Bench Talk

It wasn’t that long ago that people feared the ramifications of wearing Google Glass inside businesses because of privacy concerns. If you remember, about four years ago, numerous stories emerged regarding restaurant owners kicking out people wearing Google Glass because they didn’t want other patrons to be filmed without their knowledge. Then other stories emerged about Google Glass wearers getting attacked because others feared they were recording them or taking photos.

Google Glass was a failure for sure, but most likely that failure was the result of the public not being ready for the technology. Fast forward to today and, oh my, have we come a long way. Not only are there numerous virtual reality and augmented reality headsets on the market, but the boom in social media has also led to photos and video being taken by everyone, everywhere. Privacy in public has been dramatically shifted forever.

But the lasting impact of Google Glass is that it kicked off what has become an amazing explosion of ideas about what you could do with virtual and augmented reality (AR).

Then Pokémon Go came along, and everyone already working on AR systems nodded their head and knew they were going in the right direction. The game set off a fever pitch in the augmented reality field with researchers, companies, and makers looking to capitalize on the popularity of the technology. Now that everyone knew what mixed reality was, what they could do with it was pretty much whatever the imagination allowed.

To see just how far augmented reality has penetrated our daily lives already just too look to IKEA Canada, which launched an AR feature for its home catalog two years ago (Figure 1). Users downloaded the catalog app to a smartphone and were able to view 400 IKEA products as if they were in their home. Imagine being able to see what crazy Swedish piece of furniture could go along with that swank throw rug you just bought without having to first go to the store?

Figure 1: IKEA introduced an augmented reality app two years ago that allowed homeowners to see furniture in their homes before purchasing. (Source: IKEA)

Now, IKEA Canada is taking it a step further by offering an augmented pancake flipping experience in its Etobicoke store. Pancake flipping may not seem like a practical use, but it actually helps customers visualize how their kitchen may look in a more real-world test before the purchase. How many times have you bought something from IKEA or another store and regretted it once taking it home?

While the test kitchen is just a pilot program, in a few years, we will be seeing retail establishments, car dealerships, grocery stores, and other venues offering similar experiences. Because people will be accustomed to mixed reality, it will only accelerate how companies include the technology into everyday life.

Soon we won’t need to worry if something will fit into a space inside our home, we will be able to place it virtually there before buying. Collaboration in the boardroom won’t be everyone viewing documents on individual laptops but instead through interactive platforms from an AR lamp or snap on projector so everyone can work together on a project in mixed reality.

Already healthcare is getting in on the idea and soon doctors will use augmented reality to diagnosis or check patients instead of using the tools they use today. Surgery will be less invasive because augmented reality will help guide doctors through the process and warn of potential issues ahead of time. Industrial machinists will use augmented reality to determine what’s wrong with an engine or generator they are using or what part needs to be replaced and where. All of it in a format that mixes virtual elements with the real world.

What started as a technology to enhance entertainment or gaming is on the cusp of changing our daily lives. In just a few years, we will view augmented reality as a ubiquitous tool to garner more information about our real world we weren’t able to see otherwise. And it may be done through the use of glasses or contact lenses or by holding up a smartphone everyone already has to see an enhanced world all around us.