Augmented Reality, or AR, is typically when a computer system overlays digital information over the real world. This differs from virtual reality because VR, because that involves creating an entirely new, computer generated world to immerse the user.
Because of this Augmented reality systems have the potential to be even more useful that virtual reality in a business context, and therefore we ought to strive to incorporate it into our marketing models. There are many potential uses for the technology, and many benefits regarding its successful implementation.
When you consider that most of the adult population carry with them a tool capable of supporting intensive AR every day, the potential to reach your audience with something useful, valuable and engaging is obvious.
For one thing AR can improve our understanding of the environment around our audience. Overlaying information about your location has a myriad of uses in several different fields. From finding information about the house you are looking at buying, or an animation indicating where the foundations of a building are, the possibilities are virtually endless. In the construction industry for example, even the slightest miscalculation, or an estimate that was off by a few centimetres, can have very damaging consequences.
For example, if we look at pipes in the road, AR can overlay images of those pipes, so that workers doing repairs know with 100% accuracy where they are, and where to avoid.
A construction site is a dangerous environment with lots of heavy machinery. Safety, therefore, is a top priority. Having increased awareness of what’s going on around you could be a potentially life-saving benefit of incorporating augmented reality into this particular industry. The advantages of increased perception and awareness of the world around you can translate to a number of different industries.
Another interesting use for AR is in the field of personalised advertising. Being able to measure how someone responds to certain stimuli, for example, how they react to certain products, could allow companies to create personally tailored, individualised advertising campaigns.
We are a long way from the hyper intensive world of ‘Minority Report’, but if you combine AR with other measurement systems then then the possibilities become almost endless, and in many ways concerning. An example of this could involve a supermarket measuring the heart rate of customers when they walk past certain products, eye tracking combined with purchase patterns, could revolutionise our buying experience. Next time the customer goes shopping, the supermarket can specifically advertise the products they reacted favourably to, as well as suggesting similar items.
AR systems can also be used to guide engineers and mechanics. For example, one such system could be used to quickly display a diagnostic of a faulty car engine, allowing the mechanic to efficiently go about their repair work. While the world of Haynes Manuals and self repair may be behind most of us. Simple AR representations of how to change oil, tyres, jacking points would be invaluable. Augmented reality can also be used to improve the effectiveness of remote help hugely.
Providing virtual training aids via AR in the real world could also be revolutionary when it comes to training, across all fields. It could allow for cheaper and more efficient training for employees, which is useful for businesses of all sizes.
From engineering to medicine, every industry would benefit from being able to deliver training via AR. It is far easier for a trainee plumber to practice on a virtual water system over and over until they get the process right than to use physical pipes. It also means that if mistakes are made in the training process, rather than wasting resources, the training program can simply be reset, which saves lots of money in the long run, offsetting the relatively high initial cost of these AR systems.