Since the Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality (VR) market is expected to reach a volume of 162 billion dollars in 2020, there are numerous factors that point even greater growth in this future market. In addition to success components such as performance and design, there are also some major challenges facing the AR industry. These can be divided into two main categories: social and technical. While social challenges address issues that are not directly related to technical support, but rather some of the potentially negative side effects of using AR applications like 3D configurators, technical challenges are related to things like the object or facial recognition problem and sensory accuracy.
Although the AR is a hot topic that sounds very appealing on paper, it will take some time before the technology becomes mainstream. Recently, many different technologies and implementations of AR apps have been discussed, including the use of AR in healthcare and education, its impact on businesses, and predictions about its further development. The interest in this topic is obviously very high. But let`s take a look at the biggest social and technical risk factors for the short-term introduction of AR.
Technical challenges of AR.
As with any complex system, you need many components for the systems to function properly. The development process of AR is no different. While many of the challenges are continously addressed with the technical components of AR (e. g. Unity 3D-Engine), the biggest technical challenges concerning AR (hardware, public awareness and education) remain.
Hardware for AR.
Today we can run regular AR applications on almost any smartphone or tablet. They are ubiquitous and have basic hardware components for AR: processors, motion sensors, cameras, monitors, and natural connectivity. If today`s mobile devices are no longer up to the task, tomorrow`s will almost certianly be.
But there are also some special AR devices like HoloLens, Google Glasses or Meta 2 that are able to give a deeper sense of what AR can do. Spectacles and goggles are predicted to be the ultimate hardware platform for AR once the technology is advanced enough to make it widely available. Hardware that is able to immerse users in the AR has numerous features that keep consumers far from understanding AR.
Microsoft has been working on HoloLens for some time, but it will be some time before their AR technology becomes affordable and accessible to the masses. Along with Meta 2, Microsoft HoloLens has recently released developer versions of its products, but without announcing when their devices will be available to consumers. The two AR devices cost between $949 and $3000.
Recently, some progress has also been made by the Osterhout Design Group (ODG), known worldwide for manufacturing headsets for corporate and military use. At the beginning of 2017, at the CES trade fair in Las Vegas, the company presented R-8 and R-9, two models of its AR/VR Smart glasses for end users. These are aimed at a wider range of consumers and small businesses, or “eyewear for the masses,” as ODG`s founder and CEO says.
Despite the announcement, the date for the mass sale has not yet been confirmed and we can only see the model R-7 of the smart glasses that are available for customers for only 2,750$. The quite high prices make AR hardware to the most consumer-unfriendly devices at all.
The AR headsets, like e. g. Google Glasses, came out at a tremenduos price of $1.500, which went far beyond the range of a normal consumer. In accordance with the recent Google Glass Review published by Techradar, the Explorer Edition has stopped production in 2015.
Google has created the trendiest and highest quality gadget, but the daily applications were limited and privacy was still a problem. When available, Google Glasses offers a chic and comfortable design and cool head-tracking navigation. Nevertheless, they were extremely expensive, had a very limited number of apps and a terribly short battery life.
To cut a long story short, dedicated AR devices are not yet consumer-ready. In addition, there is still the question of device interoperability and authoring restrictions based on certain platforms. We`ve been waiting for some time for smart AR headsets to reach the consumer market, but they`re still a few years away.
This means that your mobile devices are still the only usable tools that can promote the adoption of AR, but most current mobile devices are not well suited for this purpose. The biggest problem with most smartphones or tablets is that they are not equipped with technologies like room mapping or deep sensing.
Accessibility and education.
One of the most difficult challenges for AR technology is to educate the wider audience. Despite the fact that consumers are not aware of the far-reaching applications of AR in their daily lives, there are many AR experiences today. The problem is that the general public is not exposed to these experiences in the market.
“Currently, AR is still primarly used for entertainment and advertising as this changes and extends to education, medicine, maintenance and other areas that are always looking for more effective methods or solution.”
As very few people are actively confronted with AR technologies, it is difficult for them to recognise the wide range of applications. There are few ways for ordinary consumers to learn more about what AR does amd how it actually works. People are looking for experience, not technology. That`s why AR app developers need to change the way they think about UX and UI in AR. To be truly successful, AR technology needs to have a short learning curve that`s almost built-in.
Face recognition for AR cosmetic app from Vakoms.
Organizations that want to fully utilize AR for their internal and external requirements need 3D modeling. For example, if a retailer wants to develop an AR eCommerce application, 3D models of all products must be included.
Meanwhile, creating and storing a large amount of 3D content is not so easy and requires a lot of time and money. Companies tend to outsource 3D modeling and AR app development to offshore software development companies in Ukraine, for example.
Social challenges of AR.
The social challenges of AR can last much longer than most technical challenges. The reason is simple: when people don`t like or fear something, they don`t use it.
The risk of physical security.
The primary social challenge is that a normal mobile phone is currently a serious distraction for drivers while driving and causes numerous traffic accidents every year. AR apps that give the driver directions have both clear advantages and disadvantages. When dealing with mixed reality, accidents inevitably occur.
By displaying the relevant traffic monitoring curves and all kinds of additional information, the AR app prompts the driver to pay attention to his mobile device and not to the road ahead. Considering how the use of mobile phones affectes driving, it is not difficult to imagine that a driver will be overwhelmed with information in this case. So AR can easily distract you from reality.
Lack of public knowledge.
AR is still in its infancy, although some major brands have begun to recognise and exploit their potential for the masses. However, the lack of public awareness of AR remains one of the biggest challenges of this technology.
“With other technically advanced nations such as Japan as a strating point, it is very likely that AR will become very popular, especially considering that the introduction of new technologies is part of their culture. Other countries like the US, Germany or England may have slower development, but the ultimate integration of AR is likely to be inevitable, especially as younger generations grow up with this technology.”
Currently, AR is still largely unknown to the general public and to change this, an AR app development company must create a rich variety of user experiences that are functional, reasonable and easy to learn.
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