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Augmented Reality technology is one example. Augmented Reality technology has evolved from a science fiction concept to a science-based reality. AR was expensive. Until recently, people couldn't even dream of using it. The dream is a reality, and AR can be used on any mobile device. This has opened up a lot of possibilities for UX designers.
Augmented Reality has achieved some remarkable growth rates. This technology will undoubtedly develop in the software sector by expanding into larger productions and establishing more nesting projects. A lot of businesses use augmented reality POCs and prototypes.
Numerous innovative enterprises have demonstrated the success and lucrativeness of Augmented Reality as a business model. Large-scale businesses have plans to use augmented Reality to create their upcoming projects as they observe the growth of the technology.
Experts are developing real-time customer applications for augmented reality projects. Augmented Reality predicts AR technology will continue its growth and speed, breaking all the headlines.
Augmented Reality is Moving
AR is a specific kind of technology. Sutherland invented it in 1968 and utilized it to create head-mounted display devices. Numerous industry sectors have quickly adopted it, including manufacturing, retail, gaming, and logistics. The visual overlay of AR was previously a tool that could readily accelerate any company's growth.
Many organizations have tested augmented reality technology, and the results have been astounding. Building a basic AR project reportedly resulted in a 90% increase in accuracy and a 30% reduction in construction time. DHL performed further management and enhanced efficiency, bringing it to 25%. It is currently growing more significantly.
Augmented Reality is now available in nearly all architectural industries. Most feedback about augmented Reality has been positive, according to reports. It is transparent for both the client and the designer.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality, in simple terms, is the enhancement of the physical world using computer-generated graphics. Let's look at the history of Augmented Reality.
What is Virtual Reality?
Virtual Reality (VR), a computer-generated environment with scenes and objects that look real, allows users to feel like they are in their surroundings. The headset, or virtual reality helmet, will enable you to see this environment. VR allows you to experience the world through virtual Reality.
This may sound futuristic, but it is not new. Many people believe that Sensorama was the first virtual reality device. It had a seat with 3D movies and emitted odors. Vibrations were also generated to enhance the experience. It was invented in the mid-1950s. The subsequent technological and software advances brought about a progressive evolution in interface design and devices.
History of AR Technology
The first AR technology was created by a cinematographer named Morton Heilig. The idea was known as Sensorama. It gave the spectator sights, noises, and vibrations. It wasn't computer operated, but it was the first attempt to enhance an experience with additional components.
American computer artist Myron Krueger developed Video place. Users were able to interact with and control virtual items in real time.
These weren't "augmented reality" and "virtual reality" since Thomas P. Caudell and John Lainer coined those terms.
It's excellent to mention that USAF Armstrong's Research Lab created the first AR with functionality in 1992 by Louis Rosenberg. It was called Virtual Fixtures. It was a complex robotic system designed to compensate for the low processing speed of 3D graphics in the early 1990s. It enabled the addition of sensory information to increase productivity within a workspace.
Augmented Reality is a far cry from its inception in the 1990s. Google and other large companies use it, but smaller ones incorporate it into their products.
Let's examine the augmented reality applications currently in use and the potential benefits in the future. The military initially utilized AR to prepare soldiers for battle. The military created war zones and practiced actions using augmented Reality. Training for various professions, including software engineering, marketing, and law enforcement, has extensively used augmented Reality.
AR apps are another illustration. You may use augmented Reality (AR) apps to schedule your next dental or medical visit. You may see your schedule, get preparation advice, and even see if the facility has any equipment you might need.
These illustrations show how AR can be applied to education and medicine.
However, AR can also be used creatively in art installations and interactive experiences.
From Where Do We Come?
The public saw the first movie in 1895 when a train pulled by a steam locomotive entered La Ciotat station. This village is located on the French Mediterranean Coast. It is a continuous, 50-second real-time shot. The train heading toward the audience looked so real that people gasped. The movie was a black-and-white, two-dimensional rendering of Reality. The film "Becky Sharp," released in 1935, was the first to be genuinely innovative. It is widely regarded as the "color movie" using the three-color Technicolour technology.
This user interface presents Reality in two dimensions and colors. It is currently the most common. In the 1950s, 3D stereoscopic movies were viral (House of Wax, Creature from the Black Lagoon). Audiences had to use subpar, blue, and green glasses for this. As the technology advanced and became more expensive, the infatuation quickly subsided.
Additionally, 3D movies were said to be taxing in the eyes of critics. The popularity of 3D stereoscopic movies increased in the 2000s after a comeback at the end of the 20th century (remember the IMAX). However, 2D presentations account for most of the movie industry's income today.
The widespread use of 3D TV and movies has been fraught with difficulties and worries.
One of the most notable is that viewers may experience motion sickness symptoms, including nausea, headaches, fatigue, and nausea. These symptoms are due to a disconnect between what a person can see and perceive. This is caused by the vestibular organs, which are our motion detectors.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality on the Move
The digital world eventually adopted the 3D experience so that users could experience a more immersive experience. Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR), are two new technologies. They are similar but have a significant difference.
While augmented Reality is a changed picture of the natural world, virtual Reality is an entirely immersive experience. Each needs a unique tool. It may be smart glasses or a head-mounted display like the Oculus Rift VR (such as the now-defunct Google Glasses for AR).
To integrate virtual items with actual objects that the user can see through, AR requires a sight-through device.
Virtual reality headsets were initially made available by video game firms in the middle of the 1990s. Next-generation headsets from Oculus (Rift), HTC (Vive), and Sony (PlayStation VR) have been released. Beyond 3D entertainment and gaming, this led to a new wave of uses for VR, such as exposure therapy for anxiety disorders, astronaut training, flight simulators, and bridge inspection.
Read More: What is the Difference Between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality App Development
Mass Adoption is not without its challenges
Beyond the usual 3D nausea, VR has experienced various difficulties. This is likely the cause of the technology's sluggish adoption. One significant issue is the Vergence-Accommodation Conflict (VAC), which occurs when the brain receives conflicting information regarding the focusing distance and the vergence, or distance between the eye and a 3D object (the accommodation).
With the aid of a lens, the eye accommodates (the so-called crystallin). This lens can be altered by using specific muscles that pull or relax. This response provides important depth cues for things closer to us than 10 meters.
We may also move our eyes on our own. When we look at objects, they come together to provide another depth cue. Our eyes, a true engineering marvel, have a vergence-accommodation reflex in the real world, which means that vergence and accommodation are always synchronized. The VR headsets focus the virtual image at a fixed distance from the eyes. However, the depth of virtual objects changes with the content. This is why there is conflict.
The article's author has experienced VR in various situations (e.g., flying over Paris), and these symptoms have been consistent despite having flown real aircraft.
The AR headsets have the same limitations as the AR glasses. Still, the problem is even more severe: virtual images don't blur properly with the real world that can be seen through them.
Solutions are on the Horizon
The first step was to use headsets on more than one plane (actually two). But that is only a part of the solution. There are promising technologies that could solve this problem. Light field technology is one promising solution. It projects images with optical depth. These virtual objects can seamlessly merge into the real world by allowing your eyes to switch focus between them.
The glasses will focus on the real person, while the virtual hat will make the person and hat appear crisp. The blurred appearance of the person and the virtual hat will be apparent if the user focuses their attention on the horizon. CREAL, a Swiss company located at EPFL, is working on such a technology.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are Big Draws
We see VR adoption growing despite the challenges. More than 100 VR games reached the $ 1 million mark in revenue in 2019, which has led to a significant inflection point in the VR market. Although a small market, VR is an emerging and sustainable developer platform. This market has the potential to grow beyond what the gaming industry currently does.
It's not surprising that major industry players are interested in this promising market. Their roadmaps include AR/VR products to various degrees.
Apple's AR/VR activities are worth watching, as the company is a pioneer in consumer products that are attractive and simple to use.
Microsoft's push for HoloLens devices and Facebook's Oculus gives Apple an air of certainty in the AR/VR race. Smart glasses could be the next growth channel after years of iPhone sales stagnation in a saturated market. Based on patent filings, Apple has been researching this technology for a decade. With the release of the ARKit framework (which integrates an iOS camera and motion features to create augmented reality experiences, apps, and games), Apple may soon bring a dedicated AR/VR product. Rumors suggest that Apple is working on several AR/VR headset prototypes as engineers seek the "most compelling" application for such a device. In 2022, an AR headset will be available. A pair of AR glasses will follow in 2023. Another notable technology player sees huge opportunities when they create AR/VR.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, laid out a list of topics he and his company would focus on over the next decade in January. He claims AR/VR telepresence will allow employees to work remotely from any global location by 2030. This could help alleviate the growing housing crisis in cities and reduce inequality by geography. This issue will be more urgent, given the current COVID-19 pandemic. Many workers are now using cloud-based videoconferencing services. AR/VR solutions are a natural extension.
Mark Zuckerberg said, "Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are about delivering an experience of presence -- the feeling you're there with another person or at another location. Instead of having technology that takes us away from people, the next platform will allow us to be more present with one another and help the technology get out of the way. Although some initial devices look clunky, We believe these will be the most social and human-friendly platforms ever created.
The Future is Bright
AR smart glasses will be released in the next few years. These smart glasses will be more easily assimilated into trendy consumer products than AR/VR headsets. The most computing power required to process images in the first phase will be embedded within smartphones. However, future optimization and miniaturization will allow this processing power to transfer into smart glasses. It is not a question of if but when. We can expect several AR/VR apps to be created with smart glasses. This is similar to what happened with smartphones. We underestimate the number of available possibilities, just as we did with smartphones and the internet.
Augmented Reality's Perspectives on the Future
1. AR's close connection with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Augmented Reality cannot function without artificial intelligence. AR makes it possible for viewers to label and identify objects. In many social networking apps, artificial intelligence and augmented reality are combined. The bunny ears, pig, and dog filters are just a few entertaining ones on Instagram and Snapchat. These filters are made for apps that cater to users.
Without a combination of AI and AR, the applications will not function. More social media apps with image enhancements will be seen and used.
2. AR in terms of Teaching and Training
Technologies for training and teaching are part of the field of education. Any data or information can be delivered to the learner in real-time thanks to augmented reality technology. Systems that use augmented Reality assist people in perceiving the environment and recognizing dangers and things. This facilitates the development of best practices. The value of augmented Reality has been demonstrated by the decrease in risk and increase in training costs. Industries that use Augmented Reality technology and employ more expensive machinery and tools will experience rapid growth.
3. AR and Virtual Reality: AR's Connections
The most widely used social media network that supports virtual and augmented reality (VR) settings is Facebook. A regularly debated issue is now AR vs. VR.
Virtual Reality Solutions can link individuals and socialize them through augmented Reality. Virtual and augmented reality both contributed to developing the "conference calls." While they converse with one another, users can see one another.
You can connect more than two persons at once using conference calls. The link between augmented Reality and Virtual Reality makes this possible. Spatial, a pioneer in AR technology, has integrated these two platforms.
This equipment and tools allow users to see pinboards and whiteboards. Mixed Reality works together to create design-based documents that are layered on real-time objects. We might see virtual reality users meeting up to socialize in 2021. These systems are also predicted to grow in AR and VR headsets sales. It will be an exciting year for those willing to wait to experience interactivity between real-world representations.
4. AR is taking over the Automobile Industry
It may take some time for autonomous cars to become a reality. Many automobile companies use augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence technologies to make their mark on the market. Augmented Reality is a new business model in the automobile industry. We will see advancements in voice assistants such as Siri. Augmented Reality will continue to grow in cars.
Automotive companies are currently using camera footage to create dashboard-mounted graphics that can be positioned around vehicles. This technology will reduce accidents as it can point out hazards and identify historic landmarks along the route.
Large-scale automotive companies such as Tesla, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz have signed contracts to use this platform after seeing positive results. Augmented Reality technology can also protect AR data on a car's windshield.
Augmented reality technology allows us to see the navigational prompts, identify frequently used lanes, detect hazards, and provide information about the direction.
Companies can use AR technology to create strategies that improve driver safety. These strategies allow drivers to focus entirely on driving and receive feedback on their vehicles. This can increase the driver's comfort and enable him to drive the car more easily.
Read More: How To Integrate AR And VR Into A Brand's Marketing Strategy
AR Trends that will Advance Soon
Here are some augmented reality trends we expect to grow and prosper soon.
Mobile AR is the Highlight
The introduction of headset-based AR has brought about more innovation. It uses augmented reality to measure, predictably track, render and detect objects. Apple shared some of its AR experiences using a new file format to detect objects.
This format is known as USDZ or the universal scene description. This format will be more accessible to third-party software than ever.
AR offers a Natural Experience
Everyone wants to see gesture recognition improve. It is worth looking into issues such as gaze direction. It is best to create a product that users can use. It is very appealing when users can look at objects, and they are detected instantly. This can be implemented in real life by removing the need for a user to turn his head.
Few companies are currently focusing on reducing tracking lags, which is one major issue with AR devices. Although these issues are not severe, they can still cause discomfort for the user. Augmented reality testing can track almost anything, so we'll see more problems solved in 2021.
AR welcomes Extended Reality(XR)
Extended Reality allows us to alter Reality digitally. XR can be described as mind, virtual, and augmented Reality. The alphabet X represents all these letters in the abbreviation Extended Reality.
Each of these realities is unique in its purpose and origin. They may sometimes be separated, but their similarities will become more apparent. According to our expectations, all these realities will be used successfully in 2021. This is one of the most critical augmented reality trends.
XR's priority is still in the Entertainment Sector
Entertainment is making full use of virtual Reality, Extended Reality, and augmented Reality. There will be no backward step in this year's entertainment industry. XR has the potential to continue to thrive in the entertainment industry for many more years.
Apple used augmented Reality for gaming, while other companies used it to teach. Mobile AR will continue to grow in both business and software development.
AR Market opens its Doors to Modernized and Innovative Solutions
Augmented reality technology can help you succeed if you have a solid idea that increases sales and throughput. Your concept will triumph despite the limitations of AR technology.
Many of the ideas rejected by the market are being revived thanks to superior augmented reality technology and trends. Indoor navigation problems, such as the placement of scenes, ending and starting points, and marks, are being solved quickly and released to the market.
Augmented Reality will allow for the improvement and polishing of these technologies. Anyone who uses augmented Reality to develop their ideas will always have a place in the market.
AR results in Evolution, but not Revolution
Although this may not be the year of augmented Reality, many companies, such as Apple, are working hard to make augmented Reality accessible across all platforms.
Apple is currently working on AR in browsers. It is an idea that Apple is planning to innovate. This will remove the need to download mobile apps. We eagerly await the day when XR technology is implemented in businesses. It is essential to use the correct algorithms in augmented reality development. There is also a need for constant technological expertise.
Moving Forward
Many technological experts are considering AR because it is becoming increasingly popular in almost every application. Practically every issue can be resolved using augmented reality technologies. Undoubtedly, augmented Reality gives users fantastic opportunities to delight in creating applications. Many areas may be improved, especially when considering the future of augmented app development.
As augmented reality technology trends develop, UX designers strive to enhance their designs. The advantages of AR technology will assist UX specialists. UX specialists are attempting to increase the capacity of gadgets to benefit from the most recent advancements in the IT sector.
This year has had a lot of surprises, including improvements in productivity, quality, and efficiency, as well as the possibility to apply augmented Reality (AR) technology to enhance any object. Prepare yourself for the rise of augmented reality technologies, either on their own or in conjunction with virtual Reality and artificial intelligence.
