What is Augmented Reality (AR)?

There are so many speculations that are surfacing about the word AR which has hundreds of meanings but we will explain to you the meaning of AR in tech-speak language.
So, we want to make sure you understand when people talk about startling statistics like the fact that the global augmented reality market is expected to grow significantly to about 198 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

What is Augmented Reality (AR)?

Augmented reality is exactly what it to be perceived as. It’s a technology that uses the real world with a touch of enhancement.
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world experience where the objects are improved by computer-generated rational information, sometimes across multiple sensory methods, which includes visual, auditory, touch, smell, and somatosensory.

We’re talking about Augmented Reality (AR), which is not so far off from Virtual Reality (VR), but an exceptional technology worth learning.

How is Augmented Reality different from Virtual Reality?

Virtual Reality (VR) is simply the use of computer technology to create a completely divergent environment that you interact with.
Whereas virtual reality replaces your vision, augmented reality adds to it and it takes reality as you live it and change something about it. It can be an overlay of some visuals or sound or touch.
However, the major difference to understand all of this it to know that augmented reality has the real world as its foundation.

How is AR being used today?

AR is used during your daily life and you may not even realize this, you actually interacted with AR experiences. After understanding the definition and the technology behind it you will not be surprised when you know that these are examples of AR experiences:

– Facebook’s or Instagram camera effects, overlaying graphics into your pictures, That’s AR!
– Games like: Pokémon Go, was a real hit in 2016 as it allowed users to look for their favorite Pokémon by looking through their phone’s camera lens in the real world and conquer streets.  The game was an overwhelming success, with up to 65 million users at the peak of its popularity.

-Google Maps has AR street-view where virtual street signal points you in the direction of different roads and pop-up bubbles share details about nearby businesses.

– Beauty company L’Oreal has a mobile app that gives users a great experiment trying out various types of makeup.

– Disney created a special way for children to view their favorite characters by projecting colored images from a coloring book into 3D using a mobile phone or tablet with the help of augmented reality technology.

– Also, IKEA is known in the tech world as one of the first companies to use augmented reality in shopping experience which allows you to see their furniture inside a room of your own home.

It’s what lies ahead and what will change how we look at everything.

And this is only the start of an era. Who knows where AR will go in the coming years? What could you do with your own powerful AR experience? The possibilities are beyond belief.