The Future of Augmented Reality (Maybe? Or Not.)

It’s weird to think about the future of technology now-a-days because it feels like a 1980's science fiction novel. I never thought I’d be able to place a full grown (and growling) tiger in the middle of my classroom, but last week I did. So when someone asks what’s next, my mind jumps to other outrageous ideas, like holograms and holodecks. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ruin Star Trek for you, instead I’m going to take a step back and talk about the tech that’s emerging right now and how it can impact our lives.

I have a friend that works in the event planning industry in Chicago, and part of her job when she first started at her current company was to create 3D vector graphics of all the company’s equipment (from lighting panels to chairs). Another member of her team would then go and measure the venue the event would be held in, and create a 3D model of the space there. The designers would spend a couple days making sure all the measurements were correct, and that the furniture the client had picked out would fit in it, before returning to the client with a 3D mock design of their venue. If they had access to emerging Augmented Reality tech, they would be able to spend more time designing out the experience of the space and less time measuring. My friend could walk in with an iPad in hand and scan the space in seconds with new plane tracking tech, and have enough time left over to start placing her pre-made vector furniture directly into the space (similar to Ikea’s app, but at a higher fidelity).

There is a wealth of opportunity for way-finding too, though I think the most entertaining is a child tracker. Hide-and-seek becomes less fun when an arrow can point you directly to your child (hiding behind the curtains, you really didn’t need to pull out your phone for that one), but it could bring piece of mind to many parents, especially when you’re lost in a big crowd like at Disney World. There’s no need to panic and start yelling when Mickey himself can point out your kid for you (Disney now uses ‘magic’ bands which I am sure track every step you and your family take). This may sound a little ridiculous, but parents are already using Tiles and child trackers to do this, it just isn’t as precise (or animated).