Do you know how big is the AR, VR and MR market? Globally, it was 28 billion USD in 2021 and is predicted to cross 250 billion USD by 2028! With almost every tech company bringing out new VR and AR devices, it wouldn’t be long before AR devices become part of every household.
We are undoubtedly living the science fiction of the good old days. Because, almost all sci-fi technologies like holograms, talking computers, AI running your house, immersing in a virtual world etc are now a reality (Except killer robots). With the metaverse being the talk of the town, one of the major parts of its implementation is AR devices.
With major companies like Google, Apple and Facebook releasing smart glasses, even you might be tempted to experience augmented reality. But are smart glasses the only way to experience it? Let’s understand the different types of AR devices.
What Is Augmented Reality?
Before learning about AR devices, let’s first understand what is AR. Augmented Reality is a technology that adds digital elements to your real world in real time. It augments your reality with computer-generated content that you can view through a camera or screen. Confused? Let me elaborate.
I’m sure you remember the 2016 viral mobile game Pokemon Go. In that game, you can view and interact with Pokemon characters in your real surroundings in real time. You use the camera and the screen of your smartphone to view an augmented version of your reality. Here, the Pokemon character is a three-dimensional digital element placed in your surroundings in such a way that it seamlessly blends with your reality.
What Is The Difference Between AR And VR?
Both VR and AR are technologies that involve some sort of simulation to give you an immersive experience. However, there is a huge difference between AR and VR. Virtual Reality completely replaces your environment with a simulated or virtual world. Both the environment and its objects are virtual yet provide you with an immersive experience that feels very real. Whereas Augmented Reality adds virtual objects and elements on top of your real-world environment.
Applications Of AR
Is AR used only to create games? Of course not. Like any other technology, AR has a lot of applications:
- One prominent use of AR is in online shopping to see how a product will look in your home. This is highly useful while buying furniture. eCommerce stores like Amazon have a built-in AR feature in their shopping app where you can place the furniture in your surroundings.
- AR helps in construction where you can superimpose simulated images of structures in the real environment. Architectures and engineers can visualize the proposed design, and identify and solve issues before beginning construction.
- Similar to construction, AR can also be used in the manufacturing industry for product designing, planning and assembly.
- AR is used in archaeology to reconstruct and create 3D models on archaeological sites. They can generate models of the original structure and landscape to investigate the excavation results and other data.
- AR can aid in classroom learning as it has a lot of visualization capabilities. Students can view 3D models, interact with them, view fun facts, play educational games and do a lot more to make learning fun.
The above applications of AR are just the tip of the iceberg. Other applications include military training, healthcare training, flight training, entertainment, gaming, museum, navigation and a lot more. AR is quite a new and growing technology.
What Are Augmented Reality Devices?
Augmented Reality does sound fantastic but how can you actually experience it? Through one or more devices that are designed to support and implement augmented reality. In other words, through AR devices.
Consider the Pokemon Go example again. You need a device to view the characters – your smartphone. Through your phone’s camera, you can view your environment in which the app displays computer-generated, three-dimensional objects (Pokemon characters). Here, your phone supports AR and allows you to interact with it making it an AR device.
How is this possible? Because your smartphone has the hardware components like processors, display, camera, sensors like accelerometer, GPS, solid-state compass etc.
Examples Of Augmented Reality Devices
Although smartphones are one of the devices used for augmented reality, it is not exclusively designed to implement AR. Below are some popular AR devices that you can find in the market today:
- Microsoft HoloLens 2
- Meta 2 (by Facebook)
- Google Glass Enterprise Edition 2
- Magic Leap One
- Lenovo Star Wars
- Oculus Quest 2
- Merge AR/VR Headset
- Epson Moverio BT-300
- ThirdEye Gen X2
- Samsung Note8 and above
- Samsung Galaxy A5 and above
- Asus ROG Phones
- Asus Zenfone 6 and above
- Google Pixel series
- OnePlus 3T and above
Types Of AR Devices
If you observe the above examples, you can see that some are headsets, some are glasses and some are just smartphones. Does that mean you can classify the AR devices? Yes, There are 4 types of AR devices.
1. HUDs
When you are driving, to check your map, speedometer and fuel indicator, you need to take your eyes off the road. What if you could see those details right in front of your eyes, say on your windshield? If you have played car racing video games, you know exactly what I am talking about. That’s what a HUD does.
Head Up Displays or HUDs are transparent displays or screens that show data in front of your eyes so that you don’t have to look away for additional data. A HUD mainly has three components: projector, viewing glass and computer. The computer generates the data that the projector produces and displays on the viewing glass (the display screen).
HUDs are mainly used in the aviation industry, especially air forces so that the pilot doesn’t have to look around for critical information in their cockpit. It is displayed right in front of their eyes so that they can stay focused on their mission. HUDs are also implemented in high-end cars from brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and others.
2. Holographic Displays
If you are a fan of science fiction like Star Wars, Iron Man, Star Trek, Avatar, Minority Report, Blade Runner and others, you are familiar with holographs. Invented by physicist Dennis Gabor in 1948, a holographic display is a device that displays 3D objects in the real world. The device uses light diffraction to display a still image or animated sequence that you can view from any angle.
Holographic displays are often used in fairs, shows, exhibitions and entertainment purposes. In these cases, you don’t need any device to enjoy them. However, if you want to interact with them, you might need an AR or MR device like Microsoft HoloLens, an AR headset.
3. Smart Glasses
Smart glasses or AR glasses are eyeglasses that display extra information on the lens when you view the real world through them. They retrieve the information usually from your smartphones that you can connect with Bluetooth. There are two types of smart glasses:
Optical See-Through
In Optical see-through glasses, you view your surroundings directly through the transparent display like a normal eyeglass. It has transparent displays on which graphical elements like images, 3D objects, text and other data are overlaid. Some of the popular optical see-through glasses are HoloLens, Google Glass and Magic Leap One.
Video See-Through
Video see-through glasses are Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) similar to VR headsets with an inbuilt camera mounted on the display. The camera first views your surroundings to combine reality with computer-generated elements and displays them on your screen. These are usually VR headsets that also support AR. Some of the popular examples are HTC Vive and Oculus.
Want to know more about VR headsets? Check out the best VR headsets in India.
4. Handheld AR
What is AR in phone? You might have often heard about or even tried AR apps on your smartphones. Does that mean your phone is also an AR device? Yes, it is a Handheld AR device.
A smartphone or any handheld AR device uses its built-in camera to capture your surroundings and display it combined with digital elements on the screen. So, it’s basically a Video see-through device held in your hand instead of mounting on your head. You can interact with the objects on the touch screen with your fingers. All you need is a smartphone that has AR components in it. You can install any AR app from the app store and you can experience AR.
Want to know more about what are smart devices and their different types?
Conclusion
AR devices along with VR and MR (Mixed Reality) devices play a major role in the development and implementation of the metaverse. Although some of the devices may seem costly and bulky, they will become more affordable and portable in the future with technological advancement. It won’t be too long before AR headsets become a part of our day-to-day activities.
Are you planning to buy or wish to have an AR device other than your smartphone? Which one would you prefer and why?