What is Augmented Reality Technology, its applications and how does it work?

Augmented Reality Technology is transforming the way we interact with digital content, enhancing our environment & bringing immersive experiences with enhanced reality
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In today’s digitized world, many are familiar with Pokemon Go, Snapchat and how we use these games and applications to enhance our reality. But have you ever thought about the technology behind stepping into a world where reality becomes extraordinary with just one tap on your device screen? Yes, Augmented Reality Technology is that innovation driving these augmented experiences, achieved through the use of computer-generated digital information, enhancing the real world in remarkable ways. 

AR Technology is transforming the way we interact with digital content & how businesses provide seamless assistance and services to their customers driving excellence in satisfaction and engagement with enhanced reality. In this article, we will explore more about AR technology, how does it work, its applications and future prospects it holds for the industry 4.0. 
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What is Augmented Reality Technology?
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The term Augmented Reality (AR) refers to the integration of the digital information with the user environment in real time. It is an interactive digital technology that uses computer generated information, digital images, videos, or 3D models superimposed onto the real world environment of the user, through any supported devices such as tablet, smartphone or Augmented Reality Glasses. This technology does not create an artificial environment for the user, instead it blends digital content seamlessly by adding three-dimensional graphics, objects and videos into the user's perception of reality, integrating it with the physical world scenarios and enhancing with additional digital information. 
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How Does Augmented Reality Technology Work ?
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AR adds digital elements or information to the camera of the user’s smartphone, creating the illusion that 3 dimensional objects or holographic content is the part of the user’s physical environment. It works with Augmented Reality Software or AR application equipped electronic devices having cameras and sensors such as smartphones, smart glasses, tablets or any other handheld device.

When a user looks at an object or points at the device, the AR software identifies or recognizes the device with the help of Computer Vision Technology, analyzing the video stream and downloading the information about that object from the cloud. It then projects the AR information or data in a 3D experience superimposed on the object on the screen rather than displaying it in a 2D image format resulting in the virtual object showing up in the actual environment on the screen captured by the device’s camera.

Augmented Reality measures the angle and direction, motion speed, and distance to the object in order to display the computer-generated perceptual information accurately. It computes the overall orientation and location of the surrounding real-world objects. It uses cameras, depth sensors, gyroscopes, light sensors and accelerometers to collect the data on the user’s surroundings and after processing it shows animation in real-time, appearing in a location that is relevant to the user situation. In this way, users interact with both the physical world and virtual objects, enriching the overall experience with the data.
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Applications or Use Cases of AR Technology:
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AR applications are found in diverse industries transforming the business and adding value to the customer centric approach. In the era of Industry 4.0, integrating AR into business operations, maintenance, training, tech support & customer services, businesses can enhance their overall efficiency and productivity. Here are few applications of augmented reality transforming operations, maintenance, training and tech support in industry 4.0.

• Remote Assistance: Augmented Reality enables remote experts to guide on-site technicians in real time via AR enabled devices, overlaying annotations and 3D objects onto the technician’s field of view. This enables them to quickly and swiftly troubleshoot the issues on the machinery or equipment, reducing operational cost and service times.
  
  
• Maintenance & Repair: AR facilitates quicker and more accurate repair and maintenance tasks by displaying relevant instructions and information overlaying physical equipment through AR-enabled smart glasses or devices, reducing downtime and fostering quick maintenance and repair.
  
  
• Training and Simulation: AR training and simulations allow workers to practice complex tasks in a virtual environment before executing them in real-world scenarios, reducing the risk of errors with a faster learning curve in a controlled setting.
  
  
• Designing and Prototyping: AR tools enable visualisation of prototypes and 3D models in real world environments. Design engineers can work more effectively and rapidly by identifying design errors in an early stage of the development process, improving product design with actual prototyping.
  
  
• Quality Control & Inspection: Inspectors can use AR-enabled devices to quickly identify defects on the machinery through digital overlays & expert guidance, improving accuracy & speeds up the inspection process while ensuring quality control & products specified standards.
  
  
• Manufacturing: AR enables remote collaboration by assisting workers in maintenance, assembly, training and repairs in the manufacturing units. Workers can use AR-enabled devices such as AR glasses, tablets or smartphones to access instructions & schematics in real-time within their field of view to troubleshoot errors and perform complex tasks.

Augmented reality has many use cases across different sectors, the above mentioned are few examples of how this technology can be utilized to enhance experiences, revolutionizing various business operational and maintenance processes with improved productivity and smart decision making. By seamlessly integrating AR into workflows, businesses can streamline their training processes, improving maintenance procedures while providing efficient technical support to customers in real-time. As technology is continuing to advance day by day, AR technology applications are expected to expand even further. 
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Conclusion: 
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Augmented Reality Technology is a rapidly emerging technology holding immense potential to change the digital world with latest tech innovation. Not only in the world of gaming but also in other industries, this technology is continuously growing and emerging as a game changer with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Computer Vision and Machine Learning cutting edge technologies. The expansion of 5G and 6G connectivity networks may make it feasible to support AR experiences based on cloud services and platforms, by providing AR applications with low latency and higher data speeds, delivering HD graphical content in real-time.

Many tech giants are working and implementing this technology in their business. With the modern advances and development of AR Smart glasses this technology is creating a whole new immersive experience by visually interactive HD displays of the glasses and live translation of audio to text features, revolutionising the communications and exploring new frontier of opportunities across diverse industries and platforms.