Tech Trends and AR

You might not believe this reality, but the tech world is about to get even more augmented.

Augmented reality, or AR, is the most recent technological innovation that blends the real world with the virtual world. This 3D interactive experience is accomplished through the use of screen-equipped gadgets, like smartphones and iPads. AR became more widely discussed when the game Pokémon Go was released in 2016, allowing users to “catch em all” by interacting with superimposed Pokemon on their mobile devices. AR is one of the most popular technology trends right now, and will only rise as AR-enabled smartphones, and other gadgets become more available throughout the world.

What are the Types of Augmented Reality?

Wait, you mean there’s different types of AR? Absolutely! In fact, there are 5 different types of augmented reality. Each type serves a different purpose and allows users to encounter a newer and better natural world in which virtual information is used as a tool to assist with everyday activities. Read more about each type of AR below:

Augmented Reality-Based on Location

Suppose you’re a traveler looking for an exciting new destination to explore in your area. Location-based AR makes use of the smart device’s location-sensing features. This AR type will leverage your position by reading your smart device’s GPS, compass, and accelerometer, then displaying relevant information on your screen. Google Earth and Google Maps live view are prime examples of this type of augmented reality.

Outlining AR

Driving at night can make it difficult to see the lines in the road or the outline of a building. Outline AR assists in recognizing boundaries and borders in moments when the human eye can’t. This method can also be used to outline buildings and their supporting pillars in architecture and engineering.

The line here is a little unclear, though, because outlining AR works with object identification and may appear similar to projection-based AR.

Projection-Based AR

This sort of AR, as you might assume, projects digital images on physical items in physical space. It can be interactive, displaying a digital keyboard on your desk or a dialer in your hand. It may also be non-interactive and used to project things that you can position and observe in detail. 

Any Marvel fans out there? Iron Man often uses this type of AR to interact with his suit and other mechanical inventions. As this AR technology advances, we may one day have the ability to project silhouettes of people in real-time, as seen in Star Wars films.

AR-Based on Recognition

When you scan a QR code and it pops up with an app or a website, you are using recognition-based AR. This is the AR type that identifies and recognizes an AR marker. It replaces the marker with a related object once it recognizes it. 

This is a great way to market your business or product in the physical space because people no longer have to carry around a business card or a pamphlet – they can just scan the marker or code with their mobile device and voila! They can interact with your business, while just going about their day. 

Another form of AR technology based on recognition interprets words observed through the camera. This sort of AR, along with the next, appears to be the most largely used.

AR-Based on Superimposition

Object recognition is also used in superimposition-based AR to replace a complete object or a portion of it with an augmented view. In healthcare, for example, this technique can be used to superimpose an X-ray view of a patient’s shattered arm bone on a real photograph to comprehend the bone’s damage clearly.

Why Should Tech Trends  Care About Augmented Reality?

AR has advanced beyond gaming and entertainment alone. It has shifted into industries such as healthcare and manufacturing. There is a lot of promise in using this technology to impact your business. Brands will be able to promote themselves and their products in ways social media can’t achieve. 

Some of the benefits of AR include:

• Aiding in drawing users’ attention to the products and services that businesses present.
• Inviting clients to take action and engage in the interactions they provide.
• Contributing to the value and popularity of companies and products due to its innovative approach.
• Saving time in the buying experience as well as in day-to-day life activities.
• Saving money, as no extra media tools are required to use AR applications.

Augmented Reality Improves User Experience

Now that you understand augmented reality, you may be asking why businesses would want to employ it. Listed below are some ways that augmented reality improves user experience and, as a result, business.

Improved Visualization

Customers get a more realistic glimpse at the goods they are looking at by applying visual overlays. Consider walking into a toy store and seeing a photo of a Nerf gun. It looks cool, but it’s just a picture. You pull out your phone and scan the photo with your camera. Next thing you know, you’re holding an interactive model of it. You’re able to see it from all angles and visualize how it would look getting to play with it in real-time. 

This innovation is going to change the way consumers experience the way they shop, giving them the ability to truly picture their life with a product before buying.

Online Prowess

When a consumer encounters a problem with a product or service, augmented reality allows them to get real-time instruction. Customers can be assisted in addressing issues without consulting a handbook or calling a specialist. Instead, AR apps can replicate a product, break down different parts, and explain how to solve a problem visually.

Service Enhancement

AR technology is ideal for innovating on traditional business operations, specifically in healthcare and tech agencies. Training will be more effective, as it goes beyond the generic verbal classroom setting. Employees will feel more confident, as they are trained more consistently across companies and with less pressure of being brought into the environment without any first-look experience.

How Can Rocksauce Assist In Advancing The User Experience For The Brand?

Today, user experience is one of the most important factors in making a person loyal and respect a business. While every organization strives for excellence in user experience, emerging technologies that allow users to readily connect to reality will become more popular for reshaping and reinventing the user experience principle as a whole. 

At Rocksauce, we are revolutionizing UX through the development of AR apps. We want modern technology to make our lives more dynamic and flexible, rather than complicate them. That’s where we come in. We can help businesses to develop those simple, yet impactful applications that provide a high-quality user experience. 

Moving forward has never been so easy. Contact us today to talk about all things branding, product development, and modernizing your business.