Navigation and GPS Through Augmented Reality
GPS navigation has become a standard for getting people from one place to another. Physical paper maps are pretty much ancient when it comes to navigational technology. I remember when I was in middle school and my parents purchased a TomTom GPS system for our car. Even as a kid, it was clear how important this technology would be moving forward. I could tell that planning a long trip using MapQuest was a pain and that it was something that I wouldn’t have to do by the time I learned how to drive. Now, people don’t even need to purchase a separate product to reap the benefits of GPS. With Google maps providing turn-by-turn directions to all smartphones, this extremely powerful and convenient tool is available to everybody.
Navigation is still not seamless. Frequently, people will have their phone mounted to their dashboard or laying flat on their center console. This means that people need to look away from the road to get the information they want. Not only is this dangerous, but it’s also a clunky solution. With augmented reality (AR) technology, mapping information will be overlaid onto the real world, allowing us to focus on things like driving and walking. Check out Google’s AR extention to Google Maps.
Phone AR is still not seamless. I see modern AR as a stepping block toward the future of information. When eyeglasses become technology wearables, this type of data overlay will become much more seamless. Google Glass had the right idea conceptually but were never able to deliver on their promises on the hardware side of things. And if you doubt that people will make the change to wearing these glasses, think about how weird it is that people started carrying around phones in the first place. People who didn’t wear watches started wearing fitness trackers and smartwatches because they added value into daily life.
Heads up displays (HUDs) will be able to overlay navigational information onto the roads using the windshield as a medium. However, after scraping the web, current HUDs look like they do either the same or less when compared to smartphone navigation. They simply project a screen onto the windshield as opposed to overlaying information onto the surrounding environment. I am doubtful that HUDs will become compelling enough before self-driving cars remove the need for driving navigation tools completely. Although, AR through HUDs could be a cool method of displaying what the car is going to do to passengers.
GPS data is so important to visualize and the current suite of mapping software has done a really good job of conveying location data. However, I see AR being the next major stepping stone of GPS technology and devices. AR navigation through a headset or eyewear gets so close to the sci-fi dream of having a chip implanted into your head. If you need to know how to get somewhere, the information is seamlessly relayed to you in a way that you don’t even have to think about. You simply know how to get anywhere! And with Apple working on mapping inside spaces such as malls and airports, the future of navigation will finally live up to those Google Glass commercials from many years ago.
