Today's world is increasingly becoming digital. Nevertheless, there is a disconnect between the digital world and the physical world we live in. In the past few decades, emerging technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and Extended Reality (Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and Virtual Reality) have been bridging this disconnect between the digital world and the physical world. This article focuses on how enterprises can take advantage of Augmented Reality for their business needs. Before we dive deep into how Enterprise can take advantage of this beautiful and useful technology, let us take a brief look at the basics of Augmented Reality (AR).
What Is Augmented Reality? Though Augmented Reality has been used for the past few decades, the Pokemon Go game made the technology world famous and a buzzword among the masses. In simple terms, Augmented Reality is an immersive technology that allows users to place digital content on top of real world's content. The users can better appreciate overlaid imagery or data on existing space or objects. Augmented Reality is to be experienced via enabled smart devices such as smart phones and tablets with a camera lens. Interaction with the digitally enhanced imagery is optional and is not an absolute must.
Augmented Reality is so versatile that it can be used in almost any industry which requires rich interactive information to be provided on top of the normal world objects. Some use cases include the following:
- 3D instructions via AR to train industry workers
- AR holograms for entertainment purposes
- Consumers visualize a product in a 360-degree-view before buying
- AR filters on 3D chat messages
- AR games mapping real-world locations augmented with digital objects and quests
AR has many use-cases and they only keep increasing with real-world demands. AR attains critical mass when one extends the use-cases from an individual level to an industrial level. And that can be done when we build this using a platform.
What Is an AR Platform?
Usually when we talk about platforms in this connect, one tends to think of
ARKit and
ARCore - two development platforms for AR. ARKit is Apple's AR development platform for iOS devices and ARCore is Google's AR development platform for Android based devices. From an enterprise's perspective, such a platform has a sole objective of enhancing digital content and disseminating the same to their mass, target audience. This is even more significant now in 2021 as the world is slowly trying to come out of the clutches of the Covid-19 virus and business has come to a standstill in many fronts. AR can help maintain social distancing as it is just a digital layer and does not need physical proximity to other human beings.
Content Management Lifecycle in an AR Environment
Like any other emerging technology, when an Augmented Reality Platform is integrated with your development process, the entire lifecycle of your vision gets developed when it is finalized. This can be done easily with minimal upfront design or coding work. The most important part is the way we integrate it with the digital content management process and make it as easy as we want it to be. Unlike other industries where every little aspect of the concept must be designed, packaged, and delivered, an AR Platform automates most of it in a pre-determined manner.
A brief diagrammatic flow of content through an Augmented Reality platform
Listed below are some business benefits. These are just an introduction to the wonderful ways how AR can provide enhanced information to our varied needs.
- User friendly platform to digitally augment content
- Easy to use augmentation portal for deploying campaigns
- Simple and powerful dashboard to analyse engagement analytics
- Single portal for content management and repurposing for future needs
Education, E-Commerce, Traninig, Learning and Development, Automotive, and the ever-present Gaming are few industries that stand to win a lot from having an AR platform to digitally enhance their content.
Concluding Thoughts
Due to the above benefits and use cases, having an AR platform has become a worthy investment for enterprise players to provide rich content experience to their users. How do you think an AR platform can help your business grow and attain new heights?
