Augmented Reality (Current State and Future Implications)Augmented reality (AR) has become a common buzzword in the modern society, particularly in the field of technology. This concept of overlaying computerized information is increasingly finding its place in the market through mobile devices. For people who use mobile devices for their everyday activities, augmented reality enables them to have a reality that is based on their desires and needs. It has shaped the realities of people across the globe as technology continues to play an important role in modern communications and interactions between people from different geographical locations. Therefore, augmented reality is expected to have a significant impact on the future given its current state and impact on people’s realities and the society.

Current State of Augmented Reality

The field of augmented reality and virtual reality has experienced tremendous growth and evolution in recent years and is expected to grow rapidly in this year. However, the field of augmented reality seems to be evolving much quicker than virtual reality (Singh, par, 1). One of the trends that have characterized the current state of augmented reality is the increased adoption and use of AR devices for commercial and enterprise solutions. Industries such as manufacturing, aerospace and logistics are increasingly adopting augmented reality technology for their daily operations. Augmented reality systems and applications have become common in the modern business environment because of their unique features that help advance business operations. These applications and systems consist of unique features and provide new learning opportunities for businesses, which in turn influences their use as solutions for improving business operations (Wu et al., p.41).

Augmented reality makes for a compelling business scenario because of its advantages over virtual reality. In its current state, the adoption and use of augmented reality systems and applications is relatively easy than virtual reality. This is largely because AR has relatively less obstacles to deal with unlike virtual reality, which is complex because its designed within 3D artificial landscapes. Augmented reality makes for a compelling business case because its adoption basically entails overlaying existing environment with information. 

The field of augmented reality is currently characterized by the development of different AR devices and applications. These applications and devices are developed...

There are various augmented reality headsets that are available in the market and with different capabilities depending on the users’ needs including Microsoft’s HoloLens and Facebook’s Oculus VR headset. Leading app development companies are increasingly incorporating augmented reality elements/features to their applications for different uses, particularly in retail and the gaming industry (Thomas, par, 7).
Given the increased development of AR devices and applications, they are utilized across different educational and commercial fields. In education, augmented reality is currently used by a growing number of medical students for surgical practices in a controlled environment. For patients, the adoption and use of AR enables them to obtain information regarding their medical conditions. The increased use of augmented reality in the medical field has enhanced the sensory perception capabilities of surgeons and lessened the risk of operations. In the tourism industry, AR is currently used to enable tourists to easily see and read facts and figures as they visit and navigate historic sites. AR technology is also currently utilized in military across various settings such as military training facilities for simulation purposes and for analyzing critical data like the exact location of the adversary. Additionally, augmented reality devices and applications are used for navigation through integration with GPS systems (Thomas, par, 18).

Companies Involved in the AR Space

As previously indicated, augmented reality has gained significant attention in the business world and across various industries including logistics and manufacturing. Given its compelling business case, AR is adopted and utilized by various companies for enhanced business operations and achievement of desired business objectives. Some of the companies that are currently involved in this space include Microsoft, Google, and Apple. These companies have been involved in the creation of augmented reality systems and applications that allow customers to experience reality based on their needs. Microsoft has created HoloLens device, which is an AR device that enables users to interact with digitally-created objects in the real world. While Google has created Google Glass AR device, Apple Inc. recently announced plans to create a wearable augmented reality device (Singh, par, 20). In addition to these companies, there is a growing number of…