So the Lawnmower Man was after all right. The different application of augmented reality is making us believe that’s where we are headed in the future.
Wikipedia defines it as;
“Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. It is related to a more general concept called mediated reality, in which a view of reality is modified (possibly even diminished rather than augmented) by a computer. As a result, the technology functions by enhancing one’s current perception of reality. By contrast, virtual reality replaces the real world with a simulated one.”
In short it’s the overlaying of digital data on the real world.
From virtual business cards to reading restaurant reviews to finding real directions in a street (Layar, is simply outstanding), AR is changing the way we live.
While different forms of AR have been around for years, it’s the arrival of powerful smartphones with built-in video capabilities that are making it easy for interesting usage of AR. The iPhone, and phones using Google’s Android operating system, both of which are capable of overlaying information on top of a picture or video have a whole lot of apps using AR.
Here’s another great application of AR by National Geographic, which we came across recently.
