Augmented Reality: The world as we see it is about to change
Though in its infancy, Augmented Reality (AR) has arrived. iPhone AR apps are now available and some unbelievably smart people over at Seattle’s University of Washington have even prototyped contact lenses with circuitry built in! This new tech, combined with always-connected Internet access, will literally change the way we see the world.
What is Augmented Reality?
AR has been around in Science Fiction for years. The Terminator,
The Predator,
Robocop,
and, more recently, Iron Man (sorry, no good example clips found) all provide examples of AR. Simply put, AR is an overlay of information onto your field of view. A heads up display for your everyday life.
This information will take the form of what’s required at the time. Perhaps you’re just walking around; you can have the time, temperature, date, rate of speed and direction displayed. Walk up to a coworker and over their head you may see their name, title, field of expertise. Need to get some milk at an unfamiliar grocery store? The path to the milk could appear on the floor. The possibilities are endless.
How will AR be used?
Keep in mind that, like all technology platforms, once AR is out there, companies will build applications to suit specific user needs. In addition to the few examples above, here are a few more potential uses.
Driving: In addition to the basics, like speed and direction, you may be able to see the distance between you and the car in front of you. As the distance closes, the display could go from green to yellow to red. Red indicating that you’re getting close and should brake.
Shopping: Items you look at can be compared to prices on the web, see customer feedback information, or just keep a running tab of the total cost of items in your shopping cart.
Medical: Doctors performing surgery could have patient vitals displayed and perhaps reference information.
Sports: While watching the ball game you can see player stats, or golfers could see exact distances to the hole and the lay of the green.
Complex machinery: Here’s another impressive video showing AR. It makes servicing something as complex as a BMW engine as easy as following visual and audio prompts, all while wearing cool shades!
How will Marketers use AR?
It seems to me that an obvious use for marketing would be sponsored AR overlays. So maybe when I launch my LinkedIn AR app I can have visual access to a colleagues work history, expertise, and shared connections. All with a LinkedIn logo in the corner. Or companies can create games that could visually indicate when a team member or rival player is within view.
I believe that the technology will have to mature a bit before Minority Report-style AR advertising is accepted by users. When it is, it can be targeted and directed specifically to that user and only for that user to see.
The inevitable future of AR
So now we can overlay information onto our field of view, but why stop there? It will only be a matter of time until someone develops some overlays that completely cover your entire field of view with new visuals. The best current example I can think of for this is night vision goggles. Driving home at night? Turn on your night vision AR and you can see everything. Firefighters walking into a smoke-filled building? Turn on the bio-matter overlay and clearly see the shapes of people (and pets) trapped inside. This full-view concept can really take off in the entertainment industry. Actually be in the movie or the game!
AR is here. Soon you’ll never get lost, never forget a name, and will have an entertainment experience that has only ever been envisioned in SF books and movies. It’s technology that brings us quite a few steps closer to the Holy Grail of virtual experiences, Star Trek’s Holodeck!
