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Most of the presentations I've been asked to deliver at events recently have been solely focused on VR in education so I was happy to get the chance to chat about both AR and VR at the recent EdEX MENA event here in Dubai. Whilst putting my slide deck together I realised that I'd never given AR the same focus in terms of theory as I had done to VR. As a first step towards balancing them, I decided to delve into the Why of AR in the same way I explored the why of VR last month with the article in Education Journal Middle East and the big event at GITEX.

The graphic I produced can be seen below and as always I am happy for you to download and share it. What I'll do here is add a little additional detail for each of the reasons and exemplar apps that you can explore with your own students.

Harness The impossible

Who wouldn't want to bring a dinosaur into their classroom? Talk about an amazing hook for writing let alone the potential for science. How about importing a lunar rover? Or an active volcano? AR can produce some truly breath-taking wow moments in the classroom, especially right now as the technology is so nascent and has not yet become as fully embedded in everyday life as it soon will be. There are plenty of examples of AR content that fulfil this criteria. Look at the 4D+ apps from Octagon Studios for a good starting point.

Perspective Control

One thing I always think about when looking at an AR application is simply: Is there a point to seeing this in augmented reality? In other words - does this experience benefit students more than viewing the same model on a touch screen tablet where they can rotate, scale and manipulate it as the please? Well-designed AR will allow students to view models more naturally - moving around them to change perspective and getting closer/further away etc. This is perfect when viewing content like AR shapes as it means students can examine the properties with more freedom and precision.

User Interaction

Augmented reality can provide highly interactive learning experiences, providing the developer has taken this into account and created an app that is not just an inanimate model on a screen. Many augmented reality creators talk about bringing content to life in AR and it really is possible to bring learning to life, allowing students to interact with virtual content with a greater deal of autonomy than is afforded them by text, images or even video content. Look at the amazing new Human Anatomy Atlas app from Visible Body as an example. This is a clear evolution of how anatomy has been taught previously using traditional media.

Boost Engagement

Engaged students will be more intrinsically motivated and in turn develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Augmented reality is fast becoming an everyday part of students' lives and thus integration within learning scenarios means that students are engaging with content that is both relevant to their world and in line with how they use and interact with digital content. I definitely saw this with my own kids when they got to test out the NeoBear globe:

Enhanced Environment

Look no further than the mighty Aurasma for this one. I recently wrote a lengthy retrospective on Aurasma (which you can find ) after five years of using it in schools. Being able to tag multimedia, student-created content to classroom displays is without a doubt one of the most powerful uses of AR in education.

Other apps that can be harnessed in this way include Blippar, Zappar and even AR colouring apps like Quiver.

Stimulate the Senses

Well-designed AR experiences will be more than just a static, silent 3D model. It should also engage the student through sound and through touch controls, thus creating a multi-sensory experience that elevates the learning content.

Zookazam is a fabulous example of - since the animals are so lifelike, they make authentic sounds, there are multiple levels of narration and touch screen controls to direct on screen information overlays.

The X-Ray Effect

A simple but very powerful concept - AR can let you look inside things. Now the obvious example here is the wonderful VirtualiTee from Curiscope as it literally feels like you're wearing x-ray glasses as you peek inside the human body:

The x-ray effect is not limited to anatomy though. The history apps from Inspyro allow you to look inside Viking longhouses and more. I've also seen a wonderful app demo that allows you to see what food is made up from (protein, sugar, fats etc) which is another great example.

The Budget Factor

It's often a matter of logistics and economics in schools when it comes to resources and AR can definitely help in this regard. Let's take the example of 3D shapes. It could be quite expensive to buy whole class sets of 3D shapes for use in maths but for a great deal less you could deploy a class set of AR shapes using an app like Arloon's Geometry. I'm not saying replace physical resources completely, not at all, but being able to supplement with virtual resources, for a fraction of the cost is going to lead many schools towards AR in the next few years. How about if you were teaching a history topic? History resources are notoriously expensive (often due to the materials used or the detail involved) but using apps like the Inspyro's Sigurd and the Dragon Activelens, you can put Viking artefacts in front of every student.... for free!

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Why AR? 8 reasons to use AR in education | Home | VirtualiTeach

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Most of the presentations I've been asked to deliver at events recently have been solely focused on VR in education so I was happy to get the chance to chat about both AR and VR at the recent EdEX MENA event here in Dubai.

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Difference between Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality

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Augmented Reality (AR), also known as spatial computing --a merging of digital and physical spaces,-- is one of the current technology trends that, together with Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR), is changing all industries, including healthcare and medical education.

Even though these technologies are enjoying a lot of attention today, they have been around for a long while. In 1965, Robert Mann introduced the first virtual system in medicine ( The Thousand Faces of Virtual Reality). It was used to decide what the best procedure for an orthopedic disease would be. It was also used to facilitate a new training environment for orthopedic residents.

In the 1960s, the first simulators with 3D images appeared. Later on, in the late 1980s, the head-mounted display (HMD) (a wearable device) was introduced for VR visualizations in medicine.

A little over a decade later, the first pioneering applications in medical education started to appear in the form of some hands-on procedures. AR and VR share some technical aspects.

And, even though the development of Augmented Reality starts already in the 1960s, it was not until 1990 that the term Augmented Reality was established as such.

With it, a new era of spatial computing began in the clinical setting. Augmented Reality, today, provides augmented information for the physician and the surgeon during interventional procedures such as Computerized Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) visualization paths.

Augmented Reality is of great value in the educational world for both students and teachers. The main applications in medical education include representation of mechanisms in space and time dimensions in physiology, or 4D; and 3D visualizations of difficult structures in anatomy.

Augmented Reality in medicine explained in one minute

"Only digital health can bring healthcare into the 21st century and make patients the point-of-care." - Dr. Bertalan Meskó

Augmented Reality in medicine shows what can be done in the 21st century's medical environment with digital health.

From brain surgery to reconnecting blood vessels research teams across the world are working closely with Augmented Reality technology companies.

Together, they bring the best of the physical and virtual world to the operation theater.

How Augmented Reality can change brain surgery

Removing brain tumors is soon going to become easier thanks to an augmentation of surgeons' skills: They soon are going to be able to operate while simultaneously seeing an image floating around in the air of the inside of the patient's head.

In the video above, the surgeon used Augmented Reality for craniotomy planning on the skin , the bone , the dura , and also after the craniotomy on the cortex.

A partnership between U.S.-based Magic Leap and Munich-based Brainlab is hoping to add this innovative dimension to surgical procedures and medical imaging in an operating system.

This operating system combines medical technology company Brainlab's data management, cloud computing, visualization, and data pre-processing software with Augmented Reality technology company Magic Leap's spatial computing and experiential platforms.

According to the companies, the first release of the product promises to enable surgical planning and simulation in an office setting.

The companies say this will quickly be expanded to include a next-generation mix of virtual and physical worlds for the operating room, radiotherapy treatment room, intensive care unit, and radiology suite.

Augmented Reality: Seeing under patients' skin

Computing Science graduate students Ian Watts and Michael Fiest at the University of Alberta in Canada developed an Augmented Reality system called ProjectDR.

They were s upervised by Pierre Boulanger, Cisco Chair in Healthcare Solutions and Professor in the Faculty of Science, and Greg Kawchuk, Professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at University of Alberta.

ProjectDR allows medical images such as CT scans and MRI data to be displayed directly on a patient's body. The image then moves as the patient moves thanks to custom software written by Ian Watts. This gives the physician a full view of the patient's internal anatomy.

The video above shows how ProjectDR works. ProjectDR can be used in surgical planning, accuracy in surgery, in rehabilitation, laparoscopic surgery, physiotherapy, and also in education.

According to the developers, ProjectDR has also the capacity to present segmented images. This means it can only show the lungs or the blood vessels depending on what a clinician needs to see, leaving out any other distraction and achieving more focus in the targeted area.

Augmented Reality to see through tissue and reconnect blood vessels

At a team of researchers have shown for the first time how Mixed Reality and Imperial College London at St. Mary's Hospital, a major trauma center in London, England, Microsoft HoloLens headsets can be used while operating on patients undergoing reconstructive lower limb surgery.

According to the Imperial Team, the technology can help surgeons locate and reconnect key blood vessels during reconstructive surgery. This technique could help to improve outcomes for patients.

According to Dr. Philip Pratt, a Research Fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer, his team is one of the first groups in the world using HoloLens successfully in the operating theater.

Using HoloLens, surgeons can overlay scan images onto the patient during the operation; they can see then the bones, the course of the blood vessels, and identify exactly where the targets are located. The technology potentially reduces the time a patient spends under anesthetic and reduce as well as reducing the margin of human error.

According to a report by Imperial College London, the surgical team reported success in all first five cases with human patients who ranged from a 41-year-old man who had sustained leg injuries during a car accident, to an 85-year-old woman with a compound fractured ankle.

The surgeons found the HoloLens to be a powerful tool in the theater and better than the ultrasound method used to locate blood vessels. And this is just the beginning of how Augmented Reality technology can be used in medicine.
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Augmented Reality: The Future of Healthcare

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Augmented Reality (AR), also known as spatial computing --a merging of digital and physical spaces,-- is one of the current technology trends that, together with Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR), is changing all industries, including healthcare and medical education.

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By 2025, two billion of the global population is going to be made up by the youngest generation: Generation Alpha, also known as the iGeneration. Generation Alpha are children born between 2010 and 2025.

This is the first generation entirely born in the 21st century. These children are considered to be the most technological-infused demographic up to date.

Generation Alpha use technology, smartphones, tablets, and computers naturally. They haven't known life without the Internet or video games. Some of them live in smart homes and talk to a Smart Voice Assistant every morning before going to school.

They know about SpaceX and they want to live on Mars one day. These children were born along with iPhones, iPads, and applications. They don't know or can even imagine how life was without them.
"By 2025, Generation Alpha will number 2 billion globally. It will be the wealthiest, most educated, and technologically literate in history." -- Robert Hannah, Chief Operating Officer at Grant Thornton U.K.
Generation Alpha students are going to benefit from the emerging technology and innovations that are being incorporated into the classroom. Technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality ( AR/VR/MR), robotics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are already changing education.

Showing a record growth in 2018, the Augmented Reality market is going to be worth $61,39 billion by 2023, according to research firm Markets and Markets. Moreover, Augmented Reality is one of the 2019-2020 technology trends to watch. There is no doubt that Augmented Reality is here to stay and take over all the industries, including education and training.

Augmented Reality technology in education

Educational institutions that use the latest technology in the classroom as well as in field trips are going to create a completely different learning experience opportunity for the Alpha children. And with it, they are going to contribute to a better preparation for the leaders of the future.

Schools, educators, and educational institutions are going to find it challenging to cope with the demands of Generation Alpha children if they neglect to update themselves, their methodology, and curricula in order to adopt a new approach to education.

Alpha children are accustomed to acquiring knowledge by doing, screen-touching, and experiencing. Schools need to provide an adequate environment that enhances this type of learning.

This type of environment requires changes and a new approach to education at all levels. Schools and colleges should get ready by creating programs of study that require deep learning.

Schools need to start preparing programs that are flexible enough to be adapted and modified quickly according to the young Alphas' inquisitive mind.

According to Jenny Coetzee, career educator and founding member of the ADvTECH Group's prestigious Crawford School La Lucia, "these children are the most connected, educated, and sophisticated generation ever, so when educating, a school should provide an environment that enhances learning for these digital integrators."

The right way to teach the young Alphas, thus, is by developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It is going to be important for Generation Alpha children to be able to see problems from different perspectives in order to make the best possible decisions. This is going to constitute one of the pillars in their future shared with AI robots and Quantum computers.

Teamwork will let them analyze possible alternative solutions according to different viewpoints, and then make decisions based on their own personal and individual critical thinking.

Providing an engaging learning experience is paramount for the success of any educational institution, and in particular, the success of the educator.

Thanks to emerging technologies such as Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality (AR/VR/MR) the classroom today can incorporate AR and VR content that can make learning more efficient, faster, and much more fun. From mathematics to chemistry to biology with some creativity AR can be incorporated to practically any subject.

Some companies such as Indestry, an award-winning Augmented Reality experiences for entertainment, marketing, and education company, can certainly bring the dinosaur experience to the classroom in the same way it did for Jurassic Park at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

In other words, this is one of the best ways an educator can use to engage and motivate students. By using tools and applications especially designed to create AR and VR content and activities even with little or no programming skills, creating an exciting world within the classroom becomes a piece of cake.

Augmented Reality technology expands the physical world; it adds layers of digital information onto what we can see with the naked eye. It augments our surrounding by adding sound, video, and graphics.

On the other hand, Virtual Reality creates a completely different environment, an artificial world that replaces the real one and in which we can immerse ourselves like characters do as their avatars in Steven Spielberg's movie Ready Player One.

When the term Augmented Reality was coined back in 1990, some of the first commercial uses were, of course, in television and military. However, since then the AR technology has significantly evolved and today we see Augmented Reality applications in every industry with reported benefits from its users, including education.

Learning benefits of Augmented Reality in education

AR Twitter chat: Strategies to implement Augmented Reality in the classroom

Jamie Donally is a former math teacher and district-level technology coordinator now turned into an independent education consultant.

She believes that using AR/VR in the classroom is not just for entertainment but also about enhancing lessons and amplifying students' experiences through immersive virtual field trips.

She is the author of Learning Transported where she explores the fears and hurdles of immersive-reality integration in the classroom and encourages teachers to implement these new technologies in their lessons.

She also runs a weekly Twitter chat about integrating AR/VR in education where teachers can ask questions and get into the discussion as well as getting advice or the best strategies on how to better start planning and implementing their AR lessons.

AR for the teacher: Tools and platforms to create AR content in the classroom

Augmented Reality tools let students not only engage with the technology but also it gives them the possibility to create their own content.

This is paramount in order to promote 21st-century skills such as creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, analysis, coding, and iterative testing, the process of basing tests on insights gathered from previous tests in order to make changes gradually and which are evidence-based.

, a pioneer in the library services industry, has compiled ten well selected Augmented Reality for the classroom that can enhance and personalize learning for K-12 students. Two on the list that are multi-platform and well suited for all ages are the following for anyone to have a tester start:

CoSpaces Edu: This is a design tool that allows students with coding experience to create virtual 3D worlds. They can also create infographics and tell stories through virtual exhibits and tours. With CoSpaces Edu, the teachers create a class and post assignments. Images and 360-degree photos can be uploaded, and a companion application is available.

This is a great way to get students to see the results of what they create, a very first step to motivate future developers. It is also possible to use MERGE Cube: This is a mobile tool, an AR multi-platform tool that is like holding a hologram in your hand. Depending on the MERGE's applications that you download it can become many different things. With Merge Cube, teachers can create STEM lessons and activities or experience science or history, and students can also develop the content, make applications, and see their creative products come to life in AR. Google Sky Map to have a cool close up to stars and planets in this hand-held planetarium.

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There are more tools in the compiled list above, enough for every classroom and every teaching need. Now get your imagination ready, plan your next lesson, and have fun. Because teaching and learning can always be fun when adding some AR technology magic.

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Augmented Reality: The Future of Education

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By 2025, two billion of the global population is going to be made up by the youngest generation: Generation Alpha , also known as the iGeneration. Generation Alpha are children born between 2010 and 2025. This is the first generation entirely born in the 21st century.

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6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Remember when Pokémon Go came out in 2016? It was all anyone talked about. Which isn't too surprising -- it was most people's first impression of a promised future many of us had waited for, something we'd seen only in sci-fi books or Hollywood blockbusters.

This technology is augmented reality (AR). Augmented reality is the integration of virtual experiences with everyday objects and environments, making it different from virtual reality (VR), which is 100 computer generated, and mixed reality (MR), which combines both.
Related: The World's Biggest Starbucks Has Augmented Reality
While the past few years have been VR-focused (think Oculus Rift and all those other gaming headsets), AR is taking center stage and will soon become a blue chip industry for entrepreneurs, in industries from marketing to health care to navigation.

Here are three ways augmented reality will find its way into your life sooner than you might expect:

1. A pair of glasses you can't live without

The problem with AR in past years was that powerful AR glasses were extremely bulky and costly. And the simpler ones released for consumer use, like Google Glass, have had much lower processing power, so you can't do too much with them.

Perhaps the most refined AR headset out there right now is the Microsoft HoloLens, but its price point is a bit painful, at $3,000. And it's got a headset which -- while still too big and unwieldy -- is nevertheless the most fully realized AR headset available for developers right now.

Certainly, Microsoft could make some improvements before the HoloLens is released to the general public, but despite all these drawbacks, it's still pretty incredible.

We're also seeing some new companies with ambitious goals appear on the scene. Magic Leap recently updated its website to show off its new MR headset, Lightwear. But there are some caveats here: There is no accompanying video, and skeptics believe that the headset displayed may just be a pre-rendering of an as-of-yet-unfinished product.

Meanwhile, over in China, Rokid is another emerging AR player to watch. The company has a history of building popular AI-enabled products for the Chinese market (with an Alibaba partnership to boot). And it recently announced Rokid Glass for 2018. Also, unlike most of the competition, Rokid intends to release Rokid Glass directly to consumers. The product will debut in a few weeks at CES 2018 in Vegas.
Related: Why Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Will be Important for Your Business
The message here, then, is that once AR glasses become convenient, affordable and widely adopted -- the real magic will happen.

2. More immersive (and personalized) marketing

Think of any science fiction movie you've seen in the past 10 years and you'll probably remember at least one scene in which holographic advertisements were the real stars (Blade Runner 2049 offers a prime example of just such a product placement).

How far off are we from a future in which giant, holographic cans of Coco-Cola cans dominate our billboards? Not as far as you'd think. Just check out this video of an interdimensional portal built with ARKit. Prepare to have your mind blown wide open.

Granted, the vast majority of AR and VR experiences today are focused on better, more immersive video games. But that's a symptom of the current developer community rather than a result of AR technology itself. Once more digital marketers start to really internalize the almost limitless potential of AR, we'll begin to see this content everywhere we go.

Imagine, for example, walking into a grocery store and having the items you want highlighted for your eyes only. Or being able to preview the latest IKEA furniture from the comfort of your home. You could try on new shoes from DSW without visiting the store first. Or visit your next Caribbean vacation resort while soaking in your home bathtub. The list goes on and on.

3. Less guesswork in health care

While marketers and advertisers will certainly be some of the earliest adopters of breakthrough AR technology, hospitals and clinics won't be far behind. Many experts are already predicting that AR will completely revolutionize health care.

The troubling thing about health care today is just how obtuse and opaque it can be. There's a lot of jargon and paperwork, and a lot of sitting around waiting rooms. The primary way AR will change health care is by offering healthcare providers and patients much-needed shortcuts and real-time assistance for everything from diagnoses to emergency room surgery.

For example, most new mothers will tell you that breastfeeding isn't the easiest thing in the world. Countless books and tutorial videos address this topic. But they haven't solved the problem. That's why, back in 2014, Google Glass partnered with the Australian Breastfeeding Association to conduct a trial providing live video counseling and an information portal for breastfeeding moms.

And, what about those in the medical community who take blood and administer vaccines? Up to 40 percent of nurses miss the patient's vein on their first attempt, and the odds are worse when those patients are children or the elderly. Now, however, there's a handheld AR scanner called AccuVein, which highlights the veins in a patient's body. The manufacturer claims that the "miss" rate is effectively zero.

Even more ambitious, Medsights Tech is developing a patent-pending software that will work with AR glasses to allow surgeons to see directly through a patient's skin in real time during surgery.

The future is augmented.

A future of holographic advertisements and AR-assisted healthcare is not as far away as you may think. In fact, 24 million digital reality headsets will be sold in 2018. By 2025, that number is expected to jump to 500 million. It's no surprise that Facebook engineers are saying that AR devices will replace smartphones within five years.
Related: In 2018, Get Ready to (Finally) Embrace Virtual and Augmented Reality
In 2018, we entrepreneurs should all be thinking more about AR and what we can eventually do with it. It doesn't matter if you're a marketer like me or a doctor or if you work in visual merchandising. AR is going to change everything, and the people who recognize that today are going to be the ones building the reality we'll live in tomorrow.

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3 Ways Augmented Reality Will Find Its Way Into Your Life in 2018 and Beyond

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6 min read Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Remember when Pokémon Go came out in 2016? It was all anyone talked about. Which isn't too surprising -- it was most people's first impression of a promised future many of us had waited for, something we'd seen only in sci-fi books or Hollywood blockbusters.

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Augmented and virtual reality technology is still in the very early stages of development, but it's already rapidly changing how we do business and innovate. Following is a transcript of the video.
Augmented and virtual reality are still in the very early stages of development, but they're already rapidly changing some industries. Here's how. NASA has a massive virtual reality lab it uses to train astronauts. The lab teaches astronauts how to walk in space, which used to be almost impossible to teach, as astronauts didn't really know what to expect if they hadn't done it before. NASA is also using Microsoft's HoloLens to "travel" to Mars. They hope to be able to use the technology to control future rovers and virtually explore the land around the rovers. Cirque du Soleil has also been using Microsoft's HoloLens. The Canadian-based circus empire recently showed off how it has used the technology to design its sets and stages. The technology even lets them see how the show will look by using holographic performers. Architecture firms like Trimble are using the technology to create holograms of their projects, which allows them to quickly assess changes and improvements to various projects. There's also Altoura - a commercial real estate virtual reality app. It allows potential buyers and renters to transport themselves into the space they are considering, enabling them to see how it might look once occupied. There's also the Lowe's Holoroom. Available at select stores, it allows customers to see how products may come together in a room. Allowing them to see how a kitchen, bedroom, or any other project might look - before a single dollar is spent. While development of these technologies is still in its infancy, it's encouraging to see so many companies and organizations already adapting various forms of enhanced reality. Follow BI Video: On Twitter

Get the latest Microsoft stock price here.

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How augmented reality is changing the way we work

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Augmented and virtual reality technology is still in the very early stages of development, but it's already rapidly changing how we do business and innovate. Following is a transcript of the video. Augmented and virtual reality are still in the very early stages of development, but they're already rapidly changing some industries.

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How Augmented Reality Will Change Education Completely | Florian Radke | TEDxGateway

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Florian Radke talks about how Augmented reality is not a toy, it's a powerful tool that will help solve some of the worlds biggest problems. If we do it right, it can be the next great platform for education, human connection and productivity.

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Virtual & Augmented Reality: 6 Trends That Will Be Huge in 2018

As technology continues warp speed ahead, VR and AR will continue to integrate ever more seamlessly into our environments.

Here are 6 AR and VR Trends we see as game changers in 2018.

VR/AR Social Media

One common criticism of VR is that it isolates the viewer from the outside world.

But where one sees isolation, we see the possibility of meeting up, talking, and exchanging information and ideas in whole new way. These types of interactions will be memorable if just for the places it allows us to play in.

Right now, the two major players in social VR are Facebook and AltSpaceVR - but both currently live in the VR space and AR social has yet to be fully worked out (also worth mentioning is UK-based vTime).

For a glimpse of what Facebook is up to in the Social VR space, check out this short video.

"VR is the next platform, where anyone can create and experience anything they want," Mark Zuckerberg said during a speech at MWC. "Right now, it is mostly used for gaming. But that's evolving, and that's why Facebook is investing so much in VR, so we can deliver these new social experiences. VR is going to be the next social platform."

As the move toward more video-centric social media continues (Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, Snapchat), VR/AR just seems like the next logical step.

As headsets become smaller, less expensive, and more integrated over the next year, we'll begin to see more and more consumers adopting the tech. Here, Augmented Reality can bridge the gap - consumers can use their existing smartphone technologies to enhance their worlds, without the need to use a headset.

Currently, Social VR is more like IRC in the early days - fairly basic avatars operated by early pioneers in the space. However, as mixed and augmented reality offer a way to be present in 'both' worlds at the same time, we may see a social future in which our offices are simultaneously serving as our virtual clubs and coffee shops.

Want to take social one step further? Check out the video below for Hypatia - the world's first Virtual Reality city or take a more in-depth dive of what it's like to go out in in Social VR.

VR/AR Museums

One of the most transformative applications for VR and AR is education.

Recent reports from the National Endowment for the Arts recorded an 8% drop in US adults who visited art musems in the past 2 decades. What's more is that millenials are on a sharp decline when it comes to museum-going outings.

What happens when there is too much competition for leisure? How can educational foundations such as museums keep up?

It's time for 20,000 year-old artifacts to catch up to 21st century tech.
Imagine walking into The Louvre, holding up your phone to snap a photo of the Mona Lisa, and through your screen she is waving back at you with the latest Ray-bans on.
Too much? Maybe. But museums must find new ways to engage and excite visitors.

Intel recently teamed up with The Smithsonian to recreate one wing of the museum at room scale VR (meaning you can walk around as if you were there).
What's more is that you can have additional experiences within each painting or exhibit.
Looking at a photo of the Aurora Borealis? Now you can jump into the picture and view a 360-degree video of the aurora in Iceland.

Love Salavdor Dali? Take a trippy trip through his artwork and experience surrealism first hand.

Of course, these concepts can work in Augmented Reality, as well. See that giant Mammoth skeleton in the Grand Hall? Hold up that tablet of yours and watch as it animates into a living creature surrounded by it's natural habitat.

"I feel that digital is not something that sits to the side," says Catherine Devine, chief digital officer at the American Museum of Natural History. "It has to be really integrated into the physical experience. It has to augment it and add a layer that you don't have with the physical space."

VR Cinemas (Location-Based Experiences)

The world's first Virtual Reality Cinema is opening in the Netherlands this year, Samsung and Six Flags are creating VR roller coasters, and IMAX just invested millions in VR Arcades.

The time for immersive, location-based experiences is upon us!
So what can you expect from location-based experiences and VR cinema?
Well, for starters, don't expect to be seated in a darkened room all facing the same direction. Instead, imagine a theater packed with swivel chairs, each donned with the latest Samsung Gear tech. You are no longer third-party to the movie, you're in it.

For example, The Mummy VR experience and the film were intentionally launched simultaneously so people could watch Tom Cruise battle against armies of mummies and then reenact an actual scene from the movie and test out his moves themselves.

While traditional movie nights focus on the social experience of seeing the same movie at the same time and then discussing the good and bad, VR Cinema seems to be directed more toward the tech and experience currently. As content creators and directors find unique ways to tell stories in the virtual reality space, we see this trend shifting over the next year.

"When the first cinematic show took place at the end of the 19th century, nobody could imagine that film would grow into one of today's most important ways of communication and entertainment," VR Cinema founder Jip Samhoud told VentureBeat. "I predict that virtual reality has the same future in the offing."

Enterprise Training

Enterprise VR/AR have already proven to be one of the most readily adaptable applications of Virtual and Augmented Reality.

This is largely due to capability and desire of large organizations to make large up-front investments in technology that will drastically reduce costs and defects down the line. Additionally, VR/AR offers the opportunity to provide tightly controlled and meticulously crafted experiential education and training for employees; improving performance and morale and decreasing the rate of employee turnover.

Beyond training and education, other major VR/AR applications within the enterprise sector include Modeling; which is exceptionally valuable to those companies using or looking to implement more of an iterative design process, thus reducing overall waste and shortening the length of the design cycle by giving designers the ability to view, test and alter design elements in real time.

Another more obvious application is in sales; VR/AR gives consumers the ability to "try" before they buy, do side by side virtual comparisons of similar products, and eventually will allow consumers to "bring" products into their homes for virtual shopping experiences. In manufacturing Virtual and Augmented reality technology can help manufacturers get an idea of how their processes are performing, as it can help them spot problems and areas ripe for improvement.

Within corporate travel and communications VR/AR will give executives from around the world the ability to meet one another's avatars or holograms in virtual conference rooms..."help me Obi Wan Kenobi..." Field service improvements can be made seamlessly as experts and see what on-site technicians see and be able to offer recommendations and support in real time. Data visualization capabilities will give analysts the ability to bring large data sets to life and the ability to interact with the data in ways that will yield deeper insights.

Finally, and perhaps the most eagerly anticipated is the truly immersive holographic experience where people will be able to project "virtual offices" into any space, truly transforming the notion of working from home or working nomadically; what's more is that for companies this would drastically reduce overhead property, fixture and personnel costs over time.

AR/VR Retail & Shopping Experiences

Virtual and Augmented Reality can be seen simultaneously the cherry picker savior within the retail industry.

Brick and mortar retail has steadily been on the decline since the invention of the internet and online shopping. Storefronts and malls are closing their doors rapidly as retail giants like Amazon out-complete in nearly every category from Customer Service to Selection.

Additionally, many organizations are opting for their own online businesses to reduce costs and overhead.

Where Virtual and Augmented Reality come in will truly revolutionize the shopping experience, by creating what many would consider to be the "ideal" retail experience; bringing an actual "store" with all its products into your own home, complete with artificially intelligent and customizable (or perhaps even mute-able) "sales associates."

Imagine being able to project different styles of couches into your living room, or paint your entire walls with the color of your choice or "trying" on an outfit thanks to the help of digital avatars and/or holograms. VR/AR will create the ultimate 'try-before-you-buy' experience.

VR Therapy & Medicine

Perhaps one of the most exciting and anticipated trends and applications for Virtual and Augmented Reality is that within the therapeutic and health care/medicinal fields.

Humanity has long been on the journey of self-discovery and self-actualization. Most if not all people would agree that improving their lives would be at the top of the list of their priorities.

VR/AR technologies will enable the democratization of high cost health and wellness services like therapy, while also bridging the gap between mainstream consumers and more esoteric forms of wellness like meditation, by making them more asessable.

What's even more exciting are the possibilities within medicine as VR/AR tech will make it possible for doctors and technicians to "see inside" the human body, in real time holographic models; thus making diagnostics, prognosis and surgical procedures drastically more precise. Imagine being a cardiothoracic surgeon operating on a mass on a patient's heart while having a live holograph of that very patient's heart projected life size right next to the operating table.

Thus far, VR/AR technology has proven to be a viable alternative treatment for addictions, depression, phobias, PTSD and other anxiety disorders. Currently, the primary limiting factor to this application currently, is our still limited (and growing) understanding of our bodies and particularly our brains.

However, through the collection of new data through VR/AR technologies and the ability to work with that data in new and compelling ways using that same technology, VR/AR will actually help us arrive at deeper insights faster and more efficiently. Looking ahead to most promising applications of AR/VR technology in the fields of Therapy and Medicine are training and education, surgical planning, telementoring, patient experience (e.g. pain management alternative to anesthesia), therapy and AR enhanced surgical procedures.
The new wave of human-optimization is here!
Did we miss any trends you think should be mentioned? Leave your 2018 AR and VR trends in the comments below!

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Virtual & Augmented Reality: 6 Trends That Will Be Huge in 2018

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As technology continues warp speed ahead, VR and AR will continue to integrate ever more seamlessly into our environments. One common criticism of VR is that it isolates the viewer from the outside world. But where one sees isolation, we see the possibility of meeting up, talking, and exchanging information and ideas in whole new way.

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Augmented Reality (AR) makes the real-life environment around us into a digital interface by putting virtual objects in real-time. Augmented Reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on the top of it unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment. Augmented Reality can be seen through a variety of experiences. Recent developments have made this technology accessible using a smartphone which led to development of wide varity of augmented reality apps.

Stay updated with the latest announcements on Augmented Reality:

Augmented Reality Apps are software applications which merge the digital visual (audio and other types also) content into the user's real-world environment. There are various uses of AR software like training, work and consumer applications in various industries including public safety, healthcare, tourism, gas and oil, and marketing.

The first commercial application of AR technology was the yellow "first down" line that began appearing in televised football games in 1998. Some other popular examples of AR apps include AcrossAir, Google Sky Map, Layar, Lookator, SpotCrime, PokemonGo etc. We have collected 8 examples of augmented reality apps and how they can impact the future of mobile technology.

Know how Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality can blend together

Categories of AR Apps and Examples of their Usage:

a) Augmented Reality in 3D viewers:

This allows users to put life-size 3D models in their environment with or without the use of trackers. Trackers are the simple images that 3D models can be linked to in Augmented Reality.

Examples: AUGMENT, Sun Seeker, etc.

1. AUGMENT:

Augment allows its users to see their products in 3D in a real-life environment and in real-time through tablets or smartphones to drive sales and improve user engagement.This app is available on both, iOS and Android platform. This app can be used for Retail, E-Commerce, Architecture, and other purposes also. Augment allows retailers and manufacturers to connect with each other and thereby enable the online shoppers to experience the products sitting at home before buying. Customers can view the images in 3D by rotating them and viewing all the augmented content before deciding to buy. It has plenty of customers, companies such as Coca-Cola, Siemens, Nokia, Nestle, and Boeing are using this application.

2. Sun-Seeker:

Sun-Seeker is an AR app which provides a flat compass view and a 3D view showing the solar path, its hour intervals, its equinox, winter and summer solstice paths, sunrise and sunset times, twilight times, magic hours and also a Map view showing solar direction for each daylight hour. The app runs on both the mediums i.e., Android and iOS. The app has got 3+ ratings from its users. The app is perfect for -

Photographers - For planning ideal light conditions, sunrise or sunset directions, golden and blue hour times

Cinematographers - To search for the exact exposure of Sun, directions and times for any location.

Real Estate Buyers - To search for the sun exposure properties that the customers are considering

Drivers - To find how long the car will remain in the shade at any parking spot

Campers - To find where to camp, sit or pitch an umbrella

Gardeners - Helps to search for ideal locations for planting and seasonal sunlight hours

Architects - For visualizing the spatial variability of the solar angle throughout the year.

Read More: 7 More Examples of Augmented Reality You Won't Know

b) Augmented Reality in Browsers:

The AR browsers can enhance users' camera display with contextual information. For example, when you point your smartphone at a building, you can see its history or estimated value.
Examples: Argon4, AR Browser SDK, etc.

3. ARGON4:

This is a fully-featured web browser that has the ability to display augmented reality content created with the argon.js Javascript framework. argon.js makes it easier for adding augmented reality content to the web applications in a platform and technology-independent way and supports the real-time AR capabilities of the Argon4 Browser. The Argon4 browser is available on both iTunes App Store and Google Play Store.

Argon4 allows any 3D view of reality to be augmented. Developers can make their own custom views of reality, anything that displays a view of the world can be built into a reality for Argon. Argon4 is very much similar to a normal web browser that allows multiple pages to be loaded into different tabs but it handles the case of multiple AR apps in a special way.

4. AR Browser SDK:

This is a browser created by ARLab. This browser allows the users to add augmented reality geolocation view to the Android and or iOS application in less than 5 minutes. With user-friendly API (Application Programming Interface), it can be fully customized. The framework takes care of all the complex functions of the augmented reality browser.
Features :

It provides video support.

It adds and removes single POIs in real time.

It can run on any device.

It offers great performance and memory management.

It has an exceptionally light view, smooth and accurate movements.

It provides custom activities like SMS, call, email, video, social networks and more.

Know More: How Augmented Reality is becoming an effective tool for education?

c) Augmented Reality Games:

AR Gaming software is probably the most common type of App. These apps create mesmeric gaming experiences that use your actual surroundings.

Examples: Pokémon Go, Parallel Kingdom, Temple Treasure Hunt,
Real Strike, Zombie Go, etc.

5. Pokémon Go:

The most popular AR game till date is Pokémon Go which allows users to catch virtual Pokémon that are hidden throughout the map of the real world. It uses real locations to encourage players to far and wide in the real world to discover Pokemon. The game enables the players to search and catch more than a hundred species of Pokemon as they move in their surroundings. The app works on both the mediums i.e., Android and iOS.

Key Data Points of Pokémon Go:

Total Downloads till date - 650 Million times

Percentage of iOS users who do in-app purchases - 80%

Daily Active Users Globally - 5 Million

Estimated amount of revenue generated - $1 Billion

Apple Store Rankings - 3 stars

Google Play Rankings - 4.2 stars

6. REAL STRIKE:
This is a popular shooting AR game which is available only on iOS. The users get a real life shooting experience in this game and can record their fights and also create their own videos. There is a pool which has been polluted by nuclear waste and a group of pests is just around the corner so players have to stop them infecting the earth. Users use their phone to scan the mark.The game offers night and thermal vision goggles to get a clear view even in the evening to complete your mission.

This is the world's first ever Augmented Reality First-Person-Shooting app.

The game is Ranked 1st in U.S. and China during the limited free offering.

Best ranked top 50 in U.S. and top 10 in Japan and Germany.

The game has got 3+ ratings on Apple Store.

It is the first ever AR shooting movie maker that allows users to make a fun video or take a snapshot.

It provides extremely high-precision gun models with 8000 vertices on average.

Interesting Reads: Are You Aware about the Power of Augmented Reality in Advertising?

d) Augmented Reality GPS:

AR applications in smartphones generally include Global Positioning System (GPS) to spot the user's location and its compass to detect device orientation.

Examples: AR GPS Compass Map 3D, AR GPS Drive/Walk
Navigation, etc.

7. AR GPS Drive/Walk Navigation:

The application makes use of the smartphone's GPS and camera to execute a car navigation system with
an augmented reality-powered technology. It is easier and safer than the normal navigation system for the driver. This application is available only on Android.

This app guides the drivers directly by the virtual path of the camera preview video which makes it easy for them to understand. The drivers do not need to map the map the path and the road while using this app. The driver can see the real-time camera preview navigation screen to get driving condition without hindering his safety.

Ratings: 3.9 stars on Google Play
Estimated Total Users: More than 4,000,000 downloads till date.

8. AR GPS Compass Map 3D:

The app shows a 3D compass that gets fused with the camera image and shows your current location from GPS on a separate map with adjustable size. The app can only run on Android interface. The compass uses a very effective amalgamation and filtering algorithm to combine the values of the magnetic field sensor, the accelerometer, and the gyroscope to get the maximum accuracy and stability which is a different feature as compared to other apps.

The users can define their own waypoints if they want. The app also allows the users to share their current location and the locations of their waypoints with their friends. The app also features a 3D stereoscopic view of the compass and the camera image on devices which have LG's Real 3D technology.

Ratings: 4.3 stars on Google Play
Estimated Total Users: More than 400,000 downloads till date.

Apart from AR, Virtual Reality is also gaining significant traction in the mobile industry. Here are some blogs to deliver the most important things you need to know about VR:

CONCLUSION :

Augmented Reality is a technology that has changed the face of smartphone apps and gaming. AR adds digital images and data to amplify views of the real world, giving users more information about their environments. This step is beyond virtual reality, which attempts to simulate reality. AR apps are growing at a tremendous speed as they give businesses a different edge which attracts the customers.

Read More: AR apps act as a magic window for the viewers that lets them see the holograms and manipulate 3D models. There are many AR apps available for Know how Apple's ARKit will Impact the Landscape of Augmented Reality

iPhone and Android that make the user experience more refined and interactive.

Want to develop your Augmented Reality app? With 8 years of experience of developing mobile apps we are ready to take any challenge down the road to make the best use of out talent for your business.

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8 Examples of Augmented Reality Apps and their Successful Uses

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These are 8 Augmented Reality Apps, serve as a perfect example of AR in different fields. It is not just gaming but retail, internet and GPS also.

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One of the biggest confusions in the world of augmented reality is the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality. Both are earning a lot of media attention and are promising tremendous growth. So what is the difference between virtual reality vs. augmented reality?
What is Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality (VR) is an artificial, computer-generated simulation or recreation of a real life environment or situation. It immerses the user by making them feel like they are experiencing the simulated reality firsthand, primarily by stimulating their vision and hearing.

VR is typically achieved by wearing a headset like Facebook's Oculus equipped with the technology, and is used prominently in two different ways:

To create and enhance an imaginary reality for gaming, entertainment, and play (Such as video and computer games, or 3D movies, head mounted display).

To enhance training for real life environments by creating a simulation of reality where people can practice beforehand (Such as flight simulators for pilots).

Virtual reality is possible through a coding language known as VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) which can be used to create a series of images, and specify what types of interactions are possible for them.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that layers computer-generated enhancements atop an existing reality in order to make it more meaningful through the ability to interact with it. AR is developed into apps and used on mobile devices to blend digital components into the real world in such a way that they enhance one another, but can also be told apart easily.

AR technology is quickly coming into the mainstream. It is used to display score overlays on telecasted sports games and pop out 3D emails, photos or text messages on mobile devices. Leaders of the tech industry are also using AR to do amazing and revolutionary things with holograms and motion activated commands.
Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality
Augmented reality and virtual reality are inverse reflections of one in another with what each technology seeks to accomplish and deliver for the user. Virtual reality offers a digital recreation of a real life setting, while augmented reality delivers virtual elements as an overlay to the real world.
How are Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Similar? Technology
Augmented and virtual realities both leverage some of the same types of technology, and they each exist to serve the user with an enhanced or enriched experience.
Entertainment
Both technologies enable experiences that are becoming more commonly expected and sought after for entertainment purposes. While in the past they seemed merely a figment of a science fiction imagination, new artificial worlds come to life under the user's control, and deeper layers of interaction with the real world are also achievable. Leading tech moguls are investing and developing new adaptations, improvements, and releasing more and more products and apps that support these technologies for the increasingly savvy users.
Science and Medicine
Additionally, both virtual and augmented realities have great potential in changing the landscape of the medical field by making things such as remote surgeries a real possibility. These technologies been already been used to treat and heal psychological conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
How do Augmented and Virtual Realities Differ?
Augmented reality enhances experiences by adding virtual components such as digital images, graphics, or sensations as a new layer of interaction with the real world. Contrastingly, virtual reality creates its own reality that is completely computer generated and driven.
Delivery Method
Virtual Reality is usually delivered to the user through a head-mounted, or hand-held controller. This equipment connects people to the virtual reality, and allows them to control and navigate their actions in an environment meant to simulate the real world.

Augmented reality is being used more and more in mobile devices such as laptops, smart phones, and tablets to change how the real world and digital images, graphics intersect and interact.
How do they work together?
It is not always virtual reality vs. augmented reality- they do not always operate independently of one another, and in fact are often blended together to generate an even more immersing experience. For example, haptic feedback-which is the vibration and sensation added to interaction with graphics-is considered an augmentation. However, it is commonly used within a virtual reality setting in order to make the experience more lifelike though touch.

Virtual reality and augmented reality are great examples of experiences and interactions fueled by the desire to become immersed in a simulated land for entertainment and play, or to add a new dimension of interaction between digital devices and the real world. Alone or blended together, they are undoubtedly opening up worlds-both real and virtual alike.

Learn more about how Augment is changing the augmented reality industry.

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Virtual Reality vs. Augmented Reality - Augment News

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One of the biggest confusions in the world of augmented reality is the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality. Both are earning a lot of media attention and are promising tremendous growth. So what is the difference between virtual reality vs. augmented reality? What is Virtual Reality?

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Uploaded by Metaverse AR Platform on 2018-03-06.