I’ve been interested in augmented reality technology for a while now, simply because seeing it happen really does look like magic. Making a simple 3D astronaut appear on a picture through my webcam was exciting to see!

I think that AR technology could have great application in navigation. Several years ago, I visited the BMV plant in Munich, Germany. We got to test drive one of their latest models, which had a small screen on the dashboard. In the reflection off the windshield of the screen, it showed the driver the car’s current speed and the street’s speed limit. I still wish that my car had one of those. I would love to see the technology BMV had expanded on. Most new car models have smart dashboards that include a navigation application, so I can imagine that it’s only a matter of time until the reflection in some car’s windshield also show the exact same sort of information in Google Maps.

A recent viral video even showed that their navigation app on their phone uses the camera to recognize the street it is on and shows directions through the video on their phone. If BMW could have a camera on the dashboard that faced outward to recognize its surroundings, it could display more accurate navigation.

AR can also have many applications in education. In elementary schools, the best way to get kids to learn is to get them to be excited for school and for them to be engaged. AR is a kind of technology that really looks like magic. When I showed a student, that she could color in a page and make that character come to life on her tablet, she was so excited! She just had to show it off to her mom. I believe that AR can have a similar magical effect on other kids, but in a way that they learn something new along the way. Imagine seeing a plant grow from a seed to a full tree in seconds--not on a screen--but right in front of you. In medical school, you could scan a body and have it project organs onto it through AR glasses.

In a similar vein, the use of AR when projecting information onto the real world can have uses in all kinds of jobs. UtilityAR develops technology which allows workers to wear AR glasses which display relevant information in electrical systems or servers. Perhaps one day, when electricians are working on buildings, they can record data and publish it some sort of database which shows what wiring there is behind walls. That way, in the future, they don’t have to rip apart too much in order to fix electrical problems. I am certain that companies will begin to incorporate these technologies once they are effective enough.

While the future uses of AR are unlimited, I still believe that technology still need to progress much further for AR technology to be truly seamless. There’s plenty of ideas already being developed right now that I think require much better cameras, better battery storage technology, and better processing. I’m certain that in a decade or two, the progress made in augmented reality can be astounding.