Where to start with Augmented Reality?
By: Michael Falk
Tags: AR, Augmented Reality, Platform, Technology, Software Development

The first question when starting is: For which platform do you want to develop? Sometimes this might be restricted by the device you own or by project requirements. Whether you want to develop for Mobile AR, Smart Glasses, AR Headsets, Head-Up-Displays (HUD), WebAR or Social Media, the following list explains the different platforms and should ease your start.

Mobile AR

Photo by Patrick Schneider on Unsplash

When it comes to developing for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, there is no way around Android and iOS. Google provides ARCore and Apple provides ARKit to develop for mobile devices. The frameworks are already quite mature and offer stable augmentations within the real world.

Pro

* Affordable hardware

* Apps can be published in Playstore and Appstore

* Large market coverage in the consumer market

* Understanding of the real world

Contra

* Not all devices offer AR capabilities

* No hands-free experience

* Immersion is bound to the screen

Links

* https://developers.google.com/ar

* https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/

Smart Glasses

Photo by Quang Tri NGUYEN on Unsplash

Smart Glasses basically provide additional information in your field of vision. It is almost like a small tablet attached to your head that you can see through. There are monocular and binocular devices. Examples for Smart Glasses are Google Glass, Epson Moverio, and Vuzix Blade.

Pro

* Lightweight

* Hands-free experience

* Able to use a First-Person-Camera

Contra

* No understanding of the world

* No “real” AR

Links

* https://developers.google.com/glass-enterprise

* https://www.epson.de/products/see-through-mobile-viewer/moverio-bt-350

* https://www.vuzix.com/products/blade-smart-glasses-upgraded

AR Headsets

AR Headsets, also called Head-Mounted-Display (HMD), offer the most immersive and innovative AR. Spatial mapping enables the devices to understand the world and display virtual content within the real world that corresponds to the perspective from your eyes. Examples for AR Headsets are HoloLens, HoloLens 2, and Magic Leap.

Pro

* Immersive View

* Understanding of the real world

* Innovative

Contra

* Limited Field of View

* Heavy and still not so comfortable

* Expensive

Links

* https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/hololens/hardware

* https://github.com/microsoft/MixedRealityToolkit-Unity

* https://www.magicleap.com

Head-Up Display (HUD)

By Tsung TsenTsan — http://www.airliners.net/photo/Qatar-Airways/Boeing-787-8-Dreamliner/2395777/L/

A Head-Up Display (HUD) is a see-through display where light projects additional information on it. HUDs are typically used by pilots, but are also adopted by e.g. automotive. There is the potential to use HUDs for full-fledged AR in the future.

Pro

* Hands-free experience

* Many use cases (e.g. projections on the windshield)

Contra

* Not mature enough for developers and consumers

* Mostly enterprise systems for pilots and military

* Requires calibration in most cases

WebAR

The term WebAR refers to starting an AR experience from within the browser. No software installation is required. However, this approach has some drawbacks compared to native development on mobile devices.

Pro

* Device independent

* No need to install an app

* Integration in website

Contra

* Not all devices are supported

* Not all AR features are supported

* Performance is mostly limited by one CPU core

Links

* https://www.babylonjs.com/

* https://viromedia.com/viroreact

* https://aframe.io/

Social Media

Facebook and Snapchat are pushing the use of AR face filters and augmentations on their social media platforms. They provide creator studios to create, develop, and publish these effects.

Pro

* Reach a large number of consumers

* Beneficial for marketing or product branding

Contra

* Bound to Creator Studios

* No possibility to create own app

Links

* https://sparkar.facebook.com/ar-studio/

* https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/

Conclusion

This list should only provide you with a first overview of the field of AR. If you are a developer and interested, there is still a lot to do to dive deeper into each of these different approaches and platforms. If you are not a developer but interested in AR for your business, you can contact us (see below).

About the Author

I’m Michael Falk, a Software and AR/VR Engineer with a passion for new technologies. I’m working at Humatects GmbH where we develop adaptive Human-Machine Interaction for AR/VR applications. You can contact me directly at falk@humatects.de or check the link to our website.