Augmented reality is not a new technique; it has been used in Google Glass and Microsoft Holograms many years ago. But unfortunately Google Glass was no success, maybe because there were no gamification elements included. Augmented reality has many possibilities and can be used in education in different ways such as in flight academy, industrial design, medical training or architecture. It is very useful for studies like industrial design and other studies where students have to make a model. Students or companies can make a prototype and test it for some aspect of design (IKEA Augmented Reality).
IKEA Augmented Reality
There is also an application for pilots, learning to fly with augmented flying helicopter in difficult situations [1]. Augmented Reality can help pilots to get more information, especially in a situation such as during bad weather.
Glasses Help Helicopter Pilots See Through Smoke and Fog
Augmented reality is widely used in medical education on different levels, for example learning new skills to students and nurses with new training products but also monitoring difficult surgery on distance [2]. The difference between virtual and augmented reality is that in the first one the patient is virtual in contrast to the augmented reality where the patient and his/her problems are real. Because of augmented reality students can start practicing earlier with real patients in a monitored setting instead of longer practicing in simulated situations with virtual reality.
Augmented Reality Helps Guide Neurosurgeons
Thanks to Pokémon Go augmented reality is now big success as a gaming business model. Pokémon Go is a very popular game on the mobile phone, as one of the most downloaded games (more than 100 million) in more than 27 countries [3]. In contrast to other games, Pokémon Go forces you to walk around, go out of your house and your comfort zone. You have to be physically and mentally active; find and catch virtual Pokémons in the real-world, going to Pokémon-stop places for more information and catch items, finding strategies to make stronger Pokémons and reach higher levels. A negative aspect of this game is the security for the players and possible inconvenience for non-players. This is caused for example by the Pokémon players going out at night and/or going to dangerous places to find Pokémon. Success of Pokémon goes so far that this year, Pokemon Go is part of a degree course in the university of Idaho (US) and Salford (UK) [4] [5].
Like every other game, after a while Pokémon Go will not be a hype anymore. But what will remain, is our knowledge and experience of platforms like Pokémon Go, which will be the mainstream in augmented reality. They are very interesting to use for different causes. As an example, in architecture education this platform can be used by teachers to load some educational material and create some exercises. Students can follow the descriptions to find a place and take a picture using the coordinates of the place. This kind of technology probably would be used more and more for education in the future. More importantly, augmented reality is going to reach a next level in our life. As Meron Gribetz pointed in his TED Talks, “Augmented reality uses all data that we make everyday and builds an extra layer on top of our real-world”.
TED Talk Meron Gribetz
Source:
[1]VR and IT’S impact on training
[2]New system brings augmented reality to the operating theater
[3]Pokemon go heres how you can defeat any gym battle
[4]Now university offers degree Pokemon Lecturer
[5]Pokemon Course in Idaho