Augmented reality APPS

 A few years ago, talk of augmented reality (AR) involved what seemed like science fiction, a technology that doesn't function and won't make it to our days. But it came. The term was coined in 1992 by Tom Caudell, but it is only recently that augmented reality has left a hole in our daily lives, thanks in part to the proliferation of mobile phones that enable us to achieve the gains we have made in our daily lives. this area is more accessible to the population.

Augmented reality refers to technologies that allow you to add layers of virtual information to the real world. Users view it through a technological device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or augmented reality glasses, which causes some type of virtual information to be added to the existing real image. That is, the elements combine to create a different experience that adds value to the information we already have, which is in real time and in 3D.

Ever since multinational Google released glasses that would become the world's first augmented reality project, the technology has continued to grow and expand in 2012. There are many apps today, some of which are free and others are paid, so you can enjoy augmented reality even in the simplest of actions. You also have glasses at different prices in the market to experience this experience.

However, there are people who still disagree on how augmented reality can be used, in addition to the fact that the two concepts are still confused: augmented reality and virtual reality, which may seem the same but are actually this is wrong. Next, we will explain what makes them different, and also talk about some of the existing applications and their use.

Augmented reality vs virtual reality

In general, we can distinguish between the two technologies by saying that virtual reality creates a completely non-existent world, it is more immersive, while augmented reality combines virtual or non-existent elements with the real image that exists. There is also another type of technology, mixed reality, which is a mixture of the two described above.

Cybernetic reality is a technology that allows you to fully immerse yourself in the virtual world. This is done using glasses specially designed for this reality, in which the user sees only the screen in front of him, nothing outside, thereby creating an artificial environment with full sensory perception.

As a user, you enter the virtual world through simulations that make what you see feel real, in part due to the interactions that can occur with elements that appear in that world. Virtual reality can be used in a wide variety of fields like education, entertainment, robotics, architecture or philanthropy, with social organizations like UNICEF who want to explain their message in a different way.

Instead, as explained at the beginning of this post, augmented reality is one that complements the real environment with digital or virtual elements. That is, objects, animation or data are included in the image that you have as a user and you cannot interact with them.

When used correctly, augmented reality technology has a number of benefits that can improve your daily life. For example, it allows you to view an explanation by simply moving your mobile phone, as tourists can do in front of an interesting monument or with parts of a vehicle's engine. It also allows us to operate hands-free, especially if we use devices such as augmented reality glasses or helmets that allow us to visually see information while doing other things. Finally, we can emphasize that this is a new channel of communication with users, a factor that can be very interesting in advertising campaigns, since you can directly interact with the client and make him feel like a part of the advertisement.

Using augmented reality in education

Education is one of the best areas where you can harness the potential of augmented reality. This makes classes completely immersive, which can be used to teach subjects in a different way, and students can learn while having fun. There are a number of apps for the school environment that you can use to teach classes on a variety of topics.

Chromeville Science: Combining Augmented Reality with Traditional Learning. Using flashcards, students color science-related images, which they then interact with through an app that turns them into 3D shapes.

Jigspace: allows you to see how an object works through augmented reality, for example, different layers of the earth or the human body.

Cyberchase 3D Builder is an application for children under 10 and teaches them how to create 3D geometric shapes from squares, triangles or rectangles. It also helps them improve spatial thinking.

Explore the World - Let the children see animals and monuments of the world on a globe, onto which three-dimensional figures are projected.

Featured Augmented Reality Apps

Beyond function in an educational or school environment, the augmented reality apps available are many and varied as they have experienced significant growth in recent years, which is expected to grow even more in the coming years. Some are paid and others are free, although they cover very broad topics such as history, painting, architecture, or games.

Here we share some of the most unpaid virtual reality apps to download to your mobile phone or tablet. They are all available for Android and iOS, except Mondly, which only has one version of Android.

- Pokémon Go: A superb virtual reality app. With millions of downloads between Android and iOS systems, this game uses the location of your mobile phone to move your avatar on the game map. Users catch, train and fight with Pokémon, which appear almost in the real world thanks to the phone's camera.

- Mondly: This is a platform that allows you to learn languages ​​in a different way and is not as boring as a regular application could be. Mondly has courses in 33 languages ​​that use augmented reality, although there is also a virtual reality version. What you should do as a user is to place the mobile phone on a flat surface so that the teacher can start the lesson in the language of your choice with sample words and other exercises. This part of augmented reality is considered to be an addition to traditional lessons and makes language learning more fun.

- BBC Civilizations AR: This app, developed by the British television and radio company BBC, paves the way for what an augmented reality-driven future will look like. This is an application that allows you to see over 30 historical objects, find and resize them so that you can admire and photograph them in our living room or the room we are in. This is a great app to learn about the history or hypothetical future of museums, as it is likely that augmented reality will become part of the way of seeing, knowing and consuming culture in the not too distant future.

- WallaMe: WallaMe plays with interaction between people. This app allows you, when you travel, to leave messages around the world that can only be read by other users who have the app. This includes, for example, photographing a street and editing it using the tools provided by the application. This will create a custom message that can be detected by other users who have the application and who pass through this area. On the other hand, travelers who don't have an app won't see anything.

- Amikasa: A great example of how augmented reality can be used in interior design or architecture. Amikasa uses your mobile phone or tablet's camera to show an image of any room, be it a kitchen, office or room, to see what the furniture will look like. Thanks to the application, you can design the perfect room, as you can change the arrangement of the furniture we are analyzing or its color to see which option is best to decorate your room and decide whether to buy furniture or not.

These are some of the most prominent augmented reality apps currently on the market for both Android and iOS, paid or free. However, the options are much wider and will continue to grow as this is a clearly expanding market.