Pokémon Go—the game that overlayed the live image from a smartphone camera with virtual items for the user to find and collect—catapulted augmented reality (AR) into mainstream consciousness. Ask people what AR is, and chances are this game will feature in the answer.
However, gaming is not the only area where AR can be transformative; from education and healthcare to law-enforcement, logistics, and aerospace; the technology is proving highly valuable. We have picked out a range of examples that highlight the breadth of scenarios where AR is set to make a real difference. However, first, what exactly is AR?
Defining AR
Augmented reality—or ‘mixed reality’—takes advantage of a device’s microphone, camera, location sensor, data connection, or another sensory component, to create virtual elements that are then overlayed onto a real-world object or environment. Where virtual reality replaces the real world, AR complements it. AR can also be completely interactive.
For example, AR can give someone additional information about an item they are looking at. Imagine a doctor being able to see into a patient, instead of having to look at scans or X-rays on a separate screen. Alternatively, a technician being able to merely look at a machine to identify what repairs it needs, without needing to open it up. More on these examples shortly.
AR typically works using either a head-mounted display (HMD), head-up display (HUD), or a tablet or smartphone. However, as we will see, AR can also be delivered in other ways, such as through projectors, tables or even lamps. This means people can benefit from AR without needing to wear special glasses or bulky headgear.
AR in Healthcare
With healthcare costs high and an aging population, AR offers a way for care providers and insurance companies to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs simultaneously.
Cigna’s BioBall program, for example, uses Microsoft HoloLens smart glasses for an interactive game that tests people’s body mass index and blood pressure. While holding a light bowling-ball-sized ball, the patient tries to catch the virtual objects that appear before their eyes. The ball senses their pulse, using responsive light to link the game to the person’s heartbeat. Afterward, the patient is privately shown their numbers in the headset, and associated health advice is sent to them by email. The aim is that by knowing their key health stats, people can take better control of their well-being, while treatments can be tailored appropriately.
Elsewhere in the health space, the University of Maryland is using the HoloLens to enable physicians to view ultrasound scans and other information, overlayed directly onto the patient in front of them. This means the physician no longer needs to look away to a separate screen. The university believes ultrasound is just one possible application for AR in healthcare, with other potential surgical scenarios or even battlefield medical use being looked at.
Another example in healthcare is the Scopis Holographic Navigation Platform, which again uses the HoloLens, but this time to support those performing spinal surgery.
AR in Education
Education is another big area where AR can make a difference, both to excite children about subjects they would otherwise be less interested in and to help low-performing pupils catch up with others.
At the University of Helsinki, an AR program is helping immerse children in science by enabling them to interact with topics including airplane wind physics, gravity, sound waves, and molecular movement in gases. Studies found that the AR technology gave low-performing children the boost they needed to bridge the gap with their higher-performing classmates, while also helping the higher-performing pupils.
Shifu’s Orboot globe is another example of AR being used as an educational tool. By holding up a smartphone or tablet to different parts of the globe, children can learn about history, culture, wildlife, languages, and more, by interacting with content in the app. The aim is that the interactive nature of the globe and its app encourage more active learning and support better memory-retention than would be possible with solely video-based content.
AR at Home, In the Office and Out-and-About
Where a lot of early AR has made use of headsets or eyewear, this is not the only way to add virtual elements to the real world. Projection-based AR, for example, is becoming increasingly popular in both home and office environments. Lightform and Lampix are two companies working in this space, creating AR experiences to use in the corporate world, retail, hospitality and elsewhere.
The Lightform device links to any projector to add AR elements. Possible uses include office environments where larger groups of people are collaborating on a project. It can also create items for artists in a studio to work from or be used to showcase new products on retail signage. Lightform’s Design Director, Phil Reyneri, has suggested that its technology is ideal for relatively short experiences, such as someone walking through a store or shopping center. In situations like these, it creates a frictionless AR experience, and one that more significant numbers of people can enjoy because they do not all need to be wearing pricey headsets.
Meanwhile, Lampix markets itself as the ‘tabletop augmented reality platform,’ using a lamp that projects an interactive image onto a surface. Again, because you don’t need any special headsets, the Lampix light can be used to aid collaboration, both in an office-based meeting room or just about anywhere else. Its creators stress that Lampix makes the technology almost invisible while creating genuinely useful user experiences. As a result, their suggestion that the use cases are almost endless is not an unreasonable one. It is easy to imagine tabletop games—both for adults and children—working in this way, for example.
From Logistics to Law-Enforcement and Aerospace
In Germany, FleetBoard is developing an AR app for logistics firms, which assists drivers with their pre-departure checks. The Vehicle Lens app uses the camera in the driver’s smartphone to detect which vehicle they’re about to use (from its number plate) and then superimposes relevant information about the truck onto the image as they walk around the vehicle. This can significantly speed up the pre-departure process.
Vehicle Lens is not FleetBoard’s only foray into the world of AR. It is also using HoloLens to support fleet managers, complementing a traditional map with information about traffic conditions and real-time vehicle locations. This can enable the operations team to warn drivers of possible problems, or re-route trucks to avoid delays.
From logistics, we turn to the broader industrial sector, where Daqri International is leveraging computer vision for industrial AR, enabling individuals to visualize data while working in a warehouse or when maintaining a piece of machinery. Headsets or glasses display tasks, equipment data, or other information to the jhwearer, enabling them to proactively target problems, thereby improving safety and efficiency, while reducing costs associated with equipment failure.
AR is also proving its worth in law-enforcement. Delft University of Technology, for instance, has been trialing AR for use in crime-scene investigation. The hand-held system means first-responders can work with remote forensic colleagues to quickly assess and investigate a situation in greater depth than might otherwise be possible. Using this approach, there’s less chance of contamination (because fewer people are physically on the scene), and a greater range of people can work together to examine the situation (because it removes the need for individuals to be there physically). As a result, the AR could help teams pinpoint traces of DNA more quickly, preserve evidence and get remote medical help.
Then there is Sandia National Laboratories, which is using AR to enhance training programs for security guards protecting sensitive sites. Using AR headsets, staff can be guided through real-world scenarios such as sabotage or theft; to ensure they are better prepared should they face the situation in reality.
To finish off our AR round up, we go back to Finland, where the VTT Technical Research Center has created an AR tool for the European Space Agency that enables astronauts to monitor equipment in real time—in space. These kinds of jobs need to be done at the right time and must be performed error-free. The AR environment enables astronauts to practice coordinating all the necessary activities by visualizing data from systems on board the Space Station.
Real-World Impact
This selection of AR applications underlines just what a wide-ranging influence the technology could have. By thoughtfully blending real-world environments with virtual objects in real-time, AR offers a fascinating range of possibilities to solve real-world problems and improve the way we live, work, and play.
The technology is maturing fast, so do not be surprised when you start seeing AR appearing around your workplace, shopping centers, and even homeware stores.