Augmented reality (AR) technology has exploded onto the consumer tech scene in recent years, with many businesses and individuals now looking to develop their own augmented reality products. However, while this technology can seem quite complicated at first glance, it’s actually not too hard to understand if you know where to look and how to approach it.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at what AR is and why you need to be aware of it, how AR affects your day-to-day life how you can use it yourself, and what the future of AR holds for consumers and businesses alike.

The Future Is Here

This is what you need to know about augmented reality, also known as AR. With every new technology comes a wave of information and a lot of it is confusing and downright misleading. Don’t worry, though, we are here to break down how augmented reality works, why it’s so exciting and exactly how you can leverage it for your business. Let’s dive in!

Does This Make Sense For My Business?

The question of whether augmented reality is relevant for your business will depend on what you do. If your company sells computers or other consumer technology, it’s worth learning about new advancements in augmented reality (which could change how customers use your products). If you offer marketing services, learn how augmented reality might impact and interact with potential customers.

If you sell clothing, advertising on outdoor displays or billboards could take advantage of AR. And if you run a travel agency, you can use AR to create immersive experiences for clients who are interested in upcoming vacations or business trips. Another way to answer that question is: How likely are people going to be using devices that support augmented reality?

How Will My Audience Respond?

Before you decide what format and topic you’re going to write on, consider how it will resonate with your target audience. Does an infographic on augmented reality make sense if your primary customer base is enterprise CTOs? Probably not. What about if you’re a startup that makes AR-based drones? Definitely yes. An infographic might not be for everyone, but it can be a great way to spread awareness about new technology, especially if no one in your industry has explored it yet.

Are AR Marketing Strategies Effective?

Marketing is already a cutting-edge industry, constantly pushing boundaries and evolving. But when you add new technologies into the mix, things get really interesting. If you’re wondering if augmented reality will be effective for your brand or marketing campaign, keep reading. Once you have a better understanding of what AR technology is and how it works, you’ll be able to see if using it in your company would be beneficial.

Augmented Reality for the Healthcare Industry

One of the areas where AR is used at present-day is in healthcare. The most common use case is for a surgeon or a doctor performing an operation on a patient. AR allows them to see a 3D model of a human body, overlaid on top of that patient’s actual organs and skin, which makes it easier for them to perform their job.

It also gives them more data about what they are doing – information that isn’t available with conventional methods. Plus, it reduces their reliance on other technology such as endoscopes and X-rays, thereby making their jobs safer too. But even beyond medical uses, AR can be used in almost any industry including energy and utilities, retail, design and construction etc.

Augmented Reality for Gaming

Augmented reality (AR) has rapidly become a booming market, with potential revenues reaching 35.22 billion by 2022. For now, it’s still a niche opportunity—but that niche is growing. In fact, The number of smartphones augmented reality users is expected to exceed 3.5 billion by 2022. And with newer hardware such as AR-enabled smartglasses and smartphone-based AR viewing apps like HoloLens, consumers are beginning to see even more opportunities for playing games and interacting with characters in new ways.

For example by seeing their favourite video game character sitting at their kitchen table when they’re playing on a mobile device. Game makers have already begun implementing these types of experiences and you can expect them to gain traction as adoption increases.

Difference between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Augmented reality is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. Virtual reality on other hand is a fully immersive interactive experience generated by computer technology.

Unlike virtual reality, which creates fantasy worlds, augmented reality overlays digital information on top of a real-world situation; for example, viewing your dining room table with an app that shows you where your next home improvement project should go. While VR masks what you see and replaces it with all sorts of made-up stuff (like entire Star Wars galaxies), AR put something new into your real world that wasn’t there before.

Business Opportunities in AR and VR

Are you looking for a business opportunity? Well, AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) technology is transforming industries and creating new opportunities. The technologies are being applied in many industries including transportation, real estate, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, communications, education and much more. These cutting-edge technologies have created immense opportunities for entrepreneurs to create businesses around these developments.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, AR is going to completely revolutionize our everyday lives in several key ways. With your business, you should consider implementing AR in 2018 with a little help from technology and some imagination. While it may be hard to get started on integrating AR into your operation, there are things you can do now that will set you up for success later—and it all starts with educating yourself.

By learning more about how augmented reality works and how it could impact your industry, you’ll already be prepared when new technologies become available. Once those opportunities arise, AR becomes a cinch because you’re not starting from scratch—you’re starting with an advantage!

Read more about Virtual Reality.