Augmented and Virtual Reality Trends, Everyone Must Know…

The ability of science and technology to improve human life is known to us. Technology has made us ever more productive. This is because technology is cumulative.

In this world of increasing technology… Imagine sitting in your room, wearing a Virtual Reality(VR) headset and getting the feeling of walking into a conference, or an expo, or watching a product demo. This isn’t science fiction as the Covid-19 outbreak grounds millions of people worldwide, VR technology and other new-age technology like this is now increasingly in demand.

Till now we talked about VR technology, let’s see what is this VR technology?

Alongside AI and automation, Virtual Reality(VR) and its closely related cousin Augmented Reality(AR) have been touted for several years now as technologies likely to have a profoundly transformative effect on the way we live and work.

Solutions which allowing humans to explore fully-immersive computer-generated worlds (in VR), and overlay computer graphics onto our view of our immediate environment (AR) are both increasingly being adopted in both entertainment and industry.

Over the next year, both VR and AR applications will become increasingly sophisticated, as devices get more powerful and capable of creating higher quality visuals. Our understanding of how humans can usefully navigate and interact within virtual and augmented environments will also evolve, leading to the creation of more “natural” methods of interacting and exploring virtual space.

Augmented and Virtual Reality Trends to look out for in 2020–2025

1. Introduction of AI in AR/VR space.
2. Rise in the number of AR avatars.
3. Gearing up vehicles with the power of AR.
4. 5G will speedup AR/VR evolution.
5. The advent of WebAR.
6. Advancement in AR/VR displays.
7. Remote Assistance via Virtual and Augmented Reality.
8. The emergence of AR-based indoor navigation.
9. Establishment of Augmented and Virtual Reality in the education domain.
10. Last but not least, one of the key advancements in the VR world is the CAVE (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment). A VR CAVE is a small room or cubicle where at least three or more walls which act as large display monitors.

A recent survey from grith d raster reveals nearly all enterprises are already using or looking forward to adopting Augmented and Virtual Reality technology.

Technology

Hardware
Hardware components for augmented reality are a processor, display, sensors, and input devices. Modern mobile computing devices like smartphones and tablet computers contain these elements, which often include a camera and Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors such as an accelerometer, GPS, and solid-state compass, making them suitable AR platforms. There are two technologies used in augmented reality: diffractive waveguides and reflective waveguides.

Display
Various technologies are used in augmented reality rendering, including optical projection systems, monitors, handheld devices, and display systems, which are worn on the human body.

A head-mounted display (HMD) is a display device worn on the forehead, such as a harness or helmet-mounted. HMDs place images of both the physical world and virtual objects over the user’s field of view. Modern HMDs often employ sensors for six degrees of freedom monitoring that allow the system to align virtual information to the physical world and adjust accordingly with the user’s head movements.HMDs can provide VR users with mobile and collaborative experiences.[ Specific providers, such as uSens and Gestigon, include gesture controls for full virtual immersion.

• Eyeglasses
• HUD
• Contact lenses
• Virtual retinal display
• EyeTap
• Handheld
• Spatial

Tracking
Modern mobile augmented-reality systems use one or more of the following motion tracking technologies: digital cameras and/or other optical sensors, accelerometers, GPS, gyroscopes, solid-state compasses, Radio-frequency identification (RFID).

Networking
Mobile augmented reality applications are gaining popularity because of the wide adoption of mobile and especially wearable devices.

Input devices
Techniques include speech recognition systems that translate a user’s spoken words into computer instructions, and gesture recognition systems that interpret a user’s body movements by visual detection or from sensors embedded in a peripheral device such as a wand, stylus, pointer, glove or other body wear.

Computer
The computer analyzes the sensed visual and other data to synthesize and position augmentations. Computers are responsible for the graphics that go with augmented reality.

Projector
Projectors can also be used to display AR contents. The projector can throw a virtual object on a projection screen and the viewer can interact with this virtual object.

Software and Algorithms

A key measure of AR systems is how realistically they integrate augmentations with the real world. The software must derive real-world coordinates, independent of camera, and camera images. That process is called image registration and uses different methods of computer vision, mostly related to video tracking. An augogram is a computer-generated image that is used to create AR. Augography is the science and software practice of making augograms for AR.

Augmented Reality Markup Language (ARML) is a data standard developed within Open Geospatial Consortium(OGC) which consists of Extensible Markup Language (XML) grammar to describe the location and appearance of virtual objects in the scene, as well as ECMAScript bindings to allow dynamic access to properties of virtual objects.

Possible Applications

AR technology combines digitally created data with that from the physical world. The user sees existing environments overlaid with computer-generated imagery. Accessibility of smartphones is one of AR’s advantages, and it is actively finding applications in everyday life.

A VR experience takes place in a wholly simulated isolated reality, which makes it an excellent medium for gaming or 3D films. However, virtual reality business ideas are not limited to those. With new powerful and affordable headsets entering the market, VR technologies are edging towards more widespread consumer use too.

Both technologies are still in their emerging stages but hold immense promise for businesses even now. Let’s take a look at the most promising virtual and augmented reality business opportunities and use-cases.

1. Archeology
2. Architecture
3. Industrial Manufacturing
4. Commerce

5. Literature

6. Visual art

7. Games, leisure, and entertainment.

8. Health care

9. Advertising and marketing

10. Communication and collaboration.

The problems/dangers of these technologies

You see, when something is good and bad at the same time, this means it’s equally negative and equally positive. It is also applicable to technology. Let’s see what are the dangers-

1. Reality Modifications
2. Security and Privacy Concerns
3. Possibility of physical harm
4. Social Issues of Augmented Reality, Public Acceptance & Retention.
5. Ethical and Legal Issues with Augmented Reality
6. Limited hardware capability
7. Software Issues
8. Uncomfortable Architecture
9. Unsatisfying experience

So, use it carefully and wisely…

Links

Here I’ll be sharing you some video links to know how interesting is AR and VR…

As the impact of movies is more on us, I’ll be sharing you a list of movies where these AR and VR technologies are used widely.

1. Strange Days
2. The Congress
3. Black Mirror
4. Terminator
5. Mission impossible
6. The matrix
7. Total Recall
8. They Live
9. Iron man
10. Back to the Future II

In most sci-fi movies, you can see these technologies. Much of what we’ve seen in cinema will remain a fantasy. However, as we’ve seen through these examples, with the right innovation and over enough time, what seems impossible may someday become our reality.

The Takeaway

The technologies are already transforming the way people work and interact with customers, colleagues, and the world. AR and VR will be increasingly used in gaming, employee training, and hi-tech shop displays. Healthcare, education and entertainment industries are the apparent champions. VR will be increasingly applied in industrial design, manufacturing processes, construction, fashion, social media, and art. Both AR and VR have enormous marketing potential that is only in the initial stages of unlocking.

Evolving user experiences will be generating more virtual/augmented reality business opportunities in tourism, real estate, military, and even banking domains. More revenue streams and ideas are yet to discover. The question is whether you want to be a trendsetter or a follower of the trend.

“Those who take advantage of new opportunities earlier are more likely to succeed”.