technology stack. It is important for both technical and business analysis to determine the platform that is best and how the project is built. Engineers must also have a vision for how they will achieve the desired results. Bringing AR to a particular product can often lead to hidden pitfalls.
The next step is to create 3D models and prototypes. After this, the development process becomes more detailed. Backend and mobile features, AR Modules, and QA are all part of this. There are also a variety of challenges to testing AR features. It is important to test different objects in different settings and lighting conditions.
The app is now ready for deployment. The deployment will require a change from development to support. Update and support the app to make it compatible with new SDKs, new devices and requirements.
Making The Magic A Happen
Businesses that have reality experience with AR applications are in a better position to achieve their goals. Businesses that do not have their own augmented-reality teams will find it difficult to realize their visions without the help of experienced augmented-reality development professionals. It's a good idea to hire experienced AR developers in order to create your product. You will also get a better return on investment.
Cisin: How it can help you
Our team of app developers for augmented reality service is not new to challenges. cisin is experienced in developing apps for various effective solutions across different industries. We have over 400+ professionals, 13 years of experience and more than 500 projects in our portfolio.
Our augmented reality developers have extensive experience in innovative technologies and know how to overcome existing AR frameworks' limitations to create more efficient solutions. Combining AR with advanced AI and machine learning algorithms will help you create more realistic AR experiences. It will also improve the performance of your app and increase customer satisfaction.
