Introducing Featured Technology AR

Introducing Featured Technology AR

Today, the world is undergoing major changes due to changes in technology. Of the many technologies, AR is the most noticeable. AR is the best tool for education and management by superimposing it on the real space. There are tools that support users so that they can easily understand them without going to the site, and they are expanding as education. I would like to introduce an article about that AR.

Introducing the latest use cases of AR (Augmented Reality).

In June 2019, Naintic, which released "Pokemon GO", released the second stage "Harry Potter: Wizards Alliance".

These two games use a technology called "AR (Augmented Reality)", which is realized by displaying Pokemon in the real world captured by a camera.

In this way, the use of AR in games has become familiar, but in reality it is very widely used from daily life to business.

This time, we will introduce the latest use cases and future forms of AR use that will change your life and business, while unraveling the reasons why the use of AR (Augmented Reality) is spreading.

What is AR (Augmented Reality)?
I will explain what AR is in the first place.

AR is an abbreviation for "Augmented Reality" and is called "Augmented Reality" in Japanese. It is a technology that superimposes images and information such as CG (computer graphics) on the real world captured by a camera.

As the name of augmented reality suggests, it means that the real world in front of us can be expanded with various images and information.

I think it's easy to understand if you think about Pokemon GO.

Why AR (Augmented Reality) continues to grow
The utilization of AR and the scale of the market are steadily expanding year by year.

According to research firm IDC, the AR / VR market size in 2019 is projected to reach $ 16.8 billion (about 1.5 trillion yen), and will reach $ 160 billion (17.6 trillion yen) in 2023. ..

The average annual growth rate from 2019 to 2023 is expected to be 78.3%.

IDC forecasts AR / VR market size by 2023
Source: IDC Japan "Worldwide Semiannual Augmented and Virtual Reality Spending Guide 2018H2"

So why is AR being used more and more? There are two main reasons.

First, companies may be able to solve existing problems and issues by using AR. I will explain in detail in the use case in the latter half of the article, but for example

Employee skill training
Efficient repair and inspection
Providing safer and more secure medical care
It is expected to be able to solve problems and issues such as.

The second reason is that by bringing new experiences to consumers, it is possible to increase the interest and purchasing motivation of products and services.

According to a survey result, 61.3% of users who experienced AR increased their interest in products and purchasing motivation after seeing AR content.

In short, AR has a high advertising effect on products and services.

in this way

Solving corporate problems / issues
High advertising effect on general consumers
For these two reasons, research and development and utilization are progressing mainly in companies. In the future, this trend will continue to progress and will permeate general consumers.

There are two ways to use AR (Augmented Reality): "smartphone" and "AR goggles".
Apple and Google are focusing on AR on smartphones.

Apple provides "ARkit" and Google provides "ARcore", a framework for realizing AR on smartphones.

Google "ARcore" and Apple "ARkit" logos

Apple's "ARkit" has been introduced from iOS 11, and it is possible to recognize the floor and walls with the iPhone and iPad cameras alone, and it is possible to superimpose CG on the actual landscape.

The latest version of "ARkit3" has realized a technology called "occlusion" that can recognize the distance and context of CG and people, so that objects displayed in CG can be hidden by people.

Google's "ARCore" is also being supported by many Android smartphones centered on Google Pixel, displaying characters such as "Iron Man" in the real world and linking with human movements and recognizing unevenness of the face. "AR Selfie" that superimposes various effects is realized.

Frameworks such as "ARkit" and "ARCore" enable various AR experiences with a single smartphone without a special device.

AR goggles are typical

Microsoft's "HoloLens"
"Magic Leap One" by Magic Leap of the United States

there is.

Basically, by operating the AR goggles alone and displaying the information from the camera attached to the goggles on the display in front of you, you can have an AR experience that extends to the entire field of view that can not be realized with a smartphone. is.

Furthermore, "HoloLens" is characterized by extremely high spatial recognition ability, and it can recognize not only surfaces but also walls and objects, and display AR considering the distance and shape of space, the height of objects, etc. Is possible.

And with the "HoloLens 2" announced in February of this year, finger tracking is possible. As shown in the video below, you can operate the CG image displayed overlaid on the real world with your finger.

In this way, AR technology is advancing day by day, and "AR with a high degree of fusion of the real world and CG" is being realized.

And the current AR is realized by "smartphone" or "AR goggles", but in the future it is thought that it will be downsized to the size of normal eyeglasses and eventually to the size of contact lenses. I will.

Issues that stand in the way of utilizing and popularizing AR (Augmented Reality)
In this way, AR is used for various purposes. However, AR goggles are not as widespread as smartphones for general users.

In addition to being intended for companies in the first place, the cause may be that the size is large and the price is too high. HoloLens 2 costs $ 3,500.

Ultimately, the key to utilizing AR is that AR goggles will spread to general users.

Therefore, in the future

Miniaturization
low-pricing

The issue is which of the two can be advanced.

[By 12 fields] Latest use cases of AR (Augmented Reality)
AR utilization example in skill training
Skill training / acquisition is a common use of AR in companies. This time, we will introduce a simulation tool for training using HoloLens, which was jointly developed by JAL and Microsoft.

You can use HoloLens when training pilots to faithfully reproduce the cockpit for virtual simulation. This allows you to memorize the positions of instruments and switches, operating procedures, etc. in detail.

There is also a program for mechanics, which allows you to effectively understand the structure of complicated airframes and engines that are difficult to understand in textbooks and videos, and to understand repair procedures.

In addition, there is a training / education app that utilizes AR developed by Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Metro).

Abnormalities that occur on-site in simulated tunnels, bridges, viaducts, etc. at the Tokyo Metro General Training Center can be reproduced on the iPad. This makes it possible to check for abnormalities such as cracks that actually occur in tunnels, and to provide more effective education than text or photo training.

AR utilization example in medical care
A project called STAR (System for Telementoring with Augmented Reality) allows doctors to give instructions for surgery while away. The demo video is actually released.

In the video, a tablet-like monitor is brought closer to the affected area of ​​the injured soldier. Then, a doctor in the distance will use the touch panel to indicate the line to insert the scalpel. Then, the line will be displayed as AR on the monitor of the actual surgeon, so by inserting a scalpel along the line, the surgery can be performed even if the doctor is not there.

Even in an emergency situation where there are not enough equipment and doctors, AR surgery can take first aid and save lives.

In addition, we will introduce a medical AR application for iOS called "HoloEyes AR" developed by VR startup HoloEyes Co., Ltd., which specializes in the Japanese medical field.

In "HoloEyes AR", a precisely reproduced human body model is displayed on the screen, so by moving the iPad back and forth, you can check in detail from the model of the entire body to the internal organs.

Source: Youtube "HoloEyes AR: Apple ARkit for medicine"

It is also possible to actually capture patient data and create a human body model that reproduces each person's body.

AR utilization example in games
Naintic's "Pokemon GO" is famous as a game that uses AR, but in June of this year, "Harry Potter: Wizards Alliance" was announced.

Like Pokemon GO, the story is about exploring the real world where magical animals and tools have escaped, and struggling to manage the situation that threatens the magical world by making full use of various spells.

"Harry Potter: Wizards Alliance" has been released on the App Store and Google Play Store in Japan since July 2nd.

Another AR game called "ingress" is also popular all over the world.

This is a game in which players are divided into blue and green teams and fight for a battle on a map of the real world.

You can get a "portal" by actually going to a place called a "portal" displayed on a map of the real world. Then, by connecting the acquired portals in three places to form a triangle, the inside becomes the camp of your team, and you compete for the total value of the area.

In this way, AR can significantly change the conventional concept of "playing in the house".

AR utilization example in entertainment
Watching sports is easy to understand in entertainment.

Microsoft shows the form of watching sports in the near future using "HoloLens" introduced above. This time the stage is American football.

When you wear HoloLens, a huge screen is displayed in front of you, and you can enjoy watching sports with a sense of reality. In addition, the field where the game is being played is displayed on the table, and you can see the whole from the top, or you can operate it with your fingers to display only your favorite players and scenes 360 degrees at your favorite angle. I can do it.

In addition, it seems that you can check the detailed information and movement of the player, the trajectory of the ball, etc.

Of course, watching games in AR will be possible not only in American football but also in soccer, baseball, basketball, golf, etc.

In this way, AR may be able to provide a more immersive experience than watching live games at the stadium as well as on TV. You will be able to watch sports from any angle, 360 degrees, which was not possible before.

Examples of AR utilization in transportation and automobiles
In the transportation and automotive sector, AR helps to ensure better visibility.

For example, Land Rover's 2020 Evoque is equipped with a "Clear Site Ground View" that makes the front part of the car body transparent, which normally blocks part of the field of vision, so that you can see rough roads. I will.

It is a technology that makes the image of the lower part of the car body appear as if the front grill is transparent by the images of the cameras on the front grill and side mirrors.

In addition, in the latest Mercedes-Benz models "A class" and "GLE", navigation information showing the direction, street, and building name is superimposed on the camera image that shows the front.

Source: Youtube "Adopted for new Mercedes-Benz A-class ... Thorough report from Germany on'MBUX'that started the next-generation cockpit"
Currently it is displayed on the monitor in the driver's seat, but in the future it will detect and highlight navigation information, various instruments such as speedometers, cars and people in front, obstacles on the windshield. Will be.

This allows the driver to focus on driving without taking his eyes off the road.

Examples of AR utilization in daily life
"Smart AR Home" is an AR app that seems to be useful in daily life.

This is an app that allows you to operate home appliances such as lights, air conditioners, and TVs with your smartphone, but unlike the normal smart home app, when you hold your smartphone over the target home appliances, the switch is displayed virtually.

So you don't have to press the actual physical switch.

"AR major" that utilizes AR is also convenient.

It is provided by both Apple and Google, and the length is measured instantly when you point the camera at the object you want to measure and decide the point to start and the point to end.

In particular, it will be suitable for measuring the length of objects whose shapes are distorted, which is difficult to measure with a normal tape measure.

However, if it is too large, it may not be possible to measure it or its accuracy may be low, so it can be said that it is awaiting future technological progress.

AR utilization example in sports
"HADO" developed by a venture company called meleap is a new sport that utilizes AR.

You can wear AR goggles with a smartphone attached to defeat the displayed virtual enemies, or team up like a video to perform interpersonal battles. At that time, you can create a shield or release a round ball from your hand.

You can experience the world that everyone dreamed of as a child.

By the way, meleap reads "HADO" as techno sports.

AR utilization example in shopping
AR allows you to try on while you are at home, eliminating mismatches in size and mood.

GAP has announced "Gap Dressing Room AR APP By Avametric", which allows you to check the atmosphere and size from anywhere in 360 degrees by dressing the mannequin.

After downloading the app, select your clothes, select your body size, and you'll see your size mannequin in clothes. After that, you can check the length and silhouette by changing the size to S, M, L.

In addition, as an application in actual stores, Toppan Printing, a printing company, stands in front of signage (electric bulletin board) and proposes fashion tailored to customers based on their gender and age. Is being developed.

Other than fashion, there is an AR app developed by the popular Swedish furniture brand "IKEA".

You can display full-scale furniture in your room by using the dedicated app and the IKEA catalog. This prevented size mistakes and did not suit the mood

Source: Youtube "Place IKEA furniture in your home with augmented reality"
Examples of AR utilization in education
The use of AR has begun in education as well, and "Tokyo Shoseki," which mainly sells textbooks, provides "textbook AR," which is a link between textbooks and apps.

When you launch the app on your smartphone or tablet and point it at the textbook,

"Figure" in mathematics
"Building" in society
"Biology" in science

Etc. are displayed in 3D.

As a result, even if it was difficult to imagine a flat textbook, it will be easier for children to understand, so children will be able to enjoy studying.

Source: Youtube "A textbook that moves with AR technology"
It is also being used in disaster prevention education.

There is an application called "Disaster Scope 2" that allows you to experience a disaster in an AR manner. By setting the water level, 1 hour later, and 3 hours later in the app, you can experience what happens when the current location is actually flooded.

Since it is difficult to experience the fear of a disaster without actually experiencing it, it would be an effective way to raise awareness of disaster prevention by experiencing it in a simulated manner with AR.

AR utilization example in map / navigation
AR navigation is used for maps and navigation.

There are some differences depending on the app, but basically, just by setting the destination and pointing the smartphone to the road, the location information is acquired and the arrow indicating the direction to go is displayed on the screen.

AR navigation on Google Maps
Arrows and street names, distances, etc. are displayed
A large arrow will appear when you reach an intersection or corner where you are turning, so you can easily figure out where and in which direction you should turn.

AR navigation is available on "Yahoo Maps" and "Google Maps" in famous places. However, "Google Maps" is currently in beta, so it seems that it will be a while before it can be officially used.

AR utilization example in product packaging

The way to use AR in product packaging is to increase consumer loyalty by posting information that could not be contained in the paper packaging due to restrictions.

For example

・ Product PR video
・ Long version commercials that cannot be played on TV
・ Dedicated game
By setting to AR, you can increase the user's liking for the product and increase the loyalty.

In addition, you can expect the effect of spreading to SNS by setting the photo frame to be displayed when you hold your smartphone over the package and having them take a picture together.

As an example, AR was used in Taguchi Foods' "ORANGE" series Halloween project.

Source: COCOAR
There are two types of product packages, and when you hold your smartphone over the AR mark

"Barmbrack Unai" that you can play with 10 types of fortune-telling
"Daikiri Photo Contest" where you can shoot with 8 types of original photo frames and select excellent works when you post on Instagram
Was done.

AR utilization example in tourism
In Japan's free magazine "All-you-can-eat Japan", which provides travel information for Taiwanese with the theme of "eating, playing, drinking, and enjoying", a map is displayed when you point your smartphone at the magazine page, and when you launch AR The distance to the destination, the time required, and the direction are displayed virtually.

In addition, the "Street Museum App" developed by Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. is linked with GPS, and you can enjoy the beautiful castle by launching the app and holding the terminal over the castle ruins. In February 2017, six castles, "Edo Castle," "Wakayama Castle," "Fukuoka Castle," "Hizen Nagoya Castle," "Takamatsu Castle," and "Yashima Castle," were targeted, but it seems that they will expand in the future.

Examples of using AR in "advertising"
You can improve the advertising effect by setting AR videos on leaflets and DMs. There is a limit to the amount of information that can be posted on leaflets and DMs alone, but if you can add AR videos, you can improve your understanding of products and services.

According to COCOAR, which provides AR services, in the example of a leaflet for a housing manufacturer, when 30,000 leaflets with AR videos were distributed, there were as many as 9 inquiries, one of which was "AR video. I want a model room that I saw, "he said, and he made a contract and purchased it in about a month.

Homemaker flyers are usually

About 7 inquiries for 150,000 sheets = reverberation rate 0.005%

Therefore, the leaflet with AR video has a reverberation rate of 0.03%, which is about 6 times more effective.

In addition, we will introduce a makeup application that utilizes AR by ModiFace, which provides beauty-related AR technology as an advertisement that utilizes AR. You can use AR to lips your face, apply a make-up filter, and save and compare your make-up face.

Future form of AR (Augmented Reality) utilization: Life, business, and communication will change
So far, we have introduced examples of AR utilization that are currently being realized, but below we will introduce how to utilize AR in the future that will be realized in the future.

Next-generation AR device "AR Glass" is now available
The current AR is realized by "smartphone" and "AR goggles", but within a few years, "AR glasses" of normal glasses size will appear.

In fact, AR glasses have already been announced.

For example, the glasses-type AR glasses "nreal light" announced by Chinese AR startup nreal at "CES 2019" weighs only 85g and is almost the same size as glasses.

The secret of small size and light weight is that the battery and processing are covered by external equipment. Therefore, the glasses alone will not work. Also, finger tracking like Hololens is not possible, etc.

However, within the next 3 to 5 years, "AR glasses" that operate independently and have performance equal to or better than HoloLens will appear, and anyone can easily experience the augmented reality world. Probably.

Communication changes with shared AR "AR Cloud"
"AR Cloud" is attracting attention as a future life realized by AR (Augmented Reality). It is considered to have the same value as "social networks" such as Facebook and "Google search" in 10 to 15 years.

AR Colud is, in a nutshell, "a technology that maps space to provide a common AR experience for everyone across time, place, and device boundaries."

Now, even if someone is watching Pokemon in AR, you can't share the same footage with anyone else, at a time, or using a different device.

Therefore, by storing spatial information in the cloud, it will be possible to share the AR experience with everyone, people with different times, places, and devices. Communication is expected to change.

AR (Augmented Reality) changes the world you see
I wrote that experiences are shared in AR, but on the contrary, it can be said that the world that each person sees changes.

The following video created by Japanese creator "Keiichi Matsuda" can be used as a simple example of how the world you are watching changes.

When AR glasses become widespread and commonplace, people stay in the same place at the same time for shoes ads, for cosmetics ads, for others watching movies, and face-to-face with friends. I'm having a conversation.

Regardless of time and place, the world you are looking at will be completely different because the images optimized for each person will be displayed.

The use of AR (Augmented Reality) is about to begin
AR is still widely used, but the appearance of inexpensive and compact "AR goggles" and "AR glasses", and the establishment of advanced communication technologies such as "5G" are important keys for their widespread use in society. I will. Therefore, the utilization and popularization of AR is yet to come.