Let's talk Augmented Reality

To many the first time they may have come across Augmented Reality was most likely in 2015, with the launch of the hugely popular Mobile game Pokemon Go. However, to even my own surprise Augmented Reality was in fact invented in 1992, when two Boeing engineers by the names of Thomas Caudell and David Mizell, designed a simple see through headset to aid their fellow engineers with complex wiring. 

We've established when it was invented but you most likely are still wondering what on earth Augmented Reality actually is. The definition most associated with the term is “overlaying digital objects on to the physical world”, however that’s not very exciting, we like to say that Augmented Reality is the ability to alter the real world to suit your imagination.

Don't believe me below are only a few ways Augmented Reality can be used. You'll notice that its applications are not limited to specific industries or business domains but actually our own limitations as a collection of people presented with a new interactive medium.

1.     Shopping & Retail: (Try Before You Buy)

2.     AR for Business: (Navigation Instructions, Property Models, Advertising)

3.     AR for Social Media: (Snapchat or Instagram filters)

4.     AR for Education: (Complex Subject Visualisations, Inspecting DNA, Training)

5.     AR for Healthcare: (Operation Guides, Diagnosis Visualisation)

6.     AR for Nonprofit: (Real-life visualisation of impact of disasters, deeper engagement)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, we are still only in the infancy in regards to the maturity of this technology, Apple are yet to release their not so secret "I-Glasses" which will only increase adoption. Nevertheless, we can only speculate as to how Augmented Reality could be used in the future. All we know for certain is Augmented Reality is here and it’s here to stay.