Wednesday Wonder: Augmented Reality 11/22/17

What is it?

Augmented reality is an enhanced version of reality where live direct or indirect views of physical real-world environments are augmented with superimposed computer-generated images over a user’s view of the real-world, enhancing the user’s current perception of reality. Unlike virtual reality, which requires you to inhabit an entirely virtual environment, augmented reality uses your existing natural environment and simply overlays virtual information on top of it.

What can I do with it?

There are endless possibilities when it comes to augmented reality. Military training, medical uses, navigation, maintenance and repair, advertising, and gaming are all examples. One very good example of gaming is the Pokemon GO game that was released in July of 2016. Pokemon GO is a location-based augmented reality game. The game utilizes the player’s mobile device’s GPS ability to locate, capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, which appear on the screen as if they were at the same real-world location as the player. Medically, augmented reality can help doctors, nurses, and even patients with many different things. One example is a start-up company that recently made a scanner that can help doctors and nurses to find veins easier on patients.