How does augmented reality work?

In the previous blog, we referred to augmented reality as the computer systems that overlay a virtual 2D or 3D model to the human perception of reality -- all in real time!

In this blog, we will see how “Augmented Reality” works.

To understand how augmented reality works, we first need to differentiate "Augmented Reality" from “Virtual Reality”. Both augmented reality and virtual reality are generated by computer systems. But their similarity ends there.

Virtual reality is an interactive 3D digital environment into which you are completely immersed. Everything you experience in virtual reality – what you see, hear or interact with - is all within and limited to the virtual-world. The virtual-world is completely distinct and unrelated to the real-world, as you cannot sense the virtual-world or the objects in it. For instance: in virtual reality you may experience driving a car, but in reality you may not even be sitting in one.

Virtual Reality: Distinct virtual and real world environments. 

Augmented reality, on the other hand, has digital information overlayed on the real-world you are experiencing. Your sense of the real-world remains unchanged, and it is only your perception that is being enhanced. The digital information overlayed on to the real-world could be any kind of information – text, image, map, blueprint, 2D or 3D model, animation, video, etc. Considering the car driving experience, here you will be driving a real car in real world, and augmented reality will overlay your view of the world with additional information that will enhance your experience. In the following images, augmented reality adds information such as distance in km, speed limit, navigation, traffic warnings, and other alerts.

Augmented reality can be conceived as – bridging real and virtual worlds.

Because of the nearness of augmented reality to the real-world, it is much more interesting and finds far more areas of application than virtual reality. The success of smart phones has boosted the practical application and use of augmented reality. As a result, since 2009, "augmented reality" has been a more commonly searched term on Google than "virtual reality".

Interest over time: "augmented reality" vs "virtual reality" (source: Google trends)

Smart phones and wearable devices, such as a Google glass, act as enabling devices for augmented reality. Essentially, augmented reality works by using the camera on the device to examine the surrounding world, feeding that image to the device's computer - which processes the image, gathers GPS coordinates and pulls data from the Internet. The device then projects the information onto the screen in front of the user, either the user's palm, a wall, or a display screen.

Since the camera on the device is the browser to the real-world, whatever is viewed through the camera will be augmented. For instance, if the view is that of a shopping mall, augmented view will display the location of shops, escalators, elevators, rest rooms, etc. If the view captured is that of a shopping aisle, augmented view will filter and display products of your interest or products on sale along with their price, ingredients, nutritional value and even customer reviews.

In future blogs, we will dive deeper into the application of augmented reality in different sectors, including education, medical, engineering, commerce, tourism, entertainment, military and many more, as well as its implications for social interactions and the ethics dilemmas embedded.

Hang tight and join us in the exploration of augmented reality and its many faces!