Augmented is a word that means to add to something or to improve something by adding to it. Augmented reality is a concept that means to take what really is and make it better. This is usually applied to a technological solution, like an app for a smartphone or a computer program.

What is Augmented Reality?

In the long term, it could include the use of holograms and other projected things that add to reality. The term is currently applied to 3D scanners and printers, among other recent technological advances. Augmented reality can be as routine as GPS tracking, which is well known today but makes navigation a breeze.

How is Augmented Reality Used for Presentations?

Augmented reality can be very useful for presentations. In situations where models or digital breakdowns are needed to explain a concept, augmented reality is very useful. By using smart apps, for example, a presentation can come to life. When a presentation is engaging, the audience can really get on board and become interested in what is being presented. Augmented reality is a process where very complicated ideas and directions can be put into a format that anyone can understand. There is currently an augmented reality app that can show anyone how to fix a Volkswagen.

How is Augmented Reality Used for Outreach?

Augmented reality can be used for outreach because of its ability to target specific markets. Facial recognition software—technology that recognizes faces and recognizes other technology—can sense all cell phones in an area and instantly know whose phones those are, and then cater billboard messages to the exact market in the vicinity of the billboard. Currently, augmented reality is used in email blasts to personalize the emails and in Facebook marketing to get ads in front of the people who are most likely to be influenced by those ads.

How is Augmented Reality Used for Product Testing?

Augmented reality can be very useful for product testing. By digitally testing out ideas before creating actual working models of a new product, many bugs and glitches can be worked out with very minimal expense. Augmented reality software, scanners, and 3D printers can take the product testing phase of product development and streamline that testing to bare minimum time and expense. Some companies are using augmented reality apps that give customers a chance to test how a product will fit into their own lives. One example of this type of testing is an app that shows how furniture will look in a living space.

How is Augmented Reality Used for Business Models?

Business models are best when they work. In order for a business model to work, it would have to fit well into actual reality and compliment reality in a way that is attractive and helpful to those the business is supposed to cater to. Augmented reality can help us understand the physical world, guide us through complicated chores, help us with intelligence and research, help us with shopping, and also help with communication and collaboration. Each of these aspects of augmented reality is essential for creating business models that are accurate and useful in the real world.

This article was provided by CJ Gordon, recent Computer Science graduate with a fascination with emerging state-of-the-art technologies. If you’re interested in learning more about augmented reality and how you can implement it into your business, click here.