Augmented Reality
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What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality, (commonly referred to as "AR"), is a digital overlay that is superimposed over something real that you are viewing through a mobile device. To view an AR overlay, you need a device that can display the experience, (typically a mobile device), and the item has to have a pre-saved animation that is attached to it and stored on a server for viewing. Additionally, to be able to view AR experiences, you typically need specific AR apps and are unable to view the experience without them.
Typically, there are two parts to an AR experience: 1) a static trigger image; and 2) a video that is played when triggered by pointing your mobile device at the trigger image. There are some AR apps that do not need a trigger image, and use spatial recognition to place an AR experience on a surface, like a table, floor, or wall (like the example image to the right). Other examples of AR experiences that don't require a trigger are the various filters available in apps like SnapChat or Instagram. These apps use spacial recognition to recognise your face, and layer the experience on top of your face.
In this image, a piece of furniture is being tested for how well it fits into a space through the use of the IKEA Place AR app.
What's the Difference Between AR, VR, and MR?
In Virtual Reality (VR) the user is immersed in an environment where they are supposed to only see or hear what is happening in the VR experience. Augmented Reality differs in that it is an overlay of an experience that is on top of what we are seeing in real life. Mixed Reality (MR) only occurs when we are able to eliminate the need for holding a mobile device, and we begin to use wearables, like "Google Glass" (pictured on the right), or a contact lens that can seamlessly augment everything you see.
Additionally, a key difference in MR is the ability for the user to physically interact with the digital experience they are seeing by simply moving around their hands and fingers (often seen in sci-fi movies). Currently there are limitations to motion tracking software and hardware that are making it unlikely MR will be widespread technology for a number of years.
How Do You Create AR Experiences?
Some apps allow for simple experiences to be created through the use of templates built into the app, these apps are the easiest to use and most user-friendly, however, these experiences are often generic and limited in terms of customisability. Typically, professional artists who are creating AR experiences will produce the 3D objects in 3D software, or in the case of an animation, they will create the animations separately, then use the AR apps as a way to simply connect the AR experience to what they have created externally. Knowledge of 3D modelling is not needed, but allows you to excel in this field.
One of the apps released by Apple, which makes it easier to create your own AR experiences is Reality Composer (pictured on the right). This app allows you quite a bit of creative freedom, while still making it easy to create.
AR in Education
There are a multitude of applications for Augmented Reality in education. AR allows for students to visualize and engage with their learning materials in ways that are impossible otherwise.
Please view the examples below to see some of the possibilities. Each of the 6 categories have gif media examples, if they have not loaded please wait a moment to allow them to load so you may view the experience.
AR Frog Dissections
Imagine biology students virtually dissecting an animal for an anatomy unit. Students can visualise the body parts in ways that wouldn't be possible having the classroom.
AR Chemistry Lessons
Imagine the ability for students hold and see virtual molecules and manipulate them in real time.
AR Solar System Lessons
In AR, using a variety of apps or physical manipulatives, (like the Merge Cube), to explore the final frontier like never before.
AR Art Extensions
Teaching Art students to use AR allows them to take their creative skills further, by scaffolding on their works of physical art, and adding a digital overlay on top.
AR Physics Simulations
Students can use a variety of AR apps, such as Reality Composer to learn about physics models and simulate them easily in real time using Augmented Reality.
AR Museum Tours
Some museums have begun to incorporate AR into their exhibits to extend the their learning and increase engagement from their patrons.
What Are Some Apps That Use AR?
Use this app to visualize and test out pieces of furniture in your space before you buy.
One of the most widely known AR applications in mobile gaming, created to encourage daily physical activity.
An AR app from Adobe with built in assets, and the ability to import custom assets to add to your experience.
This is Apple's native AR experience builder that gives you quite a bit more control over your scene than many other AR apps.
Merge Cube Apps
The Merge Object Viewer and Explorer apps are great starting apps to use your new Merge Cube. They come with free experiences and paid upgrades.
Students can use EyeJack to add AR experiences to static art images as the trigger image (see WebAR examples below).
WebAR Demo
To activate the AR overlays in the examples below, point the camera from your mobile device or tablet at this barcode. You will be directed to open the web browser from your device and will be able to view each AR experience directly through your browser.
Tip: if your device is too far from the screen, it will be confused about which AR experience to play. Try isolating a single piece of art at a time.
What Is The Future of AR?
There are limitless applications to Augmented Reality in a variety of industries. Business are using AR for brand recognition and engagement; factories are using AR for improved effectiveness of its workforce; the medical industries are using it to improve how to learn and deliver medical treatments; and firefighters are beginning to use it for improving their ability to rescue victims and keep themselves safe with modified helmets and built-in 3D scanners.
However, there are a number of limitations that are preventing wide-scale adoption of AR in our daily lives. These include the requirement of a device, the high price-points for some devices, the need for a server to host the overlayed AR information, and current physical limitations in the technology, itself.
In most cases, AR can currently only be accessed by average users holding a smart phone or tablet up to a trigger image, however "smart glasses" and other smart devices with built in cameras and 3D scanning capabilities are currently in development that will allow for increased integration of AR in our daily lives. Though, the financial cost of this tech will likely be initially highly prohibitive.
Additionally, most AR experiences are tied to a particular app or brand, such as the Adobe Aero app or the EyeJack app, and all experiences made with an app like EyeJack are hosted only on EyeJack servers, making this information non-interopable and only accessible if the user is trying to view the AR experience while using the EyeJack app.
There are current solutions being developed, such as WebAR (see example below👇) to allow for more users to view an experience without the need for them to download a specific app. However, this is currently a costly solution for the creator, as hosting this content is new and expensive.
It will not be until these issues are solved that wide-scale adoption will be seen in AR industries.
Outdoor mural coming to life with AR
Beer company engaging its buyers to play an AR experience with their product to increase engagement.
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