4 Major Industries That Will Transform With Augmented Reality

Technological advancements never cease to amaze everyone. As technology progresses, new gadgets and possibilities become available on the market. Not only that, but technology is slowly reshaping each and every industry out there. Various companies and enterprises are becoming more efficient and productive, while industries they operate in are starting to resemble something out of a science fiction novel. It's safe to say that modern technology is being disruptive to many industries, but that's not a bad thing at all.

A good example is the introduction of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These technologies have made their way into major industries, reshaping the way things operate, as well as transforming customer and user experience. In addition, they're also boosting research and development in areas such as healthcare, manufacturing and others, helping to achieve new scientific breakthroughs. Here are a few major industries that will transform with help from augmented reality.

What is AR?

Unlike VR, augmented reality doesn't change your entire reality. Instead, it is a mix of digital and real world that enhances your perception of things in your surroundings, making it more interactive. Simply put, it creates an artificial environment by positioning digital elements in the real world. Nowadays, people are more than interested in experiencing this mix of realities.

That being said, the app development industry has started to focus on developing mobile AR apps. App developers are increasingly implementing AR in apps for industries, such as gaming, education, healthcare, entertainment and retail, which seem to benefit the most from augmented reality.

The real estate industry

For a long time, the real estate industry has been mostly static. It relied on the efficiency of real estate agents and agencies for buying and selling various properties. Setting up an appointment with an agent to check out various properties is slowly becoming a thing of the past. With the aid of AR and VR, the real estate industry is transforming into something entirely different.

For instance, AR technologies allow people to have an in-depth understanding of how properties that are still under construction will look as a final product. AR can supply information about floor plans, infrastructure and layouts to users, giving them a mixed reality experience about a property. Not only that, but people can also contact agents for virtual tours of properties. This eliminates the need to visit the property in person, allowing real estate agencies to expand their business and marketing from the local to the global.

The manufacturing industry

AR is seeping into the manufacturing industry, helping reshape operations ranging from product development to the assembly process. Manufacturers that are adopting this new technology are not only able to improve their operations, but also boost the productivity and performance of their employees. For example, a modern electronics manufacturer could supply their employees with AR technology that will give them detailed instructions and visual guidance during assembly or production.

This will help employees complete tasks more efficiently and it will also greatly reduce the risk and chance of human error. A good example is the recent pilot program introduced by DHL called "Vision Picking". They gave their employees smart glasses with visual display to help them pick orders the right way. They've managed to improve employee productivity by 15% and they reduced training time by 50%.

The retail industry

Modern businesses strive towards improving customer experience, in order to gain a competitive advantage and win over their customers. Thanks to AR, customer experience is already starting to transform and businesses that are early adopters are already gaining significant momentum. Customers can use AR to try out clothing without actually putting them on.

In addition, you can browse various items in the store and check out how they'd look in your home using AR interface. Moreover, retailers can develop virtual stores, without actually having to rent spaces in physical locations. Their customers can leverage AR and VR to walk through those stores and browse items on display. AR is starting to transform the retail industry giving consumers a whole new level of shopping experience. Once consumers experience AR shopping, it's difficult to go back to the way things were.

Healthcare

AR isn't solely transforming consumers' experience and business operations. It's also transforming industries that provide social benefits, such as healthcare. Nowadays, with the implementation of AR, medical examiners, doctors and surgeons are able to work much more efficiently. Not only that, but diagnosis and treatment of patients has also improved with the help of AR. A recent breakthrough in using AR in healthcare was made by a group of researchers and surgeons at Imperial College London at St Mary's Hospital.

Using Microsoft's HoloLens, the surgeons used AR for reconstructive lower limb surgery. The researchers managed to overlay images of a CT scan showing the position of bones and blood vessels and help surgeons see through the limb during surgery. This is just one of the examples of AR being used in modern healthcare. It's safe to say that AR will become an integral part of everyday examination and treatment of patients in hospitals and health centers around the world.

Technology has always transformed industries. Nowadays, it's more obvious than ever. Augmented reality is just one of the innovations being used to improve various industries and how they operate today. If you want an AR application developed for your business, we at Imperium Apps can help you with that!