As time flies by we see that the world we live in is getting more and more digitalized every day. Technology has completely transformed the traditional lifestyle of human beings and now it has become something that can ease a persons’ life. One of the major technologies that transformed a concept that was barely a fantasy into reality is Augmented Reality (AR).
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is seeing the material reality of the world and intensifying its constituents by computer-generated input. In the 20th century, several attempts were made by various scientists in developing what we call today as AR and it was being implemented by various cinematographers, photographers, developers in that period in their projects. All these efforts in the past resulted in the successful transformation of what was just a science-fiction concept into a scientific reality.
In what sectors can Augmented Reality be implemented?
How it can be implemented and in what all sectors can go beyond your thoughts. This technology has the ability to detect problems in different pieces of equipment and generate real-time images to identify the origin of the problem. Currently, its implication can be seen in various sectors such as military, hospitality, tourism, business, archaeology, etc. and its functions can be executed through various devices such as augmented reality glasses, augmented reality headsets, augmented reality camera and what not. To an extent, augmented reality in healthcare is the latest advancement in the healthcare sector where critical health issues such as autism or providing the surgeons with an x-ray vision during surgeries can be done by AR. It can also be implemented in software in order to improve user experiences.
One of the augmented technology advantages includes the enhancement of efficiency is task completion and a boost in productivity. This is something very crucial for many business enterprises because of the competitive world they live in today.
How is Augmented Reality implemented in businesses today?
Businesses today implement this technology to improve the consumer journey by tackling the pain points of its client base. Let’s have a look at these 5 revolutionary companies that incorporated AR as a part of their services.
Top 5 revolutionary companies using Augmented Reality today
1. IKEA: is a Swedish-founded multinational company that can now be found everywhere in the world. It deals with the sale of designer ready-to-assemble furniture, home products, kitchen apparatuses, etc. They introduced an Augmented Reality app called IKEA Place whereby through this application on your smartphone or tablet, you can scan the area in your house where you need furniture with your phone’s camera and virtually display various pieces of furniture on your mobile phone and see how it would look like without actually buying them. IKEA Place saves time and effort with its accurate results.
2. SmartBuyGlasses: Many e-commerce services have implemented this technology in their domains, one of the most effective one being SmartBuyGlasses. SmartBuyGlasses is a leading online eyewear retailer.
They developed a software called Ditto which is a virtual 3D Try-on feature for eyewear. The potential of this software is beyond your expectations.
Ditto, as the name says, can give you a virtual experience of trying on a wide variety of branded eyewear from the comfort of your home. With access to devices with a camera, the software records a selfie video of you and then uses this video to provide you the virtual try-on facility. When it comes to products of fashion and style, consumers always prefer to try the product first before engaging into a purchase but with this feature, they can just try the glasses from their home, compare various products at the same time and proceed to payment. It is easy to use, time-saving and delivers reliable results.
3. Zara: Zara, as you know, is one of the biggest and globally known fashion companies that specializes in the retail of designer apparel. They implemented Augmented Reality in a very unique way into their company that replaced the traditional method of using mannequins for clothes. Instead, they developed an Augmented Reality app. When you run the app and point your phone at the sensors of certain specialized windows of the stores, the models come into life and show you how the dress would look like in a short video on your phone. This is a tremendous innovation in the fashion business.
4. WatchBox: WatchBox is an international platform for the purchase, sale, and trade of second-hand luxurious watches. In 2017 they launched an Augmented Reality app whereby with the help of the camera of the smartphone the app can virtually display various watches on your hand in order to help you visualize how the watch would look like on your wrist. This app treasures a customer’s trust and enhances the customer journey.
5. Pokémon Go by Niantic and Nintendo: Pokémon Go is a game inspired by the traditional Pokémon games but with a combination of amazing graphics, advanced technology and augmented reality. The journey of Pokémon, all the way from its first game Pokémon Yellow to Pokémon Go today has been quite remarkable.
In this game which can be played on your smartphones through their free app allows you to create an avatar of yourself, equips you with Pokéballs and launches you on a journey to catch Pokémon which are spread all around the world, through your phone. It also uses the camera of the phone to locate Pokémons around you and catch them. This app became a big hit among youngsters and had daily active users as many as Twitter.
The main challenge of the 21st century is how efficiently AR can be introduced into the day to day tasks of a business to improve productivity while enriching customer experience. With rising technology trends AR has huge potential but the main challenge is how to implement it in the best way possible to solve all the problems that users face today. Once this matter is resolved, the future is in the hands of AR.
Summary: Augmented Reality is one of the biggest scientific boons we have had until now and how it is being used by businesses today is quite impressive. The potential of this technology is remarkable and if properly implemented can generate huge benefits to businesses today.
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