The Future of Augmented Reality: Emerging Trends and Possibilities.

Say Hello to Augmented Reality

With the exponential advancements in technology, it is crucial that we move past the traditional ways of doing things and start employing richer, more efficient and more convenient ways of engagement in our day-to-day activities. Digital technology has brought about radical growth in the healthcare system, database management, entertainment industry, businesses and even education. One of such is Augmented Reality. 

Augmented reality (AR) is an innovative technology that enhances the physical world with digital information such as sound, video and graphics. It elaborates how users experience their physical environment making it more interactive by overlaying virtual information on the real world. Augmented reality is already in use today in various fields of life– education, entertainment, retail, among others.

Augmented Reality: Tech in Ed

Technology has taken education up some notches higher in terms of approach to learning. Augmented reality is one of such technological innovations that is gaining ground in education. It serves as a more efficient, faster and fun method of learning in comparison to the traditional method of teaching that goes on in the classroom. Hold up! Be careful not to think  that AR seeks to replace the classroom learning; it is only there to improve the learning experience.

As a matter of fact, AR enables the visual representation of complex concepts in various subjects in the form of 3D models of geometric shapes, elements and atoms. This aids better understanding of such concepts by students. Since one is able to have a proper understanding of subjects with the aid of AR, there is a long-term retention of what has been learnt. 

AR: the preferred students’ library

Furthermore, through AR, students have an inexhaustible library to choose from. They are able to scan various materials and make smarter choices on what learning materials will be more relevant to the task at hand. One must prefer scanning through a myriad of information easily and quickly and fun-filled-ly, rather than going through a physical library. I know I would.

Who would not be motivated both to teach and learn with AR? With its fun and relatable methods – graphics, videos and sounds – AR makes education interesting. Also, AR is able to cater for the uniqueness of each student in learning. 

There is still more – AR in Surgery?

Yes, AR can be applied to surgery. AR surgical simulations allow students to be trained in surgical skills giving room for mistakes which could hamper human life if they were to practice on real people. What about other fields requiring hands-on activities? AR has got you covered. It can be utilized in engineering, architecture as well as other fields with practical involvement.

With AR, no limits

Augmented reality is accessible as it is available on smartphones which are owned by a large (a really large) population, including students. This provides for a global experience whereby students can see things in other parts of the world and learn, like a virtual tour – visiting museums, tourist attraction centers, historic buildings in the comfort of their classrooms or rooms which would otherwise have been almost impossible.

This also fosters teamwork among the students as they can relate using AR to solve problems, take assignments and have relevant discussions. 

AR here and now

Here are some examples of AR in the world right now. Anatomy 4D is a development of AR that allows students to explore and interact with a 3D model of the human body. One would wonder why they named it Anatomy 4D instead of Anatomy 3D. Anyways, another example is Experience Chemistry through which students learn about elements and get to witness more experiments. Chemistry just got a whole lot more exciting, right?

Augmented Reality in the Future: What to look forward to

We see how much augmented reality is doing in our world today, particularly in education. However, it gets even better with technological advancements, wouldn’t you agree?

In the near future, we (I am sure you are with me in this) expect to see more lightweight and comfortable wearable devices such as smart glasses, contact lenses, which have been designed specifically for AR. It will make it easier to integrate AR in our daily living. Advanced technical knowledge will not be so necessary to make use of AR devices thereby providing a much better user experience.

In terms of features and capabilities, we expect that AR will evolve to advance areas like object recognition, real-time translation, and even interactions that are gesture-based. As the development of AR goes together with that of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we can expect AR to interpret the world around us more accurately and enhance our interaction with the real world. This will increase productivity and save on training. 

Also, with the incorporation of AR into apps, virtual classrooms can be created to simulate real-life settings thereby bridging the gap between real and virtual setups, making it easier for students to transition from one to the other seamlessly. A little less naivety on crossing this newly-constructed bridge!

With a sigh, I say bye…

Although augmented reality is not without its imperfection, we can still peek into a time where an almost seamless interaction with our physical world exists – with the aid of advancement in the capabilities of augmented reality, of course – and much more, to the exponential growth it would bring to our educational system in exciting ways. I can not wait, can you?

Written by Oluwatoyosi

For the Editorial Team, God Is Love Educational Foundation