Let’s consider how AR can be applied in some spheres of human lives and the assets it can bring
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Since the release of some extra popular games and applications based on Augmented reality, the technology has been in hype. We all know about Pokemon go and IKEA, the apps that combine real world with virtual objects and even creatures.
Today, the technology shifts from the niche of mostly games to other business areas and gains great popularity. It all happens because of the huge number of benefits that both users and businesses gain while using augmented reality in their applications. However, some areas are more promising for AR development and implementation than the others.
According to the forecast of Woodside Capital Partners, a leading global investment bank that delivers strategic to the companies in the technology sector, they believe that by 2022 video games will take the leading position in AR implementation (35%). Wellness and fitness along with healthcare industries will be just behind the leader (about 15%). Engineering and event spheres will cover around 13% each. The rest will be shared between Real estate, Retail and military spheres.
According to the Statista research, the market will grow to $160 bln by 2020 from about $5 bln which we have now.
The other investigation of Statista shows that the number of active users will also increase to 200 mln people by 2018.
This all argues in favour of Augmented reality as a very promising technology to invest in.
Let’s consider how AR can be applied in some spheres of human lives and the assets it can bring.
Augmented reality in video entertainment
Well, yeah! It’s obvious you can say, video games are the first industry that benefits with the technology. But we need to understand why. First of all, it’s the emotions that a user gets during the interaction with virtual character or object placed in a familiar environment. Pockemon Go uses this principles. What user has to do is to interact with environment (which is great) unlike the usual video games that tied you to the PC screen. If you want to develop an app like Pokemon Go, then you need to read our tutorial with all tips and hints!
Here’s the other example “Meet the Animals” project. It’s a book and an app. With the help of a smartphone or tablet animals drawn in a book come to live when you look at them via the camera of your gadget.
AR in Fitness and health care
With the help of headsets your training can much more spectacular. Now, you can run not on a running machine in a gym but somewhere in the forest in Australia or New Zealand. The same with cycling machine, a user can cycle anywhere he likes in any place in the world exercising at home or in a gym.
Medical applications that use this technology can be very useful for educational purposes. For instance, VR Dentist app is an application that shows jaws as a 3D picture. The app has quizzes where a user has to name different parts and many more fun things that make the education process more interactive and engaging.
Augmented reality in Engineering
If you have no relation with Engineering then for you it would be difficult to imagine what number of issues and difficulties were sold with the appearance of Augmented reality technology. The technology can show how the drawn detail will kook in real life. The image can be rotated, zoomed in and out to detect defects and faults of an item. As an example take a look at eDrawings Standard. The app is used in industrial engineering and for CAD modeling.
Augmented reality in Retail
Remember IKEA? We are not sure whether they were the pioneers using Augmented reality in retail. However, they did it the best and gained the most. It is a classical example of how AR can be used for sales. There are so many branded application with AR features that it becomes obvious that the technology really helps to sell.
L’Oreal uses AR in its application which allows users to “put on” virtual makeup on their faces and decide if they like it or not.Converse is an app which offers you to buy shoes. To choose your model you can wear them, a virtual pair, of couse.
Converse is an app which offers you to buy shoes. To choose your model you can wear them, a virtual pair, of couse.
Augmented reality in other spheres
With the launching of Camera Effect Platform from Facebook we understand how broad our horizons are. With this platform soon we’ll get applications where we can leave comments on the wall of a restaurant, leave messages to our family members on a fridge, or even post virtual virtual road signs for tourists who are looking for our restaurant or a cafe and many more.
How to implement AК in your app
There are two approaches to integrate the technology into your app. The first one is:
Marker-based approach. Usually in this model is used a hard coded object such as QR code. Such code is easy to recognize because of its structure. Yet, it’s not the only option. Postcodes or 2D tags could also be used.
The approach works this way, The marker is identified by an app and the program shows a specific model linked to the marker. The app doesn’t usually use any built-in utilities as it doesn’t require a correct image rendering.
The other way to build AR app is a Markerless approach. This approach is more complicated. Such apps need to analyze information and show AR effects in a specific moment of time. There is no a special marker for such apps, they use a number of criteria analyzing which an app triggers AR images.
Best tools to implement AR
As there are many of them, we have chosen the best instruments to integrate this feature into your project. Let’s look closer at them:
Vuforia is an SDK that covers Android, iOS, Unity and can even work with VR devices. The platform supports 3 and 2D and can recognize few items at the same time.
WikiTude is library that can work with Android and iOS platforms. It renders 3D models and generates HTML augmentation.
LayAR is a great framework that includes well written and detailed documentation. The tool lets see land surface through the layers on the screen. Each layer displays information about users and places.
It goes without saying that the technology is incredibly high-potential. We are sure that soon it will be difficult to find an app without AR features. You are not limited with any boundaries and are free to choose any sphere or area you want to apply it. Anyway, I truly believe that integrating AR into your project you can’t go wrong!
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