Unlike Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality does not immerse its user into a new environment; it enhances one’s reality by overlaying digital information onto things being viewed on a digital device. Though AR is rising in popularity in 2016, variations of it have been around since 1957 with Mortin Helig’s Sensorama machine as one such example. In 1999, the ARToolKit was created at the Nara Institute of Science, this device allowed video capture tracking of the real world to be combined with the interaction of virtual objects. Shortly thereafter in 2000, the first outdoor mobile AR game, ARquake, was created; and 13 years after that, Google launched its AR head-mounted display, “Google Glass.” Though not largely successful at the time, this opened the door for companies to begin production of similar products. Microsoft, for one, created the HoloLens which is currently on the market. AR is projected to reach $1 billion in revenue this year alone and is expected to reach $120 billion over the next four years. Currently, smartphone apps are the most used form of AR, expecting to reach over 200 million users by 2018; and by 2020, over 103 million automobiles are expected to be using AR. No one can deny that Augmented Reality is growing rapidly, and it is sure to be implemented in several industries as its popularity continues to grow.
Below is the full infographic by Bold Digital Marketing:
