November 15, 20164 Min Read

Augmented and Virtual Reality in Business

By Elena, Customer Support Specialist at Flat Rock

In our first post we went on about the history and idea of Virtual and Augmented Reality, after which we made short reviews about the most popular VR gadgets right now.

In Part 3 of our quest to educate about AR and VR we will focus on the possible impact that this technology can have on businesses. Augmented reality already has an enormous impact on various business areas. Let’s take a quick look at some of them:

Arts and travelling

AR can be really useful as traveling guide application. Here are some examples: Lapse, Wikitude, Metro AR Pro, Museum of London and many, many more.

Gaming and entertainment

This is probably the first and most popular VR and AR technology area. Gaming is where virtual and augmented reality started from. The experience offered by AR technology allows gamers to play a digital game in a real world environment. Thus they are really a part of the game and everything is so realistic – they can see, hear, smell and feel everything in reality. Here are just a few examples of popular AR and VR games - Invizimals: The Resistance, Mirror’s Edge VR, Clandestine: Anomaly, Minecraft, Temple Run VR.

Retail

There are some interesting AR applications presenting the standard paper catalogue in a completely new way – customers can just scan the catalog using their mobile devices (with the appropriate app installed) and they can see different parts of the furniture, demo and step by step instructions on how to assemble the parts together. Another fantastic advantage of using AR is the opportunity to choose and place a particular piece of furniture in your own home and see whether it will fit and how it will look like – Place Ikea furniture.

Good examples of companies which are using or are in the process of developing AR to sell trier products are Lego Digital Box and Converse Sampler App.

Urban and Architecture and Interior design

AR has the ability to place digital objects into the real physical world and therefore in terms of architecture and design the potential of AR is endless. It could eventually be effectively used in all types of design areas. A lot of people find it hard to just imagine something during its early design or while it’s in its development stage, however by using some of the AR and VR applications, they will be able to actually visualize it and completely understand the idea. Companies like DAQRI have developed AR hardware which gives the user the ability to overlay analog measurements onto physical spaces. There are plenty of tools which allow the recording and uploading of various data points (temperature, pressure within pipe systems, etc.) while the user is walking through space. The usage of similar applications will give workers the opportunity to capture valuable information that usually escapes the human eye and could help with forecasting maintenance and locating the recurring problems. Architects and building engineers use different programs to create 3D models of buildings and equipment. So now they can actually create the building, the surrounding infrastructure and view it in a real high quality image. Building engineers can calculate and create the respective documentation using VR applications.

Training and self-training

It offers a great opportunity to professionals to test their products in a virtual environment or test their skills in order to avoid the failing of an operation. AR applications are also very practical for self-training – Here’s a demo for self-guided training and Smart Training Application Demo. Virtual reality and different simulators are also used in pilot trainings. As an example, during a pilot’s training, the simulator gives the pilot a safe environment to practice tricky situations. Training in a virtual environment is achieved by using a helmet along with a display, a special suit and gloves.

Join us next time when we take a look at some of the more serious industries influenced by Augmented and Virtual Reality technology or check our latest articles on the topic:

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented and Virtual Reality - Gadgets of the Future