Augmented Reality
Let's Explore Augmented Reality (AR)
For me, the Science-fiction movie “Iron Man” was the first movie to demonstrate the possibilities of Augmented reality. And now, a decade later “Augmented Reality” came out from science-fiction movies and became the science-based reality. It became possible only because of some giant technology companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft and etc.
In September 2017, Apple released ARKit to implement AR for iOS and Google has released ARCore for Android this year. 2018 looks set to be the year where Augmented Reality (AR) fully enters the mainstream.
I have heard many people saying “Augmented Reality” (AR) is the close cousin of “Virtual Reality” then what about “Mixed Reality” (MR), is it a hybrid son of both.. Very funny...Just kidding!!. Is it because both have a similar word (Reality) in the end? No, Absolutely No.
For quick information, what I feel is, Virtual Reality is fully computer-generated 3D artificial environment which is presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment, whereas in augmented reality, the reality (user’s real environment) is get augmented by computer-generated 2D or 3D objects in real time and presented to the user through some medium which I will explain below. For more information just keep patience and go through this blog.
Let’s First understand the Virtual Reality (VR)
As I mentioned above, the Virtual reality is computer generated 3D artificial environment that is created with software and looks like a real environment. On a computer, virtual reality is primarily experienced through two of the five senses: sight and sound.
Key Elements of a Virtual Reality Experience
Virtual World
Virtual worlds are computer generated three-dimensional artificial environments in which you can interact with others and create objects as part of that interaction. In a virtual world, visual perspectives are responsive to changes in movement and interactions mimic those experienced in the real world.
Immersion
In virtual reality, the immersion means being mentally engaged which gives the perception of being physically present in a non-physical environment.
Sensory Feedback
To get more immersive experience, some necessary senses(like vision, hearing, touch and more) are required to be simulated which is achieved by integrating some hardware and software which includes head-mounted displays (HMD), special gloves or hand accessories, and hand controls.
There are some devices like Oculus Rifts Samsung Grear Google Cardboard which are used to experience VR.
Now Let’s understand the Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality (AR) describes user experiences that add 2D or 3D elements to the live view of the physical world captured from the camera in such a way that makes those elements appear to inhabit the real world.
Real Environment + Virtual Objects
In other words, An enhanced version of reality where live direct or indirect views of physical real-world environments are augmented with superimposed computer-generated images over a user’s view of the real-world, thus enhancing one’s current perception of reality.
In AR, System uses a camera to capture physical worldview so that it can overlay virtual content in that. It also requires some motion sensors to track user’s moment so that system can adjust the size and angle of rendered virtual objects based on the user’s distance and angle to the corresponding object.
What are the devices available to experience AR?
Smartphones and tablets:
In case of Smartphones and tablets, augmented reality technology can be used through a combination of camera and location-based services. The viewer can see the input from the camera being modified on the screen. There are many cameras and location-based apps available for Android and iOS platform.
Smart Glasses:
Head-mounted displays, glasses, and lenses (yeah, we have it coming!) also support the Augmented Reality technology by making it an integral part of your entire field of view. This gives a more life-like AR experience giving a much broader scope of applications.
There are many smart glasses available in the market:
What are the use cases of AR?
using augmented reality glasses to overlay any necessary data onto a technician’s workspace to help make assessments and perform tasks. According to industry week, Lockheed Martin is using AR to render images of cables, bolts, part numbers, and instructions to assemble various components. More impressively, workers’ level of accuracy has improved to 96% while working 30% faster.
Pokemon Go may have brought augmented reality into the mainstream, but the technology is more than just a gimmick for placing virtual monsters or furniture in the real world. AR has the ability to change our world, and its effects can already be seen. It will usher in a new era of how we create, plan, learn, and interact.
Tools to implement Augmented reality:
|
Comments
Post a Comment