Today is: 12/10/2024

OE goes AR

Focusing today on what tomorrow will bring...

Augmented Reality

AR vs VR
There is a substantial difference between the two. You can consider Virtual Reality (VR) as seeing the world through the contained lense of a camera. Augmented Reality (AR) however you are seeing the world in real time through your own eyes. There is quite a difference.

VR does however have its purpose, like emersion into an entire game world. It allows you to take a person on a journey which is void from actual reality.


AR on the other hand allows you to bring 3 dimensional (3D) objects into the actual world of the person viewing it.
This can be in the form of 3D models, text, input fields or for that matter, almost anything you can create on a computer.
All of those movies where you have seen actors swiping images and panels of text out of thin air. This is a computer generated version of what AR actually has to offer and offers it now.

The Cost To Play AR

- aBitOWhit

It ain't cheap..... well not yet..

If you recall, back in the day, computers started off in a similar direction. The first computers were outrageously expensive, disk space and memory were at a premium as well. This all changed and now what used to take up an entire computer room fits on a hand held phone. Only the elite could afford a computer but now they are common place in almost every home.. in every country.

AR also allows you to "leave" things in your reality as well as interact with your surroundings.
Imagine placing a note on the fridge (or someone's head) that only you can see.

  • Want a fancy sports car parked in your driveway? - Possible
  • Find rock in your yard in the middle of winter? - Possible
  • Characters from your fave game in your house? - Possible

Currently there are limited AR options, but more are joining daily.
Microsoft created the Hololens and then the Hololens2 which is our current development model. When I first saw this unit, it was basically an "I must have this" moment. Only available directly from MS, designed for business and not retail use and a lofty price tag of around 4 grand US made the decision a bit harder. I can still recall clicking the "Confirm Purchase" button with a whole lot of hesitation, pit and brow sweat.. followed by what did I just do? (...if ya know what I mean).

Since that time after coding and playing with it, I do not regret the button click.
It is fantastic and in my eyes and I believe the future of computing. After some 40+ years in the industry, I had finally found something that gave me the same exhileration as college hopping sing Gopher,Archie and FTp to bounce from USA over to Russia over to Australia before web browsers were even coming into the mix. It's a whole new world.. just waiting to become the new reality.

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