Introduction
When you hear the term “augmented reality,” you probably think of an app that lets you add stickers to your face, add a funny hat to your selfie, or add a flower crown to your video. That’s just scratching the surface of what augmented reality is capable of, though—and this technology has way more potential than just making silly faces at yourself in the mirror. In fact, it has some serious limitations that need to be understood before deciding whether or not it’s right for your project.
Augmented Reality is not a substitute for reality.
Augmented Reality is not a substitute for reality.
AR is a supplement to reality, not a replacement. It can’t replace the real world with its own virtual world like VR can. It doesn’t make you feel like you’re living in another world or give you any sense of being immersed in your environment; instead it gives you information about what’s around you at that moment–a kind of second screen experience (or third screen if you include your phone). In other words, AR doesn’t make up whole new worlds like VR does but rather enhances our current understanding of reality by adding layers on top of it.”
AR Does Not Work Well with Real-World Objects
AR is not good with real-world objects. If you want to place an augmented reality object on top of a real-world object, it’s very difficult for the technology to know where to put it.
Imagine that you are standing in front of a wall and want to place an image on it. You will need some way of telling the system which parts of your environment are flat so that it can accurately overlay virtual content onto them and know where not to place anything else (like other images).
The problem here is that most walls are not flat; they have depth and curvature in them which makes them look like this:
[Image of curved wall]
AR Is Not Immersive Enough
You may have heard about augmented reality (AR), which is a technology that allows you to see virtual objects in real-world settings. It’s been around for years and has many applications, but it doesn’t provide the same sense of presence as VR. That’s because while AR uses your surroundings as its backdrop, VR completely immerses you in another world by blocking out everything else around you–and this difference can make all the difference when it comes to creating an immersive experience.
For example: Imagine sitting at home on your couch wearing a headset that transports you into another world where there are dinosaurs roaming around; this would be considered virtual reality because it completely blocks out any other sights or sounds from reality while immersing users into an alternate universe where they interact with creatures from Jurassic Park (or whatever movie franchise seems appropriate). On the other hand, if we were talking about using our smartphones as screens for these same dinosaur tours instead of headsets–then this would fall under augmented reality since we’re still able to see our surroundings even though our phone displays some kind of image overtop them (like maybe an animated version of Jeff Goldblum?).
AR Is Too Imperfect right now
But AR is not perfect. It has a long way to go before it reaches the level of perfection that we all want it to be at.
There are many unsolved problems with AR, including:
- The cost of the hardware needed for an AR app can be prohibitively expensive for most people and companies.
- Battery life issues with smartphones make it difficult to use these apps for extended periods of time without charging them (or having access to a power source).
- Some people find it disorienting when they try on an AR headset or glasses–it’s easy for them to feel dizzy or nauseous if they’re not accustomed to seeing virtual objects in their real world environment!
The limitations of augmented reality are important to understand before using it in your project.
While the possibilities of augmented reality are exciting, it is important to understand its limitations.
The first limitation is that augmented reality does not work well in a low-light environment. If you are using an AR app in your classroom and the lights are dimmed or off, then the students will not be able to see what they’re looking at on their screens. This is because most AR apps rely on light sensors in order to function properly–without any light at all, these apps won’t work as intended.
Another issue with AR technology is its inability to create fully immersive experiences; rather than completely immersing yourself into another world like VR does (where you can see everything around you), augmented reality only adds visual elements onto top of real life objects without altering them physically or changing their actual location in space (as would happen with teleportation). This means that if there’s an object blocking your view from behind something else (like furniture), then it will still be there once those items have been removed from sight–you won’t actually walk through walls like some video games might suggest!
Conclusion
Augmented reality is a great technology, but it has its limitations. If you’re planning on using AR in your project, be sure to understand these limitations so that you can avoid them and make the most out of this technology!
