Augmented Reality (AR) navigation is an advancement in technology that improves how people navigate to a destination. You must have come across arrows guiding paths toward a destination in the real world. What if you can replicate the same virtually? Well, this is what AR can do. It can create an overlay that directs you toward a destination.
Today, AR-based navigation has become a game-changing concept that is revolutionizing the navigation technology of renowned car brands. Head-Up Display (HUD) of popular car brands like Tesla, Audi, and Mercedes have been an impressive decision that their customers have embraced. Today, in this blog we will understand everything about AR navigation while highlighting how it is making navigation better day by day and how is the world looking at it from the innovation point of view.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented Reality is an Immersive technology that enhances real-world content experience with computer-generated information. It overlays digital content like text, images, animation, 3d, video clips, and music over real-world objects and environments to amplify the human experience with places and objects. Similar to how people have embraced its application in simplifying challenges in various other jobs, some of which include enhanced and improved immersive gaming experience, product visualization particularly in high-end product brands, interactive marketing campaigns, and top-notch education modules.
How does AR navigation work?
Direction-based navigation is recreated in AR. When a user uses their phone’s technology and associated technology like its camera, google map, and location features to create an algorithm that maps virtual directions leading to a destination. Thus, it has become a crucial tool for:
1. Visual orientation
With AR overlay, you can create virtual direction pathways on what the phone’s camera projects. It makes it easier to locate directions and navigate. For instance, just like in the real world, arrow-like placards indicate a destination, the same can be done through an overlay using the GPS. You can pick a coordinate in the real world and use digital content ideas like animation, 3d models, text, and video clips to virtually overlay information that you can see in the real world.
2. Real-time information
Also, the Augmented Reality navigation as a concept extends beyond just directions. You can use the navigation technology beyond that by using it to spot coordinate and overlay information. For instance, in such-and-such locations, there will be more than usual traffic, etc just like how Heads Up Display systems in cars work to provide additional details to improve driving experience and safety.
3. Indoor navigation
AR can simplify indoor navigation challenges by providing users with instructions overlay so they can locate places and objects. Thus, it can be very useful in large inventories and godowns or even in retail and departmental stores. You can train a fresh batch of workers about the whereabouts of things and places that they have to deal with on a day-to-day basis while following certain criteria. You can also equip first-time visitors with AR navigation to help them locate places with utmost ease.
4. Outdoor navigation
Outdoor navigation through AR is powered by both location technologies like Google’s Google map service, and the AR’s overlay features. Thus it is highly efficient in outdoor navigation and finds applications in a bunch of businesses like enhancing the Heads Up Display features in Automotive, Tourism, recreation, and much more. Popular car brands like Tesla, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW are already leveraging it to amplify their customer experience as they drive outdoors.
5. Emergency routes
You can also use AR to create a system that helps in route finding in times of an emergency. And it can be highly efficient for emergency services like Ambulances and Fire brigades. Wayfinding during an emergency can be inconvenient and time-consuming with lesser intuitive technologies like Google Maps alone. But when it is paired with AR, it makes things faster, more efficient, and more reliable. Globally recognized Augmented Reality app development companies can help you build such AI-powered apps or systems.
Practical application of AR navigation
While outdoor navigation, is being widely used in luxury cars, it will soon be seen in mid-range cars as well as other auto motors and two-wheelers. And when it comes to indoor navigation, there are proofs of AR being used extensively in:
1. Tourism
AR enhances the tourism experience due to its outdoor navigation features and information overlay. It can be handy with wayfinding to destinations in your tourism checklist and can provide an intuitive experience with the visit by overlaying interesting facts and experiences associated with the exhibits like objects and places of historical importance.
2. Departmental store training
New joinees at a departmental store are often clueless in the initial days, struggling to remember what is where. You can streamline this problem with AR navigation in place. Workers can be trained for workflow and equipped with AR-based navigation systems to locate things faster and save time.
3. AR-based Virtual guidance in shopping malls
Sometimes people find it difficult to find their favorite store when they visit a large mall, with so many stores and complex construction. AR can help visitors navigate easily through the mall and it can also help them with overlays to let them preview details about the various stores, their specialties, and other important details.
4. Museums
Museums are not supposed to be all physical anymore. Many museums around the world have leveraged AR to transform the visitor experience as they walk through and navigate the exhibition. With AR navigation, walking through the museum and seeing and experiencing objects from the good old days becomes much more fun and interesting.
Final Thought
It is clear how AR can make complex navigation jobs easier, both indoors and in the outdoor setting. It can simplify navigation challenges while people walk through complex surroundings, in shopping malls, and departmental stores, travel through unknown cities, and visit museums and places of historical importance. It helps people in wayfinding and deriving useful information in fun and interesting ways, with reduced chances of getting lost.
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