Part 1: Augmented Reality
There’s always something new and shiny in tech….the current “darlings” are AR: Artificial Reality, and AI: Artificial intelligence. In this blog I will address AR.
Both technologies are promising ways for us to interact in our personal and professional worlds with the promise of higher productivity, which should translate to higher profits and/or a better quality of life.
Artificial Reality has been spoken of since L. Frank Baum’s 1901 classic, Dorothy in the Land of Oz, when he described the “character marker.” In 1962, Morton Hellig created “Sensorama,” a machine that provided 3D stereo-optical images, combined with motion and sense, to show 4D movies in an immersive way. It failed for many reasons, not the least of which was inducing motion sickness.
The military has used “heads-up display” for years to assist pilots with real-time access to flight information; several automobiles offer an AR add-on (2017 Audi A7, the Mercedes S55, and a dozen or so vehicles under the GM umbrella). There are also third party apps such as the highly rated Navdy. In 2013, Google launched a portable AR device, Google Glasses, which failed due to innumerable privacy concerns. Within weeks of launch they were banned by every casino in the world.
Microsoft launched HoloLens in 2015, an improvement over Google Glass, but considerably more expensive ($3,000 vs. $1,500). Current applications are gaming related but will likely expand as it was released to developers in late 2015.
Most recently AR development has expanded medical and surgical procedures.
The near-infrared vein finder allows practitioners to see veins projected on top of human skin. Other applications can better visualize a fetus in the womb, assist surgeons with heads-up displays during surgery, and at Dartmouth Medical, assist in the dissection of cadavers.
Fashion applications include virtual dressing rooms, as well as L’Oréal’s Makeup Genius App where you can see virtually before you buy.
In the field of education and tourism, AR can be used to place historical characters in actual settings or re-create events inside the classroom.
There are numerous applications of AR being deployed in architectural design and warehouse management, which include real-time inventory mapping and process management flow.
Pokémon Go was an example of AR being used for live gaming. A more interesting gaming application Seek lets users seek real world prizes in a 3D environment.
The app can be used to promote events like conferences or drive customers to businesses through prize giveaways like cameras, sports tickets, small appliances, gift cards, coupons, and more, while simultaneously collecting anonymous data about those who play.
-Sarah Morgan Jan 9, 2017
These are just some examples of AR being integrated into our personal and business lives. One area in particular which jumps out to me as an interesting fit for the association and chamber markets follows:
Training: Because AR programs can be repeated over and over again, employees could learn new skills such as member management systems. Education is also a big benefit with AR. Imagine a new employee working in a new destination or industry. AR could provide virtual 3D tours and introductions to industry processes and/or a destination; imagine a virtual tour of all available meeting space in all of the hotels in a city viewable from your desk!
Keep up on the latest in AR and tech with ZDnet.com.
I will cover Artificial Intelligence in a future blog post.
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