Designing for a new reality: AR/VR

When executed appropriately, augmented reality (AR) technology will have a significant influence on our lives in the years to come.

In the future, augmented reality (AR) technology has the potential to significantly impact how we live our lives when used properly. With the use of this technology, digital data and graphics can be projected over the real environment to provide a more engaging and dynamic experience. Applications for this technology range from manufacturing and construction to healthcare and education, as well as retail and e-commerce. It may be used, for instance, to improve online shopping by enabling buyers to see how things will appear in their homes, try on garments to see how they fit, and even see how furniture would look in space before buying it. In the field of healthcare, augmented reality (AR) may be applied to medical education and training, enabling students and clinicians to view and interact with virtual anatomy, simulations, and models to advance their knowledge and abilities.

When used effectively, augmented reality (AR) technology will have a huge impact on how we interact with the environment and improve the convenience, effectiveness, and enjoyment of our daily lives.

How does augmented reality work?

Augmented Reality (AR) works by capturing real-world surroundings using a device’s camera and processing it with computer vision algorithms. The device’s software then tracks the camera’s location and orientation, recognizes items in the area, and maps it. Using this data, a 3D model of the environment is created, and digital data is superimposed on top of it. The finished image is shown on the device’s screen, letting the user see and interact with the virtual elements as if they were real.

The 3D models used in AR (as well as VR technology) can be considered as an empty canvas. The experience of the end user can be fully tuned as per the end goal by changing the style of these 3D models.

The current implementation in mobile devices is limited due to the hardware requirements which restricts the level of detail that can be achieved. This is only going to get better day by day as the hardware develops.

Different types of augmented reality tracking methods and their real-world use cases.

Using markers or targets, marker-based AR tracking analyses an image’s features before superimposing digital content on the previously identified marker.

Marker-less AR tracking uses inputs like points on a face or surfaces in a room to identify and map a real-world environment or a person in order to determine where digital material should be placed. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), which tracks feature points in a real-world environment, anchor digital content by enabling a camera to determine the separation between an object or surface and the user. We can track a certain scene or object in the world thanks to SLAM. The tracking of planes, intersections, faces, hands, and other body parts are some examples of marker-less augmented reality.

Location-based augmented reality (AR) tracking uses GPS, a digital compass, and other location-based services to track the device’s position and orientation in relation to the physical world. This allows the AR content to be overlayed onto the real-world environment and be anchored to specific locations.

Using these techniques augmented reality is being used to better the user experiences around the world in multiple domains, some of the use cases are mentioned below,

1. Advertising and marketing: Markers can be placed on billboards, posters, and other promotional materials to trigger AR content and provide additional information to the viewer.
2. Retail and e-commerce: Markers can be placed on products or packaging to provide additional information such as product details, reviews, and videos.
3. Education and training: Markers can be placed on textbooks, diagrams, and other educational materials to provide interactive and engaging content, such as 3D models, simulations, and animations.
4. Gaming and entertainment: Markers can be placed on game boards, playing cards, and other physical game elements to create more immersive and interactive gaming experiences.
5. Museums and exhibitions: Markers can be placed on museum artifacts and artworks to provide visitors with additional information and context about the piece.
6. Construction and Architecture: Markers can be placed on blueprints, floor plans, and building models to provide architects, engineers, and construction workers with real-time information and instructions.
7. Tourism: Markers can be placed on landmarks, monuments, and other tourist attractions to provide visitors with additional information, including audio and visual guides.

What we are doing and can do to further this technology.

As an organization that strives to bring the ideas of our clients to live in the best way possible manner, we employ AR technology by incorporating it into the products to improve the user experience.

We have used marker-less AR tracking to show a real-time preview of products for e-commerce while giving users the ability to capture and share the AR preview, see the product measurements and rotate it.

The future brings endless possibilities in various products of various domains like travel, education, entertainment, education, and much more. We aim to bring AR experiences in such a way that it positively impacts our user’s experience when using those products.

This is just the beginning, using the AR technology and providing other features in conjunction with it depending on the use case will massively increase the quality of user experience.