Top Industries Leveraging Augmented Reality

Anurag Rastogi
5 min readSep 11, 2020

Augmented Reality or AR is an interaction between real-world environments with the computer-generated environment. It is the ability to insert and overlay the digital and virtual information into the real world. It is predicted that AR will hit the global revenues not only by matching VR but even overtaking it.

There are many industries which put this technology to good use and soon AR will be used everywhere in industries for the benefit and improvement of human performance.

Augmented Reality in Healthcare

There are numerous Augmented Reality apps which are made to help a surgeon perform its operation on a patient. This AR app has made easier and possible for a less experienced surgeon to perform surgery. An application like ‘Viipar’ is mostly used by a beginner surgeon. This application supports video platform and can project augmented hands on the patient, a more experienced surgeon can guide a beginner via augmented hands projected on the patients whether he is in the same location or different location. A similar app is AccuVein, this apps uses AR technology to find the veins of a patient.

Augmented Reality in Education

Augmented Reality has also helped the people and students to learn and understand their surroundings. The British Museum uses AR technology to help children and people understand their statues. This AR apps uses a Samsung tablet and introduces a game which can be played by the children. This app uses the museum’s statue which tells a story about them. AR can be a good learning source for these children. This technology has also been used in classrooms to teach students about practical knowledge of the subjects. They are best suited for technology, math or science.

Augmented Reality in Travel & Tourism

AR tech is also helping a local and a foreign traveler. An app called Yelp Monocle which uses AR feature to give the particular information about the local surroundings and location. Using a Smartphone and this AR application, a user can point his phone at a particular location and the AR feature will give all the details about that location. This Augmented Reality technology has helped a lot of people who are traveling to new locations without any guide or info, using AR apps on their Smartphone they can easily access the local info about any locations.

Augmented Reality in Manufacturing

Augmented Reality is also embraced by manufacturing industries. Using an AR application, the workers can easily organize their assembly lines and warehouses. The application of AR has also turn complex assembly operations into simpler operations. Modern manufacturing involves assembling of hundreds and thousands of parts in a precise manner. To organize these instructions in an easier manner AR technology is used. An AR application Evolar is used by workers in warehouses to locate and store packages and also sort them. AR application has also helped in the maintenance of the machines.

Augmented Reality in Defense

The Augmented Reality first real-world application was the heads up display or HUD in fighter jets. Using this technology, symbols are projected onto a transparent screen which shows all the functions similar to gauges but more effectively. It takes away the distraction of pilot looking at gauges and allows them to aim their weapons better. With this application, it has made easier for a pilot to look for the information digitally without losing their focus on the gauges. Also, the US force research is ongoing which can easily access the territorial information via AR.

AR in Automotive industry

Following the heads up display in aircraft, the application of AR was also introduced in automotive industries. HUD starts appearing in cars and BMW a German motor is one of the pioneers. In this application, they have displayed various parameters such as speed and navigation. It has helped people not to lose focus while driving and looking into navigation and speedometer. The AR built HUD is projected from a console on the dashboard on to the glass which only the driver can see. Also, the application of AR visualizes the design of the car.

Augmented Reality in Music

The arts are not left behind when it comes to immersive technologies. With the help of the AR application, the tutorials of musical instruments can be created and displayed using visualization. Also, AR technology can help people to watch live performances of their favorite bands and artist. Using a solid green screen, the band can record their live performance which can be viewed in the AR app through your Smartphone. VR will virtually take you to the live concert but AR will bring the concert onto your Smartphone.

AR in Maintenance

Augmented Reality has also shown good results in the maintenance sector. AR technology is also used to replace manuals and shows visualized and real-time instruction through AR app. Through AR it has become easier to maintain machines or equipment. The application shows how to remove the part and repair it, which makes easier for a maintenance engineer to repair the machine. AR also performs tasks such as observation, analyze or inspection of the machine. Once a problem has been found, the technician with the help of AR can follow simple visual instructions to bring the solution.

AR in Gaming

The gaming industries are also achieving greater height by implementing the AR technology in their game interface. The most popular was the Pokémon Go. The game was build for the Smartphone which uses AR technology and catches Pokémon from the surroundings. The app became popular real quick which takes every person’s interest. Implementing the AR technology in games has made user-experience more intense and enjoyable for the users. Also, the application of AR can be seen in real-world sports such as FIFA or NBA. Using AR, the fans are able to see the stats and analysis of the team and player during a match.

AR in Retail

Most of the business is using Augmented Reality in marketing and retailing. The customers are able to see the price and product in a visual manner through the AR app. In 2013, IKEA catalog came with an augmented reality application designed to recognize various pages in the catalogs and overlay animated 3D furniture. Using this AR app you can use the camera of the Smartphone and look into the catalog pages and then it visualizes the furniture such as a bed, sofa or dining table. Also, there are sites which show the clothes and its price through their tags.

Have an idea for an Augmented Reality app or wish to find out how you can use it in your sector? Get in touch today.

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