Unbelievably Cool Ways Augmented Reality Is Being Used by Businesses

You’ve probably heard of augmented reality’s more well-known cousin — virtual reality. But, in many ways, online augmented reality is way more relaxed and more applicable to our everyday lives.

Unlike virtual reality, which places you in a completely new virtual environment, augmented reality combines virtual reality with your surroundings. You know exactly how this works if you’ve played the popular game Pokémon GO.

Augmented reality connected to the internet can make gaming a lot more fun, but it has some unbelievable applications for businesses of all kinds. Here are just a few examples.

See How Something Will Look in Real Life Before You Buy It

Augmented reality integrates into the lives of businesses and everyday people in the consumer sector. We all want to make informed decisions, but internet shopping is proving to be complicated. Augmented reality is changing all this.

Businesses are enabling you to see a wide variety of products in unique ways before you buy:

• Virtually arrange furniture in your living room before you make a purchase
• Upload a picture of yourself and try on clothes that you want to buy online
• See what a floor plan will look like on your property before you start building

Virtual Tours and Interactive Maps

Virtual tours and interactive maps are among the most remarkable ways augmented reality finds its way into our lives.  The Detroit Institute of Arts is just one of many locations enhancing the visitor experience with augmented reality.

Visitors to the museum can use their mobile devices to X-ray an Egyptian mummy or view a piece of ancient artwork exactly how it looked when it was first created.

Virtual tours are popping up all over the place and can be found in:

• Zoos
• Art, history, and science museums
• Hotels
• Outdoor historical tours
• Sculpture parks
• And more

Employee Training and Education

Customer-facing applications are an excellent way for companies to enhance their relationship with their customers, but not all augmented reality applications are created with buyers in mind. Employee training and education will be significantly enhanced by augmented reality as well.

It’s all about creating a hands-on experience that can benefit many businesses and employees. However, this type of training is the most effective for medical professionals and tradesmen. With augmented reality, doctors can practice new surgeries without practicing on an actual patient, and electricians can practice techniques to deal with live wires without danger.

That’s not all. Even regular old office jobs can benefit from augmented reality. Specialized training programs can boost engagement, increasing performance after training is over.

There’s no end to all the fantastic ways augmented reality can enhance our lives. Whether you’re playing a mobile game with your children outside or using augmented reality to improve customer engagement at work, this innovative new technology will surely change our lives in ways we could never have imagined.