What is augmented reality

Learn more about our commitment to safety. The Franklin Institute is a C 3 nonprofit registered in the U. The Franklin Institute. What Is Augmented Reality? Augmented reality uses the existing real-world environment and puts virtual information on top of it to enhance the experience.

In contrast, virtual reality immerses users, allowing them to "inhabit" an entirely different environment altogether, notably a virtual one created and rendered by computers.

Users may be immersed in an animated scene or an actual location that has been photographed and embedded in a virtual reality app. Through a virtual reality viewer, users can look up, down, or any which way, as if they were actually there. Company Profiles. Business Essentials. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Investopedia. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Your Money. Personal Finance. The goal was to capture these pocket monsters, then use them to battle others, locally, in AR gyms. The game lets users see the Hogwarts world around them while having the ability to cast spells, use potions and to learn from Hogwarts teachers. As of this writing, the game had around 10 million downloads in the Google Play store.

Researchers are also developing holograms, which can take VR a step further, since holograms can be seen and heard by a crowd of people all at once. This doesn't mean that phones and tablets will be the only venue for AR. Research continues apace on including AR functionality in contact lenses, and other wearable devices.

The ultimate goal of augmented reality is to create a convenient and natural immersion, so there's a sense that phones and tablets will get replaced, though it isn't clear what those replacements will be.

Even glasses might take on a new form, as "smart glasses" are developed for blind people. With Motion Capture on iPad Pro with LiDAR Scanner, physical therapists and patients will soon be able to get quantified information on their mobility improvements throughout recovery. View on the App Store. Communicate with your friends in fun and delightful ways with AR effects in Snapchat. With the LiDAR Scanner in iPhone 12 Pro, watch your space transform into a magical forest complete with grass on the floor, flowers on the table, vines on the wall, and a never-ending starry sky.

Choose from hundreds of different plant varieties and collaborate on designs with your friends before you break ground. Access hundreds of eyeglasses and sunglasses and see how they look on your face. With the TrueDepth camera on iPhone, you can instantly see yourself in a pair of glasses before you decide whether to buy them. Learn about the inner workings of objects from a jet engine to a vast coral reef, all in a spatial, interactive way.

Capture and record spectacular shots.