Augmented Reality Beyond Mobile Phones
There are already various applications of augmented reality technology all around us. But if there is one medium which utilizes the technology more than anything else, it is with our mobile phones. Desktop computers, video game consoles and various other devices already make use of AR technology. Many various gadgets allow you to interact with special software on the computer using your webcam, on the PS3 there are games which make use of the Eye Toy camera (such as Eye of Judgment) and even on television, we see various applications of AR technology –though not with real time, real world overlays.
As stated, the most prevalent use of AR is with mobile phones, this is mostly due to the fact that mobile phones are portable. This is an important aspect with augmented reality as other mediums are often located in fixed locations and thus, offer no sense of change on the real-world layer upon which digital information can be layered upon.
There is however, a small catch. While many AR programs for desktop computers provide plenty of functionality, there is a limit to the processing power graphics capabilities of mobile phones, and thus, the amount of additional input that can be layered is limited. Where a desktop computer can produce additional 3D content, a smart phone can only show small 2D images with descriptive text.
Despite the hardware limitations, it is still with mobile phones that the future of AR rests upon. No matter how far technology moves, desktop computers will remain unmovable. On the other hand, mobile phones benefit from smaller processors and better overall specs –this means that more can be done with each new generation of mobile devices.
Learn more about the importance of augmented reality in our society and the trends it is following at Pocket Lint.
