Augmented reality (AR) is an enhanced version of the real physical world that is achieved through the use of digital visual elements, sound, or other sensory stimuli delivered via technology.

AR got a lot of attention in 2016 when the game Pokémon Go made it possible to interact with Pokémon superimposed on the world via a smartphone screen.

Augmented reality (AR) adds digital elements to a live view often by using the camera on a smartphone. Virtual reality (VR) implies a complete immersion experience that shuts out the physical world.

The Equipment

AR images can be displayed on a multitude of devices including eyeglasses and goggles (remember Google Glass?), headsets, and heads-up displays like helmet visors, but the most common way to use AR these days is on a smartphone, in a variety of apps and games. 

How does it work

Consider playing an augmented reality board game using a real cereal box as the physical support. First, computer vision processes the raw image from the camera, and recognizes the cereal box. This triggers the game. The rendering module augments the original frame with the AR game making sure it precisely overlaps with the cereal box. For this it uses the 3D position and orientation of the box determined by computer vision. Since augmented reality is live, all the above has to happen every time a new frame comes from the camera. Most modern phones work at 30 frames per second, which gives us only 30 milliseconds to do all this. In many cases the AR feed you see through the camera is delayed by roughly 50 ms to allow all this to happen, but our brain does not notice!

While our brain is extremely good at understanding images, this remains a very difficult problem for computers. There is a whole branch of Computer Science dedicated to it called computer vision. Augmented reality requires understanding the world around the user in terms of both semantics and 3D geometry. Semantics answers the “what?” question, for example recognizing the cereal box, or that there is a face in the image. Geometry answers the “where?” question, and infers where the cereal box or the face are in the 3D world, and which way they are facing. Without geometry, AR content cannot be displayed at the right place and angle, which is essential to make it feel part of the physical world. Often, we need to develop new techniques for each domain. For example, computer vision methods that work for a cereal box are quite different from those used for a face.

Future scope

• E-Commerce – Many companies will be integrating AR into their websites and mobile apps. In retail, this will result in applications that seamlessly “clothe” a user in sunglasses, jackets, footwear, and jewelry via the camera in the person’s smartphone.
• Digital Marketing – AR technologies will continue to improve the way customers engage with brands. Marketing AR will likely be seen in packaging, on street signs, through gaming apps, and through interactions with other products.
• Geolocation – The ability of mobile devices to inform us of our surroundings be greatly improved over time. AR could benefit everything from real-time travel advisories to restaurant suggestions.
• Educational Resources – Researchers are already attempting to find new and beneficial ways to use AR in training situations. The military and healthcare industries, in particular, are developing powerful AR training simulations.

Benefits of AR

• The primary benefit of Augmented Reality is that it can be used by anyone including mentally and physically disabled individuals.
• It blurs the line of difference between the virtual and real world, thus increasing its usability and effectiveness in the area of application.
• It possesses a highly interactive nature which enable to assess several instances in advance.
• Success or failure of an instance can be determined by using the computing power of AR, thus saving a ton of money.
• It finds its heavy usage in the field of health, thus increasing the accuracy of diagnosis for diseases. Since now, it has saved lives of numerous patients.

Drawbacks of AR

• One major drawback of AR based application is the lack of privacy
• AR based applications or devices cannot be leveraged without appropriate training thus increase costs and time involved
• There can be certain instances where such applications have recorded low performance, thus reducing the overall appeal of the package.
• It can get extremely costly to develop and maintain an AR based device or an application.