by: Kyle Abello || Photo Credit: U.S. Chamber of Commerce

You turn on TikTok to a prank video of a person being startled by a spider crawling on their face, then probably scroll more to a person using a filter that morphs their face to adjust the gap between their eyes. Say you wanted to take a new display picture for your social media pages, so you go to Snapchat and try on some of their filters to add some flavor to your picture.

These examples of popular social media gimmicks are an application of Augmented Reality (AR). As outlined by Microsoft, AR is an enhanced, interactive version of a real-world environment achieved through digital visual elements, sounds, and other sensory stimuli via holographic technology. AR incorporates three features: a combination of digital and physical worlds, interactions made in real time, and accurate 3D identification of virtual and real objects.

AR offers a better way to design, curate, and deliver consumable instructions by overlaying digital content in real-world work environments. AR, like many other technologies nowadays, was not made overnight. The first AR technology was developed in 1968 at Harvard when computer scientist Ivan Sutherland, tagged as the “father of computer graphics,” created an AR head-mounted display system. Over the following years after its first development, companies, universities, and government agencies have advanced AR for wearables and digital displays, which superimposed virtual information on the physical environment, and allowed simulations that were used for aviation, military and industrial purposes. However, it wasn’t until 2008 that the first commercial AR application had been developed.

Both hardware and software components contribute to making AR function: hardware components like sensors, cameras, and processors; and, software components, like image recognition, Artificial Intelligence, and AR software for processing. 

AR has two types, each of which have a unique way of displaying your images and information. The first type is marker-based AR. Image recognition is used to detect objects that have previously been programmed into your AR device or application to generate marker-based AR. These markers can assist your AR device in determining the position and orientation of the camera by being placed in the field of vision as points of reference. In most cases, this is accomplished by converting your camera to grayscale, detecting a marker, and then comparing that marker to every other marker stored in its information bank. Once a match is made, your device uses that information to calculate the pose and position the AR image appropriately. 

The second type of AR is marker-less. Marker-less AR is more complex because there is no fixed place for your device to focus on. Your device must therefore be able to distinguish objects as they come into view. The device will first identify the object using a recognition algorithm that looks for colors, patterns, and similar features. Then, using time, accelerometer, GPS, and compass data, it will either orient itself or use a camera to overlay an image of whatever you want over your actual surroundings.

Interestingly, there are many applications of AR in the real world: education for immersive learning experiences and remote collaboration; healthcare for medical simulations and patient care and rehabilitation; architecture design for real-time project visualization and virtual walkthroughs; retail and marketing for virtual testing of products and personalized advertisements and promotions. 

Despite the given advantages of AR, it still has some challenges and limitations. Technical challenges of AR include latency and performance issues, image recognition and tracking limitations. Additionally, AR also has ethical concerns related to data security, user privacy, and psychological and societal impacts. Accessibility is also a concern with AR due to the high cost of AR devices and applications along with the growing digital divide.

AR will surely develop in the coming years, with advancements in devices like wearables and AI and machine learning integration. In addition, AR could also potentially be used for smart cities and infrastructure, scientific research, and even for seamless integration into everyday life.

Proving its fascinating yet useful use, AR has been improving from its creation to more widespread application. Like many other technologies, it has its own share of concerns that need to be addressed, but overall, the possibilities of AR are endless. So, the next time you use social media filters to enhance or morph your appearance, think about AR and its potential to make an impact to society beyond the light-hearted social media gimmicks.