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What are AR glasses?

AR glasses overlay digital information onto the real world. Unlike the VR (virtual reality) headsets that immerse the user into a complete digital world, AR is a gateway between the digital world and the real world.

What does AR stand for?

AR stands for augmented reality, which combines reality with a virtual world. I think it almost seems like the borderline of a metaverse from reality. As augmented reality bases itself on the real world, people are more likely to accept the technology.

AR vs VR glasses?

This is my personal opinion…

I used VR headsets for a better immersive experience when playing a game. However, after a few hours, I quickly became dizzy, and my eyes became very dry. Also, I had to take off the VR glasses because of sweats and headaches as it was tightly held on my head. This wasn’t a pleasant experience, and there were no usages than games. As AR glasses superimpose digital information into real life, I believe they would be more functional and assistive than VR glasses.

Where can I use AR glasses?

Generic examples of AR smart glasses’s usage

I asked ChatGPT about the usage of AR glasses. And they responded with the ten possibilities:

1. Industrial and Manufacturing
2. Healthcare
3. Education
4. Retail and Shopping
5. Gaming and Entertainment
6. Navigation and Travel
7. Remote Collaboration
8. Military and Defense
9. Public Safety and Emergency Response
10. Everyday Use

How far are AR glasses developed in 2024?

Google: in 2020, google released its first AR glasses primarily for manufacturers, medical workers, and construction. In 2022, google announced its new features for shopping for beauty products. For example, it allows the user to see what the makeup would look like. There were no more product releases after that, but there were a few conferences that implied Google’s passion for AR features.

Apple: their AR glasses focus on interconnectable features between all Apple devices. Apple offers a special technology “optical subassembly” that helps people with poor vision.

XReal: established in 2017, provides affordable, portable and lightweight AR glasses. They are specialised in augmented reality devices and aim to bring AR technology to wider people.

My imagination

When I discuss about the AR glasses, I would think of these two keywords; “Superimpose” and “Assist”. AR glasses are there to visualise text information to your eyes straight away.

The device has a microphone to get sound information and a lens to get visual information. Like the AI assistant “Javis” for Iron Man, we might have a personalised “Javis” to support our daily lives.

For me,

• it would analyse what a person says and recommend a way to negotiate with that client in a tailored way,
• it would analyse my daily routine and offer some improvements,
• it would detect any potential dangers to my health and provide guidance accordingly.
• it would order food items from a supermarket instead of me,
• it would recognise the menu I spoke about and recommend a restaurant that suits my taste.

Challenges

For my vision to become a reality, it would require a massive server infrastructure and significant energy resources to support the vast amounts of data involved. To achieve the ideal level of personalisation in an AI assistant, a user’s daily life would need to be continuously captured and stored as data for future use. This process not only has environmental implications due to the energy consumption but also raises serious privacy concerns.

It’s important to recognise that this data capture would be happening constantly, creating an ever-present potential for misuse. As we advance in the development of AR technology, ensuring that it remains safe and private for individual users is crucial. Strict privacy measures and transparent data handling practices must be established early on to protect users from potential risks.

Conclusion

This makes me think about how future generations might be affected by the rapid pace of technological change. While it’s a natural progression from paper to computers, I believe companies must be mindful of the broader impact of these advancements. I see the ability to search for and discover information as an ability. AR glasses could potentially diminish the need to actively seek out knowledge, as information might be instantly available. When AR glasses become a part of our daily lives, we could witness a significant shift in how we learn and process information, potentially leading to a new evolution in human cognition and learning.