A couple of decades ago, glasses began to develop actively, in which one could look at anything, including a non-existent world. You could put them on and watch a movie, work at the computer, play the simplest games and much more. Then technology has evolved, but mostly in the direction of increasing the resolution of tiny monitors built into these “glasses”, which were then called “virtual reality helmet”. Later, augmented reality appeared and many at first confused these two concepts, now they seem to figure it out, but still do not understand what it is for. And this is really useful, and most importantly, you can actively use it right now. At the same time, it is either inexpensive, or even free.
Augmented reality is closer than it sounds.
What is Augmented Reality
Probably, the locomotive of the ideas of augmented reality is the company Apple, which not only was the first to actively develop this direction, but has even already begun to produce hardware for its implementation. So in the latest models iPhone a separate segment of the chipset for processing augmented reality has appeared, and in the new iPad Pro there is a lidar for more accurate volume determination. Perhaps it will appear in the iPhone new generation. It was not for nothing that Tim Cook several years ago in an interview said that he believed in augmented reality, not virtual.
If you haven't used AR (augmented reality) yet, just imagine how you look at the world and suddenly some additional information comes out of the ground. Or, for example, how you walk on an empty site and consider the car you want to buy. This is augmented reality. It differs from the virtual one primarily in that there is a real world in it, and VR (virtual reality) completely gives a new picture. Perhaps it is also connected with reality, but it replaces the reality that is around you, and does not complement it.
How to watch animals, tanks and more in 3D
There are already several simple ways to watch augmented reality objects, for example, animals in 3D and tanks in 3D. We have already written about this earlier.
Pokemon GO is the most famous AR game.
Just looking at them in special glasses with mini-monitors in front of your eyes is interesting, but not so much as placing them on your table or carpet. So you can show it to children and have fun yourself. And most importantly, this method is available to everyone who has a smartphone, and for this you do not need to buy additional equipment in the form of special glasses. Just a smartphone with a level slightly higher than the minimum is enough. The main thing is that he has a camera.
Well, let it be a little exaggerated, since Google has a list of devices that support animals in AR, but in general, this is available to a much larger number of users. An example is Google's translator.
This is the simplest version of augmented reality, when you point the camera at the text and work with its translation. I really don't like this mode, but I've used it a couple of times. It turned out to be much easier for me to photograph and translate the text by highlighting it in the photo. But as a technology demonstration, such applications are very good.
Another example of technology demonstration is the Starry Sky app. It allows you to point your smartphone at the sky and find out where and what space objects are. Maybe this is also a toy, but very useful for entertainment and educational purposes.
Why Apple is developing augmented reality
Augmented reality is actually developing not only Apple. Many companies are trying to do this, but it is the Cupertinians who most of all demonstrate achievements in this direction. Google, for example, has Google Glass, but where are they now? And we hear about Apple all the time – literally after every presentation. But why do they need it?
With the help of augmented reality, you can design your home.
The other day I already wrote that the smartphone market experienced a record drop amid the coronavirus and pandemic. At the same time, under the same conditions, the market for wearable electronics, on the contrary, has grown. This can only be explained by the fact that everyone already has smartphones, but watches and bracelets do not yet. Plus, in this direction, some significant product changes are still possible from model to model, unlike smartphones, where stagnation has been observed for a long time (folding does not count, their time has not come yet).
Against this background, it seems very logical that a new device should be released, for which people will line up. The main thing is that it is relatively inexpensive and at the same time allows you to always carry it with you. In this regard, the end product of the industry, I see it as augmented reality glasses, like the same Google Glass. The main thing is that they work at least a day and at the same time not be very hard.
I have doubts that we are ready for augmented reality in everyday life, but this does not mean that we should not develop this direction. My doubts are caused by the extent to which the brain can adapt to all objects of the augmented world that appear from nowhere. In addition, there can be unpleasant failure situations. For example, if you are walking and an advertising banner has come out of the ground in front of you, this is one thing and you can bypass it “on reflexes” or go through it. What if the system crashes and pushes it in front of your car at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour? Questions still remain.
Augmented reality on Android
Despite the efforts of Apple in the development of augmented reality, it seems to me that the main prospects lie in Android – devices. So far we are not talking about ready-made glasses, but only about hone technology on the way to this product.
This is how AR can be implemented in trade.
The army of users Android is much larger and among them there are more of those who want to try something new. It is they who will become the AR engine to the masses. The main thing is that Google and the developers do not forget about such an important area and continue to develop it. If they come up with new products, users will test them, there will be such important feedback and technology will move forward.
Which is better – augmented or virtual reality
With all that has been said, I am not at all against virtual reality, which also needs to be developed. Here, too, there is room to move. Even the coolest headsets have room for bigger screens and smaller bodies. This will be the key to success. If you are ready to challenge this, we will meet in our Telegram chat.
It is interesting to watch something in addition to the real world, but sometimes you want not just to see how aliens flew to your home, but to fly to them yourself. Only a good VR headset will help with this. Traveling, working, playing, watching productions and concerts in conditions of forced isolation at home – all this requires VR.
But inviting virtual friends home with whom you will communicate, visualizing events or objects that can be viewed in the real world, or simply navigating the streets, when an arrow appears in front of you, and the street to which you need to turn will be highlighted in green – this is a separate direction that we are all waiting for. Even automakers have already begun to stir. Have you heard about the projection of instrument readings on the windshield? Than you are not augmented reality. And so it can be anywhere in space.