Introduction to Augmented Reality
Augmented reality may have an identical effect on the development industry because the one which the steam engine had on manufacturing processes, in accordance with Andreas Böhm, CEO of Sensopia. His company makes Magic Plan, an augmented reality application for making blueprints. Unlike virtual reality, which tries to position the user in a virtual world, augmented reality goals to bring virtual elements into the actual world.
How Augmented Reality Works
New technology is allowing augmented reality applications to attract more information from the actual world and making it easier for developers so as to add augmented reality features to existing applications. With Pokémon Go, "you might have a picture projected into the actual world, seen through your device," Böhm said. A next-generation augmented reality application, nevertheless, "knows where the bottom is, it knows where a tabletop is."
Magic Plan: A Pioneer in Augmented Reality
Launched in 2011, Magic Plan allows users to create floor plans by taking pictures of an environment. "It was certainly one of the primary apps to reap the benefits of the camera and sensors on smartphones and tablets," Böhm said. "It has used augmented reality to, principally, guide the user through our process to attract and measure floor plans." Now it’s profiting from the power of augmented reality applications to raised understand the world around them.
The Power of Augmented Reality
With Magic Plan, you’ll be able to sketch out a floor plan and, suddenly, you already know what’s the surface area of your partitions. And when you already know the surface area of your partitions, you already know how much paint you would like. And when you already know how much paint you would like, you already know how long it should take. That ability to simply measure the actual world using augmented reality tools is why Böhm said he thinks the technology can be so powerful, since it gives construction firms and contractors a straightforward option to take a more systematic, orchestrated approach to their work.
Local Companies Experimenting with Augmented Reality
Böhm’s company, like many other local firms experimenting with augmented reality, is using ARKit, a tool released by Apple in June. Michael Elman, the co-CEO of Montreal-based Budge Studios, said the additional steps were just an excessive amount of work for his young users and their parents. But, when in June, Apple announced ARKit, "not only did it make putting augmented reality tech into your apps very, very easy, it also removed that need for an external item to anchor to."
Real-World Applications of Augmented Reality
Budge added an AR mode to an app it was already working on, Thomas & Friends Minis, a virtual train set. "You have a button, and the trains that you have made get projected on any surface that you just want, so it might be in your desk, on the ground of your room, or it could even be outside in a park," he said. He said kids using the AR mode are likely to be more energetic. "It becomes a toy, it is a physical thing, it is not only a touch-screen thing," he said.
The Future of Augmented Reality
Riposte Games & Co., a St-Lambert-based developer, took an identical approach, adding an AR mode to its existing game, Mini Guns. While the sport is not geared toward young children, the characters are cartoonish and toylike. In AR mode, players are capable of virtually place those characters on physical objects, like a tabletop. "You’re capable of create an experience where you’ll be able to take the player even closer to that grey zone between reality and fantasy," said Johan Eile, the corporate’s CEO.
Conclusion
It’s still early days for AR, but local proponents are optimistic. Budge’s Elman said the power of a camera-equipped phone to not only take pictures but additionally understand more in regards to the real world is powerful. "I do not think it is a fad," he said. "The base technology is here to remain since it’s fascinating." Early feedback has been positive, with a 20-per-cent increase in retention and engagement throughout the game. Essentially, persons are spending more time with the app, which is vital for a free-to-play game like Mini Guns.
