‘Augmented Reality’ is probably a phrase that not many people have heard before, but it has, in recent times, become more and more popular. What the 2 words describe is the process when actual reality and the virtual world collide. It is also become much more easier for people to experience AR, whether it be in front of a computer screen or via an application on their mobile phones.

The way that AR works is that it adds a layer (through a particular platform first, i.e. a camera) to the real-life situation. One of the most easiest-to-use examples of AR is that of the . To control this example of AR the viewer must first download and print out (off the website) an X, which work as a kind of barcode for the system to recognise. The user must then hold the X in front of a web cam and then (if done correctly) a cube will appear atop of the X with four male models on any of the 4 sides, then the user must ‘pick’ one of the models and flip the X to face the camera to see a video of that particular model. Whether it’s hard work or not probably depends on your sexual orientation. This on-line advertisement is also a form of market-based AR.

Another application that brings AR to anyone is the application called ‘Layar’, which is used on the mobile phone (iPhone or Android models). Layar uses the in-built camera of the phone along with other applications such as compass and GPS. Layar then figures out where the user is and what they can  see and presents the user with another ‘layer’ of data over the top.

“Augmented reality is a disruptive technology that blends reality with digital information, which enriches applications like the ones developed on the Layar platform”

– Marco Battisi, Managing Director for Intel Capital in Western Europe

AR can also be applied to gaming, one of the pioneers in this field is Georgia Tech professor Blair MacIntyre, who has developed and is developing AR games, most of which are made as apps for mobile phones. For example, one of the games he is working on is called ‘Scratch’,  and it is designed for children aged between 8-12. According to MacIntyre, in this game: “children can display virtual objects on a real-world space seen through a camera, and they can control the virtual world through interactions between physical objects”.

However, now there is a rough outline of what AR is, does AR really have a place in the world as it is now? I personally believe that it all depends on the situation in which it is being used in, and how advanced the technology is. The AR experience that is availiable to everyone can sometimes be slow and faulty to the point which it becomes pointless. AR is just an extreme form of re-mediation, as it could soon possibly replace maps and tour guides. What does AR offer? As the technology is still developing and getting better, there isn’t anything particularly essential that it offers. However, it does offer to people something different and a chance to have a bit of fun. Also if the user is on, say, a city break in a foreign country, the right AR app could act as a tour guide in providing information and finding particular landmarks.