Bye Bye Smartphone. AR Glasses will change our daily life soon.
I'm smartphone tired. During the Corona pandemic, I look at my smartphone every two hours and at desktop screens or my tablet the rest of the time. I want to get back out on the road, into nature, travel, allow myself to do something, and most importantly: see something with my own eyes. I don't want to just stare at displays anymore.
But I don't want to do without the functions of my smartphone either. This highlights a fundamental conflict in which we find ourselves right now: The smartphone offers something we need that is useful and helps us get ahead. But the way it brings this value into our lives doesn't really fit our lives. Rather, we have adapted our lives to the smartphone by making it normal for us to stare at a display in our hand. A display that separates us from others based on the direction of our gaze, that only allows us to perceive our surroundings to a limited extent, and that ensures that we only have one hand free.
So the time is ripe to better adapt the benefits of digital systems to us and our lives. To better integrate the digital world into the analog world. That's exactly the basic idea behind augmented reality, which superimposes virtual objects onto the real environment. And that's exactly why I see AR glasses as the future. The Next Big Thing after the smartphone, so to speak.
Short AR Glasses Review
AR glasses have had anything but an easy time of it in recent years. The launch of AR glasses with Google Glass around 2014 was initially hopeful, but then disappointment quickly set in. The glasses did not really integrate well into everyday life, there were numerous concerns about data privacy, and the operation via voice control seemed oddball in public. And the glasses didn't look really chic either. Nevertheless, Google's advance was courageous and groundbreaking.
This was followed in 2016 by Microsoft HoloLens, which I consider to be another milestone in the history of AR. HoloLens works primarily via gesture control. It was designed for private individuals, but has since specialized in other areas of application: Education, medicine and manufacturing. This focus on businesses is not surprising, as both the high price and the rather bulky design do not yet make the HoloLens fully suitable for the masses. Here is more information and a wonderful video about the HoloLens: https://www.microsoft.com/de-de/hololens/hardware#
My personal hope in this area is currently Apple. It has been rumored for some time that Apple is working on AR glasses. It is apparently only a matter of time before the curtain falls - perhaps this year or in 2022? Personally, I am confident that Apple will develop the first visually appealing AR glasses suitable for everyday use and I am very curious to see the result.
New Possibilities by AR
AR glasses allow you to move through the world completely freely. No more display in front of the nose that restricts the view, changes the posture or absorbs the entire attention. AR glasses could not only take over already existing smartphone functions, but also open up a multitude of completely new possibilities.
For one thing, audio is just becoming more popular as a medium. So why not use AR glasses to send more voice messages instead of text messages and have news read aloud? And thus largely relieve the strain on the eyes, which have been heavily used in recent years. Or instead of using your smartphone as a navigation device, let it show you the way directly on the street? With recommendations for suitable restaurants or information about specific sights. Or display cooking recipes, play Pokemon Go with AR glasses, help build the new Billy shelf ... The number of possibilities is huge.
But these would still be the more classic fields of application. AR glasses could also synchronize with each other, for example, so that people can see the same things and share the same experiences with their friends. For example, you could look at photos and videos together, even in larger groups.
AR glasses could also fade elements into the environment in a specific context and for specific groups (e.g., in a specific square in a city). And in this way, for example, replace the classic fireworks display or supplement the stage set of a play with virtual objects (as indicated in the HoloLens video). There are many new opportunities to create creative applications here.
Requirements
In order for AR glasses to become suitable for mass use in the future, they should meet a few requirements. Here is my personal wish list:
- A good interaction concept (e.g. primarily via gesture control, possibly also via a complementary ring or glove)
- Very good data privacy
- A very nice, personalized design
- Glasses that are suitable for wearer of glasses
- A great safety, so that there is no risk of injury to the head (for example, from burning batteries).
- A long-lasting battery
- A moderate price
- A possibility to turn off the glass quickly
- ... and of course a great integration of AR
The VR glasses should remain in the background and only become active on demand to prevent sensory overload. Like a personal assistant.
For me, it is only a matter of time that AR glasses will replace (or at least fundamentally complement) the smartphone. I'm very much looking forward to this development and I'm sure: AR glasses will make the integration of technology into our lives easier and more natural. And this will again bring new challenges.
