The French cultural theorist Paul Virilio had always believed that one day the virtual world might win over the real world. He had an insightful vision of what awaited mankind in the next couple of years.
If virtual reality is like dreaming with open eyes, augmented reality would be living those dreams in the real world. It allows users to experience life from a virtual perspective in a real environment using only their mobile phones or a pair of AR glasses to enrich the experience.
Augmented reality may not interest you, but knowing the estimated AR market value will reach $50 billion in 2024 will change your mind. The promising technology has 83.1 million consumers utilizing it monthly in the United States. Moreover, 410,000 AR glasses were sold last year, which has a lot to say about the future of this approach.
In this article, we’ll explain in detail the concept of AR glasses, their main challenges, the best available releases on the market, and future expectations for the industry.
What are AR Glasses?
Don’t fall for the normal look of AR glasses, as these pairs of lenses will mark the future of augmented reality. AR glasses are a hands-free extension of smartphones with more advanced features to blend the real world with the virtual one.
It’s an innovation developed to enhance the user’s outlook on reality by displaying computer-generated information and holograms. For example, they will enable a surgeon to project the patient’s x-ray image over the body to perform accurate procedures.
There are also lots of companies that are using AR and VR technologies as an essential part of their digital marketing strategies in order to create a more successful brand. Virtual influencers can broadcast their 360-degree live videos as a shared experience, and individuals wearing VR headsets may walk with them and even communicate to them as a shared experience within a platform. Influencer content has never been more engaging.
What are the main challenges of these products?
Those wearable tech gadgets have come a long way and witnessed significant improvements. Nevertheless, smart AR glasses are still in their infancy, and producers have to overcome many challenges in order to unlock the ultimate augmented glasses experience.
One of the main challenges is the fit. Smart glasses technology is very advanced and complicated; it involves many components such as hologram displays, batteries, silicon chips, sensors, and cameras. However, since we’re talking about a normal-looking, thin, and practical glass, fitting these components into a comfortable product is tough.
Another challenge is the cost. One of the main reasons consumers rejected Google Glass is the high price at $1,500. Smart AR glasses should be functional, wearable, and affordable for the mass market simultaneously, and that’s not an easy trail.
Best AR glasses in the market
Glass Enterprise Edition 2
Google is one of the leading companies which first brought smart glasses to light. Even though Google’s first smart glass wasn’t a great success, it came back stronger with the Glass Enterprise Edition 2.
This pair of AR smart glasses are a workplace headset, and it’s mainly designed to facilitate the workflow for those in the healthcare, construction, and logistic fields, and that’s by ensuring fast and efficient hand-in work.
A wearer can watch a training tutorial, have a video call with other participants on Google Meet, and look at images annotated with instructions using AR glasses. Glass Enterprise Edition 2 is one of the best AR glasses as it has helped workers in different sensitive fields to become multi-tasking professionals and maximized their work pace.
Microsoft HoloLens 2
The Microsoft version of AR glasses is a mixed reality device that overlays holograms on real-life views. In other words, the HoloLens 2 enables the merge of physical and virtual worlds practically and efficiently. The wearers can start the augmented experience by accessing a hand-attached virtual menu located on the wrist.
Since Microsoft AR glasses enable hand-tracking, users can employ their hand gestures and movements to interact with and control virtual 3D objects. Many industries are becoming interested in HoloLens 2, including museums, healthcare, manufacturing, remote instructions, gaming, and retail.
Meta Ray-Ban Stories
Meta launched its first smart glasses in partnership with Luxottica in September 2021 and gained massive acceptance from consumers despite not being fully AR glasses yet. The launch of Meta glasses is considered a preliminary step toward the path of the embodied internet.
Project Nazare’, announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is believed to see the light in 2024 and will vigorously start a fully augmented reality accessible via AR glasses. It will enable the wearer to take pictures, record videos, update social media content, take phone calls, listen to music, and much more. All that could be controlled by clicking on the glasses’ right temple or a voice command.
What to expect from AR glasses in the future?
The development of tech glasses will touch upon everything we experience in our daily digital life. For example, it will heavily impact our social media behavior as tweeting, posting on Facebook, or updating Instagram stories will be done by gestures AR glasses detect.
Consequently, many believe that augmented reality glasses will replace smartphones for good at some point. Moreover, specialists expect AR smart lenses or implants to replace the glasses in the near future.
The AR revelations will dramatically affect various industries such as healthcare, retail, and education. Following are some examples of how it would leave a massive impact on those fields.
Educational applications
Future students will say goodbye to all traditional educational materials, and there will be no textbooks, notebooks, or blackboards in the future. Learning methods will become interactive and much more fun; students will be able to do experiments, visit museums, and anatomize animals using AR glasses without leaving their classes.
Healthcare applications
AR glasses will become a vital element in the medical field by facilitating medical work and guaranteeing better results and less weariness. For example, it will enable healthcare professionals to perform digital vein mapping without troubling the patient. According to Statista, the healthcare market for augmented reality worldwide is estimated to reach more than $4.2 billion in 2026.
Real estate applications
The real estate industry will never be the same when AR glasses become widespread. For example, it will enable buyers to check apartments, add pieces of furniture, decorate rooms, and change paint colors only with simple hand motions.
The bottom line
There’s still a lot to witness in the augmented reality field, and AR glasses are one part of the bigger picture. Sooner or later, AR glasses will make their way into our lives to become an indispensable essence. We can say that the best is just yet to come, and the world is entering into a monumental period.
