It is known that advancement in technology has been changing rapidly in recent years, with a variety of innovations being released onto the market. Within these years, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have continued to increase in popularity and have gained few significant effects on various industries, as well as entertainment.
Here are some of the trends that affect augmented and virtual reality in 2021.
1. Augmented with AI
AR and VR developers have started implementing machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) into their apps. For example, Instagram’s filter function has been successful and most users use it almost every day. This created an opportunity for other industries to touch as well. “Computer vision” allows devices to see and understand everything within a camera’s range. Although this has been somewhat basic over the years, it is still expected that these will become increasingly sophisticated over the coming years.
2. Impact on Training and Teaching
Both AR and VR have apparent benefits for teaching and training and have been implemented across schools and professional development courses. By using VR, these professionals will be able to train in a simulated environment that provides a significant degree of accuracy while avoiding the risks associated with making a mistake. For AR, employees will be able to practice objectives and tasks in real-time, improving their skills and overall productivity.
3. Consumer Entertainment
Although this has been around for quite some time in AR and VR history, it is expected to improve drastically over the coming years. This is because both have been relatively niche areas for the past several years and many developers failed to find an app or hardware that has achieved commercial success. However, with the development of these technologies, it is going to be a lot more accessible for consumer entertainment, and will be expecting them in the market soon.
4. Social and Collaborative
With Facebook’s recent purchase of Oculus, it has been highlighted that there is room for technology to become much more social in the future. This is something that most companies have seen and have begun targeting.
With this, virtual conference calls are becoming more common and collaborative. It is expected to see people through their headsets, which can be used in both business capacity and recreationally. This can mean that remote workers will be able to collaborate during meetings, with designs and documents being overlaid onto real-world objects.
5. Addition-to Vehicles
While fully autonomous cars may still be years away, this doesn't mean that manufacturers haven’t been able to take advantage of a variety of new technologies. They are focusing more on safety, with the technology using AI and machine learning to point out any hazards that may be on the road, or if there could be historical landmarks that drivers may want to be aware of. Today, it's been done through the use of cameras and a dashboard-mounted display which can allow for additional graphics to be used without providing too much of a distraction for drivers.
