Augmented reality is the term used to describe technology that allows users to superimpose virtual elements on our vision of reality. This device adds physical information with a virtual part, causing the physical elements to combine with the virtual elements creating augmented reality.
This helps us create experiences that provide relevant knowledge about the environment, receiving information in real time. Augmented reality has improved over time and being used in many settings, one of them is in the education sector.
Uses of augmented reality
Health
One of the most common uses is to use augmented reality in healthcare, many medical specialists use Accuvein as a scanner and projector to locate the patient's veins. Once it is identified, it is able to project an image of the patient's veins, making them more visible, making use of reality.
Augmented reality is also used in ultrasound, the health professional makes use of the transducer on the patient's belly, while looking at the screen where the image obtained can be seen.
Home
Augmented reality (AR) comes to be used in other environments, for example in the home to combine furniture, the sofa or the refrigerator. The choice will be easier thanks to the use of augmented reality, Ikea is one of the pages that uses AR as a web application in order to see which furniture fits better with the ones you have at home.
Refurbishment
AR (Augmented Reality) is increasingly present in reforms, you can even detect broken pipes using a ready phone or purchasing virtual reality glasses. Thanks to this, it will allow us to know where the fault is, as well as to be able to install new ones with the same measures, among other things.
Games and social tools
Games and social tools make use of for some time of augmented reality, Sony succeeded with PlayStation VR, a system of glasses to see games in virtual reality. Minecraft is one of the great titles that have taken advantage of the qualities of this technology for their success.
Pokรฉmon Go At its launch it reached a large share of users by using augmented reality, bringing AR closer to many users. One of the latest cases is social tools, animated animojis turn out to be an interesting application that is useful to many. Animojis are drawings created by an application, on Android there are several tools to create them, among them are Animoji for phone x, Bitmoji: Your emoji avatar and MSQRD.
Types of augmented reality
Bookmarks
Augmented reality has many typesOne of the first is to use markers, these markers can be printed on paper or images in which virtual elements are put. For its operation a flat surface is necessary and that our device can work in short or medium distance.
Tangible objects
Augmented reality through physical forms it is one of the most typical of the four types of AR. This technology does not use the environment, rather objects to activate and display this information. You will need more computing power to be able to work, for example we will need a state-of-the-art telephone or "very powerful" machines.
Geolocation
Has become in a huge phenomenon after the launch of Pokรฉmon GO, it is about augmented reality by location. The device combines GPS information and data downloaded from the Internet with infinite combinations that allow the game to interact anywhere in the world.
SmartTerrain
It is an interaction between the environment and virtual elements, these are used by the R&D of technology companies. The Smart Terrain function is included in the Vuforia software and it is an engine that turns everyday objects into an augmented reality scenario (similar to a video game).
Augmented reality glasses
Many companies have created glasses for augmented reality, among the manufacturers are Epson - known for creating printers -, Google, Lenovo and other well-known manufacturers. Some have advanced to look significantly like everyday sunglasses, such as the Epson Moverio.
Epson Moverio adds technology to display HD images and also in three dimensions, they are especially very comfortable for not weighing too much and it has more functions. Among its extra functions of offering augmented reality, the glasses add a GPS, a camera and a gyroscope with which the sensors can determine each of our movements.
Lenovo offers Mirage glasses, glasses with greater dimensions if compared to the Epson Moverio, despite this it occupies a large part of the front face to get into an augmented reality with greater focus. It is ideal for video games, it was released for the Star Wars saga, in order to interact with the characters. It offers a unique and incredible experience in augmented and virtual reality.
Google launched its augmented reality glasses some time ago called Google Glass, after a not very successful landing, production was stopped due to the high price of each unit. They are aimed at companies that come to use the augmented reality environment constantly, either with devices or creating applications.
Examples of augmented reality
They are several the examples of augmented reality, many companies have already been working with her for a long time for their projects, among these well-known brands are Volvo with car design, training and medicine, industry, McDonald's He used it for an advertising campaign, the news have been using it for a long time, among other sectors.
If we go one step further air traffic uses augmented reality, the management is quite simple with this technology and allows interaction. The logistics have been applying AR over time to optimize times, video games, one of the cases that have succeeded is the aforementioned Pokรฉmon Go, it is still widely played and makes use of augmented reality to play interactively .
Augmented reality applications
Screen: An application that has been quite popular is Layar, allows you to create and access interactive content, magazines, posters, QR codes and advertisements. With Layar you can play videos, Internet pages and discount coupons, among many other things. Geo Layers is an extra feature for finding nearby stores, events, and restaurants.
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Blippar: The great objective of augmented reality is the conversion of any object, image or place into an interactive experience that will surprise us. Blippar is an app available for Android that will allow you to convert anything in this world into an augmented reality image, be it games, videos or advertisements, etc.
MyBrana: It is a very useful Android application for augmented realityIn this case, you can insert stickers and animations on images and videos with a phone or tablet. All the images or videos created can be shared through any messaging application.
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Crayola Color Alive: This Android application aimed at the little ones, since if they color an already created drawing they can bring it to life by taking a photo of this drawing when capturing it with a phone. This will make you learn what augmented reality is and above all that the little ones want to make use of this interactive utility.
Star walk: This app available for Android uses GPS technology and all the sensors on your terminal or tablet to show you the constellations, planets, and galaxies in real time. If you want to select anything in the application, it will show you a lot of information about it, seeing how it looked before or maybe how it will look in the future.
Wikitude: It is one of the most interesting applications, makes use of a search word and once inserted we will use the camera to point to the street with the closest sites to that term written on the phone. It is an application that is available on Android and has been widely used since its launch on that platform.
Field Trip: It is a tool created by Niantic Inc., known for having created Pokรฉmon Go. It works as a complete tour guide, allowing it to show you the most interesting places to visit, be it museums, restaurants, story sites and many more real options.
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Augmented reality applied to education
Augmented reality students and teachers can leave the classroom and learn from what they see, it will also allow with a tool in class to be able to create with applications oriented to it, showing 3D visualization models or creating their own with tools.
A clear example is also that of use augmented reality with textbooks incorporating bookmarks, You can use the Alienta AR Android application if you want readers to expand and enrich the books. This app is widely used in education along with others.
The use is simple, just download the application, once installed scan the barcode of the book with the app and download the book in digital format. The author of the books usually uploads interactive videos to complement the reading more practical and suitable for students, teachers or people who love to read.
History of augmented reality
The term augmented reality appeared around 1990, the investigation was carried out by the researcher of Boeing tom caudell, who was involved in the development to improve manufacturing processes, in which software was used to display the drawings of produced parts.
Earlier in 1957 the philosopher and visionary Morton Heilig began to build a prototype with a similar appearance to an arcade-type video game machine like those that arrived as early as 1990. This machine was called Sensorama, this projected images in 3D, adding an enveloping sound, vibrating the seat and creating wind.
The inventor showed his creation with the sensation of being mounted on a bicycle through the streets of Brooklyn (USA), a recording of reality with objects or situations that the machine provided with sensory stimuli to the person. The birth of augmented reality is quite positioned because of virtual reality, from the beginning of the two.
Augmented reality and virtual reality
La Augmented reality is a technology that allows virtual elements to be superimposed about our own vision of reality. Despite being linked to virtual reality thanks to AR, a virtual world can be created from scratch with all the environments you want, creating a quite fantastic world.
To use augmented reality requires hardware and softwareFor example, we can use a moderately powerful phone and applications such as those indicated in previous points. Today the progress is remarkable and the AR will move around 2020 million dollars worldwide in 120.000.
La Virtual Reality (RV) It is an environment of scenes and objects of real appearance or not, because it can also have the appearance of a cartoon, video game, etc. This is generated by computer technology that will create the sensation of being fully immersed in it.
Glasses are often used for virtual realityMany manufacturers already choose to manufacture this hardware that needs software to be able to be used. In this case a computer or a console can make use of it and a prepared title together with the connection of glasses.