The impact of phone-based augmented reality (AR) is evident on YouTube, Snapchat, and significantly on Pokémon Go. Although virtual reality (VR) has become a niche in gaming, films, and arcades, augmented reality remains a rare sight. However, when we look from here, the future is full of augmented reality. The most interesting fact about AR is that it is the most exciting among all these technologies. Also, at the same time the scariest, too.
With AR glasses, we find a release from our detested mobile phones. Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder said that smartphones are an isolating and exhausting nervous habit. Further, products like Google’s glass headset offer uninterrupted connection with utmost freedom. North, the “everyday smart glasses” startup, calls AR a way to stay focused in the real world. Magic Leap, another well-funded startup, offers a vision of AR glasses that unites the world on a new kind of technology platform.
Will Augmented Reality Trouble Us?
Science fictions, on the other hand, has showed us enough about how AR is infiltrating the real world. Nick Statt of the Verge has written in details about Facebook-built AR glasses. They can create aggressive advertisements overlaid every inch of the human line of sight. He has also talked about the kinds of public ranking system splitting the society into haves and have-nots. And, we are not even touching the topic of surveillance. Consequently, with the spread of facial recognition technology, things will get scary.
Hitherto, AR headsets are a thing of future to mass consumers. However, they are still a well-established industry. This is similar to VR in research during the ‘90s and ‘00s, much before Oculus Rift. Simply said, AR glasses are great if you have a reason to use it but they are not a replacement to mobile phones.
