Augmented realityis all very well on paper but, if you really want to know what it’s about, the best thing to do is see it with your own eyes. Fortunately, thanks to the advent of new technology, all you need is your own smartphone to check AR out for yourself now, this minute.
If you don’t knowwhat augmented reality is, you might want to have a quick read of our article explaining the differences between AR and VR and what it’s all about.
We’ve collected some of the best AR experiences currently available for you to try out.
Just a line
Just a Line is a smartphone app that lets you draw in augmented reality and then share it with your friends.
Just a Line is a smartphone app that lets you draw in augmented reality and then share it with your friends. Several people can use it at the same time too. Google has given examples of this working with people playing noughts and crosses in AR with the game forming in the world around them.
Of course, you could just use it to draw other things and the fun is down to your own creativity.
This app is available to download on bothAndroidandiOS devicesas well.
Wanna Kicks - Try shoes before you buy
Wanna Kicks uses your phone’s camera to show you want a variety of trainers will look like on your feet.
Online shopping might be convenient, but if you can’t try shoes on before you buy you might end up with a pair that look awful on your feet. Now one company is making steps towards using the power of augmented reality to let you try before you buy.
Wanna Kicks uses your phone’s camera to show you want a variety of trainers will look like on your feet. It’s surprisingly nifty and even works if you turn your feet, so you can see the shoes from all sides before you place your order.
Download foryour iPhoneorAndroid smartphoneand give it a try.
Smash Tanks!
This game places tiny cartoon tanks into the real world via your phone that then battle it out for victory with explosions,
Smash Tanks! is less educational and more just having a smashing time with AR. It places tiny cartoon tanks into the real world via your phone that then battle it out for victory with explosions, destruction and no real mess you’d have to clean up afterwards.
This game is also multiplayer so you can battle it out with friends as well. It’s not free, but costs less than a bottle of pop, so a worthy investment for some fun times in AR.
See it on theApple App Store.
Lego AR-Studio
Lego AR-Studio lets Lego builders place, move and interact with various virtual Lego sets on a table or workspace.
Lego AR-Studiolets Lego builders place, move and interact with various virtual Lego sets on a table or workspace.
Using this app you can mix real-world Lego with virtual pieces that don’t really exist and make brilliant creations as you do so. You can even record what you’re doing in a video as well.
Google Maps Live View AR navigation
Google Maps Live View uses Google’s Street View to give you the most accurate and useful directions as you go from A to B.
Google Maps is slowly being enhanced with various improvements that make the experience even more useful and convenient.
One of these is the addition of a Live View to walking navigation. This uses augmented reality to show large arrows pointing you in the right direction as well as floating virtual road signs so you know which street to take.
This system uses Google’s Street View to give you the most accurate and useful directions as you go from A to B. Your phone needs to supportARCoreor have AppleARKit supportand if you’re not sure whether it does there’sa useful list herebut otherwise it’s a cracking AR experience that’s well worth trying.
Google search results with AR animals
Google is adding augmented reality in more than one of its apps. One of these is the inclusion of AR animals in search results.
If you have an AR-enabled phone, all you need to do is search for an animal, then you’ll see a card within the results that says “Meet a life-sized [creature] up close.” From there you just need to click the “view in 3D” button to launch the experience and see the animals within your phone. A great educational tool, but also a taste of the future as Google is also working on bringing AR visions of products into the search in the near future.
Augmented reality furniture
This IKEA app lets you virtually drop furniture into any space in your home to see if it’ll fit.
Much like shopping for shoes, trying to buy furniture online can be a bit of a minefield. You don’t want to blow all your hard-earned money on a sofa only to have it delivered and find it clashes with the curtains or just doesn’t look right where you wanted to put it.
IKEA is solving that problem by using AR to let you virtually drop furniture into any space in your home to see if it’ll fit. With theIKEA Place app, you’re able to essentially try before you by. Though obviously, you can’t sit down on them.
Another highlight of this app is the ability to use the camera on your phone to find IKEA furniture similar to bits you already have.
Augmented reality wallpaper
This decorating app is the answer to your prayers if you’re thinking about changing the colours or patterns on your walls but don’t know what will suit.
The Graham & Brown Decorating app is the answer to your prayers if you’re thinking about changing the colours or patterns on your walls but don’t know what will suit.
This app uses Apple’sARKittech to not only virtually display the selected wallpaper on your walls but also to measure the area and help you buy the right amount of wall covering as well.
This appis sadly only available for iPhone users, but is a nifty way to get some inspiration for a redesign without even needing to buy physical samples.
Augmented reality art
These are art tours but in the real world with a dose of augmented reality thrown in via an Apple iPhone.
If you want to see something more visually impressive, then Apple’s AR[T] Walk sessions might be for you. These are art tours but in the real world with a dose of augmented reality thrown in via an Apple iPhone.
These free tours start in Apple Stores in London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo, then involve you seeing art via your phone as you walk the streets.
AR tattoos
Inkhunter is an AR-powered app that lets you see what a tattoo might look like on any part of your body.
Getting a tattoo is a big commitment. There’s no easy way to go back so you want to ensure it’s going to look right and you’re getting what you pay for. Again, that’s where AR can come in to save the day.
You just need to draw some lines on your arm, leg or other body part with a non-permanent pen, then hover your smartphone over it so the app can work its magic. We like that this app’s tagline is “think before you ink” - wise words.
