AI for Everyone: A for Augmented Reality 🕶 🎮

EDITOR’S NOTE

A for Apple
A for Aai
A for AI

Hello Good People! Top of the Saturday Morning to you! 🌻 

Remember the hilarious Aai-AI quote the PM of India dropped when chatting with Bill Gates? Memes for days! It got us thinking: with AI blowing up faster than a SpaceX rocket, who can keep track of all the fancy terms?

That's why Nanobits is launching a brand new series: The AI Alphabet! Every week, we'll break down an AI term in a way that's easier to understand than a toddler with a cookie addiction. Buckle up and get ready to conquer the world of AI!

Let’s learn: “A for Augmented Reality”

BEYOND THE SCREEN

My friend, Viren, a sneakerhead, was frustrated by low-quality online photos that didn't capture the details of a coveted limited-edition shoe. Enter Converse Sampler, an AR app. Viren points his phone at his foot, and the shoe magically appears, allowing him to examine the intricate design and check the fit virtually.

This is just a glimpse into the transformative power of Augmented Reality (AR). This week, we'll explore the exciting ways AR is blurring the lines between the digital and physical worlds, and its potential to reshape the way we interact with everything from furniture to fashion.

WHAT IS AUGMENTED REALITY?

Imagine holding your phone up and seeing cool stuff appear in your room, like a virtual dinosaur or the perfect chair before you buy it! That's Augmented Reality, like a magic trick for your eyes!

AR is a technology that overlays computer-generated information onto the real world, creating an interactive experience. 

HOW DID IT ALL START?
Early Applications (1957)

Early inventions like Morton Heilig's "Sensorama" (a multi-sensory experience simulator from 1957) and head-mounted displays (developed in the 1960s) laid the groundwork for immersive experiences.

Coining the Term (1990)

In the early 1990s, Thomas P. Caudell coined "Augmented Reality" while the U.S. Air Force developed the first functional AR systems like "Virtual Fixtures."

Modern AR (1990s-Present)

With advancements in technology, AR applications broadened from early use cases in maintenance to the consumer-facing experiences we know today, like AR games and educational tools on our powerful smartphones.

AR APPLICATIONS

Gaming: Games like Pokemon Go and Ingress use AR to overlay digital elements in your real-world environment, creating immersive and interactive experiences.

Beauty: Struggle with lipstick shades online? Orbo AI's AR app lets you virtually try them on before you buy! See different shades and styles on your face using your phone's camera.

Manufacturing & Maintenance: Forget bulky manuals! Parallax Lab’s AR shows step-by-step instructions on machines, highlighting parts for faster repairs. Imagine mechanics using AR glasses to see what needs fixing directly on the engine.

Retail & Fashion: ASOS and many other clothing and footwear brands have invested in AR to bring mobile shopping into their customers’ own physical space through virtual try-ons and create a more intimate buying experience.

Travel & Tourism: Gaudi's Casa Battllo museum offers a premium AR guide (SmartGuide App) that brings the art to life with interactive videos & high-quality visuals (available in 11 languages).

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality

AR is like adding glitter to your existing world. It enhances what's already there. VR is like stepping into a whole new world, glitter and all. It replaces your surroundings with a completely different reality.

Augmented Reality is NOT CGI

Many often confuse between Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) and AR. If you think the recent storm of CGI ads is some form of an AR element, it’s not!

CGI ads, like those featuring branded products, fantastical creatures, or futuristic cars, are completely computer-generated visuals. Think of them as creating a whole new world from scratch.

AR ads, unlike CGI, take the real world and add digital elements on top. Imagine trying on clothes virtually or seeing furniture appear in your living room through your phone!

While CGI and AR can sometimes work together (like a CGI couch in an AR app), they typically serve different advertising purposes.

The Future of Augmented Reality

Imagine a world where surgeons operate with holographic guidance, students explore ancient civilizations through AR textbooks, and everyday objects whisper their secrets with a tap of your AR glasses.

The future of AR is boundless, blurring the lines between physical and digital in every industry, from revolutionizing healthcare and education to transforming how we interact with the world around us.

That’s all folks! 🫡 
See you next Saturday with the letter 🅱️