Augmented reality
Augmented reality or augmented reality (AR) is a reality amplified through the enrichment of human sensory perception through the superimposition of digital content that is combined with palpable reality. It does not replace reality, but enhances it by adding multiple levels of information, such as text, images, videos and holograms.
By providing strategic information on the surrounding environment, augmented reality is used in different areas and situations, both at a professional level (doctors, military, aircraft and car pilots, …) and private (games, simulation of the home environment, purchase of a product,…).
Areas of use of augmented reality
Here are some examples of augmented reality in industry 4.0:
- Healthcare sector: it increases precision during operations and reduces medical errors, giving doctors and patients a better understanding of difficult problems in the medical field;
- Automotive-motorcycle sector: the fields of application are innumerable, for example thanks to innovative sensors and projectors applied to the viewers or to the car itself, it is possible to obtain a virtual driving assistant and consequently reduce accidents. Furthermore, through a satellite it is possible to identify parking areas, traffic and the best route to reach the destination;
- Tourism sector: hotel booking with virtual tours of the structures and places to visit, historical and structural information on the monuments and interaction with the works of art exhibited in museums. Augmented reality helps make the travel experience more engaging;
- Commercial sector: interactive mirrors that allow you to virtually try on clothes or make-up, voice commands for shopping, supermarkets without cashiers, virtual tours of stores via app to buy with a click ... These are just some of the countless uses of augmented reality applied to business.
Augmented reality: advantages
Companies can take advantage of augmented reality making use of new promotional strategies to differentiate themselves from competitors:
- Increase in sales: you can view an object from the comfort of your home before completing the purchase from the e-commerce site. Augmented reality offers added value to the purchasing process, creating interactions that could not exist between the customer and the seller;
- Content enrichment: allows you to add complementary information in real time without the user needing to search for it;
- Improvement of the corporate image: a brand that chooses to use augmented reality software chooses to communicate through technological innovations to attract new audiences and retain current customers.
Virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated reality. Through the use of digital devices, the person is catapulted into an alternative reality to the actual one. Unlike augmented reality, immersive virtual reality completely replaces the real world by immersing the user in an imaginary environment, created and reconstructed graphically or through 3D footage. Virtual reality immerses the user in a simulated world where he can be a simple spectator or can perform even complex interactions.
Virtual reality: applications
Thanks to the immersive graphic settings, the areas of use of virtual reality are numerous, primarily in the world of entertainment and video games, but also in the world of cinema or social networks with 360 ° movies. Furthermore, from the viewers that allow you to remotely control the status of a construction site with an immersive 3D view, to the immersive experiences that allow technicians to understand how to repair a machine or assemble a gate, there are many business examples in which these technologies find today a use.
- Medical field: by gradually immersing the patient in the situation that generates panic or anxiety, fears and phobias can be treated;
- Military field: it is possible to perform a parachute jump, as well as to use visors for military training;
- Architectural field: through the viewer it is possible to immerse yourself in 2D or 3D drawings, move around the building projects;
- Educational/training area: students can immerse themselves in history or even study the human body by entering it, thanks to the use of viewers.
Virtual reality: advantages
Virtual reality brings countless benefits to companies that can take advantage of virtual reality by making use of new promotional strategies to differentiate themselves from competitors:
- Optimising the realisation of a project, visualising it before producing it, saving time and money and assessing its safety in advance;
- Improving production processes, maintenance and assistance, as well as working conditions;
- Promoting innovative and original training courses for employees.
