Reality, But Better

It’s always exciting to me when the benefits of a certain technology are easy to see.

Why one laptop might be better than another laptop for example, can be difficult to grasp when all you want to do with it is write emails and order dog food.

Features don’t sell technology, benefits do.

That immediate wow factor and instant understanding of how something might fit into your life and begin improving it as soon as it’s out of the box.

If a technology exists which I’ve never heard anyone lack enthusiasm for, that technology is augmented reality.

Whereas virtual reality exists to make us feel like we’re inside an alternative environment, augmented reality or AR is the experience of using technology to supplement or enhance the world around us, typically through our sense of sight but occasionally via other stimuli.

Adding additional visual or auditory information to what we’re currently seeing has vast potential.

One of the more famous recent examples of AR being enjoyed on a widespread scale was the global Pokemon GO phenomenon.

Even if you weren’t caught up in this fad, it does demonstrate the fact that most of us are carrying the hardware required for experiencing AR around in our pockets.

Its reach, while quite exciting for gamers, goes quite a bit beyond that however.

Various apps exist which allow us to use our smartphones to enjoy AR; one of my personal favorite examples is Sky Guide.

One of the benefits of living where we do is a great view of the night sky, but as a city boy recognizing constellations has never been my strong suit.

Sky Guide allows me to tilt my phone skyward and have the names of stars, planets and other celestial objects overlaid onto what I’m actually seeing.

It’s not a chart or a photo I have to keep referring back to, it’s giving me the information seamlessly in real time as I point my camera at different parts of the heavens.

Another interesting use of this tech is 3D modeling. Amazon currently employs this via their shopping app to allow you to see how certain products would look in your home.

You can virtually beam in say, a couch, then walk around the room to observe it from different angles to make better choices about matching the rest of your decor, or ensuring something will fit into a space.

Even glasses and shoes can now be “test driven” before you pull the trigger and make a commitment to purchase. One could also use this type of AR for enriching museum tours, city walks or historic sites.

We’re barely scratching the surface as it stands.

So what’s the holdup? Why can’t we all be enjoying recipes which magically appear as we walk around the grocery store?

There are a few factors here, but mostly it comes down to cost and social norms.

By far the most widely adopted form of augmented reality currently lies on our cellphones. Breaking free of waving your phone around would require some flavor of smart wearable, like glasses which allow you to see both the real world and the overlaid information simultaneously.

Glasses like these do exist, but they’re both too bulky and too silly looking to be feasible. We’re getting there, however.

The wonderful thing about how AR exists today is how accessible it is.

Almost everyone has access to a smartphone, and we’re all able to point it at things. That’s all it takes for someone to experience augmented reality.

Used that snapchat filter which turns you into a horse?

Great news, you’re already experiencing the best that AR and technology in 2021 has to offer.

Richard Noble is the founder of Want For Tech, an IT company based in Glasgow.