I think we can all agree that reality is pretty
great. It’s what we experience through our
senses like our eyes, and phones with cameras.
The Internet is awesome too, but the Internet
and reality have a hard time working together.
Thankfully this is changing quickly. New tools
mean that the world around you can now be
seen with a layer of new information from
the Internet.
This is Augmented Reality explained by Common Craft. If you've everseen a movie with a fighter pilot, you've
seen the pilot’s view from the cockpit – but
something’s missing.
The pilot needs a layer of information that
adds useful items to his view of reality.
Recently, this kind of layer started working
on your smartphone. But instead of flight
data, you have data about the world around
you. It’s Augmented Reality.
Let’s say you're hungry and at a busy intersection.
There are multiple restaurants around you,
but you don't know where they are or which
one is the best. You could look up each one
on a computer, or just take your chances.
But now, thanks to new software on mobile
phones, you can simply point your phone's
camera at buildings around you and voila!
Restaurants are magically highlighted and
a layer of information about the restaurant
appears on the screen.
Another example is shopping. You can point
your camera at a product and see a layer of
information about it, like prices of the same
product at other stores in the area or on
the Internet.
And this functionality only requires a few
things. First, a smartphone with a camera
to capture reality. Second, a connection to
the Internet for receiving the layer of information.
Third, software on your phone to bring it
all together. It also helps to have a phone
with GPS and a compass so it knows which direction
you're facing.
Augmented reality can also work with a camera
attached to your computer. You can hold products
in front of the camera and see a layer of
information on your screen that makes reality
more interesting and even fun.
These examples are just the beginning. In
the future, you may wear glasses that have
a tiny display that you can see while walking.
As you walk by stores, buildings, people and
products, this screen displays information
from sites like Wikipedia or Google. Suddenly
your reality is richer and more interesting.
It's coming, but augmented reality has a long
way to go. Keep your eye out for ways that
augmented reality adds layers of information
to your reality.
