AR and VR: The Future Awaits
You’ve been hearing a lot about AR and VR. Guess what? It’s only the beginning. And for good reason - this stuff is awesome and will inevitably change society. Want proof? Walk around any major city and watch what is going on around you — people are probably on their phones. Our taxi experience is digital, we access our bank accounts with our fingerprint and every movie, TV show, and song is available with a tap. Technology impacts almost every facet of life and drives change in how society operates. At Propeller (propellerlabs.co) we’ve already begun to work on AR and VR projects and our research has educated us on the expansive opportunities these platforms will have on the business world. This industry is expected to reach $150B by 2020, so yeah — it’s a big deal.
Note: We are defining AR as any experience where digital interfaces are imposed on someone’s reality, which includes ‘Mixed Reality’. If you want to learn more about the AR vs MR debate check this out.
Augmented Reality
Defined as “live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data” (Thanks wikipedia). Basically, you look through a device (phone/tablet) or some type of headset (glasses, etc.) that allows you to see your real world and projects digital images into your reality. Think: holograms.
Pokemon Go is currently the best known example of AR software (great tweet about the craze).
The Microsoft HoloLens is probably the most well known hardware. You can view Microsoft’s launch video here. You can check a demo by The Verge reporters here.
Magic Leap is the AR company with all the hype. They’ve raised $1.4 billion (with a ‘b’) in funding. Founded in 2011, they haven’t released anything…not even a beta. Hopefully it’s awesome.
So how will AR impact the world around us? The possibilities really are endless. Here are a few:
- Industrial Design. The process to design a physical product, any product, usually takes considerable time and costs a lot of money. Sketching ideas, building CAD models, 3D printing prototypes — it all adds up. Imagine building something in real time 3D. You’d know how that curve, chamfer or angle really looks without waiting 3 months. That’s how Tony Stark does it.
- Auto Repair. Ever taken your car to the mechanic? Then you know how the smallest fixes cost a lot of money. This video shows a BMW mechanic using AR, but once the average person can do this the cost of the hardware alone will be recouped after a few repairs.
- Surgery. The leading surgeon for a procedure you need lives in Hong Kong and you live in Omaha, Nebraska. What if that surgeon could be live-streamed in by a local surgeon wearing an AR headset and the two completed your surgery? It’ll happen. The leading doctors around the world will have greater reach and help more people. AR may even bring down the cost of expensive surgeries…wouldn’t that be nice.
- Building Airplanes. PwC published this interesting article highlighting how Boeing is using AR to improve their process. They tested trainees assembling a wing and those who used AR were 30% faster with 90% improved accuracy. That’s real.
Virtual Reality
Defined as “a computer technology that uses software-generated realistic images, sounds and other sensations to replicate a real environment or an imaginary setting, and simulates a user’s physical presence in this environment to enable the user to interact with this space” (Thanks wikipedia). With VR you are wearing a headset that fully immerses you and closes out the ‘real world’. In terms of the hardware there are a couple different solutions. Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear allow you to use your phone for VR (Apple’s looking to join this group). This is great because the headsets are low-cost and new VR experiences are accessible through existing, and familiar, app stores. Functionality is limited however and you feel like you’re just skimming the surface. The other avenue is a more sophisticated hardware/software experience with the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift leading the charge. These systems are significantly more expensive and much more involved (support hardware, setup, etc) but offer a substantially upgraded experience over the phone-based options.
Here are a few ways VR will change everything:
- Travel. Billions of people will never visit the Louvre. Or the Eiffel Tower, Everest, Machu Picchu, Sistine Chapel, Mayan ruins, Great Wall, etc etc etc. The sheer cost of travel prohibits most from leaving their hometown, let alone their country. One day children in South America will be able to stand in front of The Mona Lisa. Generations will be transformed when their physical location doesn’t prevent them from experiencing the greatest treasures this world has to offer.
- Space Exploration. Visiting new planets is a complex process that few comprehend. One day we will send robots that can survey in 3D and transmit those images back to NASA experts sitting comfortably in their offices. We will be able to send equipment at speeds, in certain conditions and to different locations that humans can’t go, at least not soon. This has already begun.
- Education. Sitting in a classroom at Harvard or Stanford is expensive. What happens when millions can attend those classes via VR? Talk about closing the educational opportunity gap. And while many universities/professors put content online, it’s a totally different learning environment if you feel like you’re in the second row. While that’s an immediate effect, VR has the potential to take us out of the classroom entirely. Marine Biology will be learned floating around the ocean. Anatomy will be taught while roaming inside a human body. ‘The Magic School Bus’ was on to something.
- Entertainment. What would it be like to be in the movie instead of watching it? How would it feel to be on stage with [name your favorite musician/group]? Or even just sitting in the front row of the New York Philharmonic, while sitting in your living room. VR will change how we experience traditional entertainment and will bring it closer, making it more tangible for people around the world. It will also introduce new forms of entertainment that are evolutions of existing mediums.
- Gaming. ‘Half Life 3' in VR?
Additionally, AR and VR will change the modern workplace. More screens, video-conferencing, real-time remote project collaboration….the list goes on.
There are significant hurdles to still overcome. Cost, resolution, FPS and other issues currently prevent mass adoption and will remain for some time. However, the advances are coming quickly and a lot of money is flowing to the industry. Facebook paid $2 billion to acquire Oculus. You don’t do that unless you mean business. And that’s good for AR and VR business.
