Augmented reality and virtual reality are considered the future of smartphones with AR being more immersive. AR is also a topic of research and it can be considered in its initial stages of development. Although we have seen devices with the implementation of AR, however they are on a smaller scale considering the overall potential. At present many smartphone brands have made some or the other implementation of it with Google taking the lead and early initiative only to encounter a slow growth with the undertaking.
Google had initiated the project TANGO which focussed completely on AR. The first commercially available device to make use of the specialized hardware was the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Like the name suggests, it was a phablet with most part of the rear covering the camera hardware supporting the Tango Project.
What could the hardware do?
Well, imagine an empty room which has to be furnished. The user has an idea of the furniture and cupboards to be included in the room. Manually, one will have to take the measuring tape and measure the estimated dimensions and with the power of imagination determine as to whether how it looks. Not the most optimum way, is it? Here, AR or rather project TANGO’s implementation can help. By using a particular app related to TANGO, one can get an exact idea of the placement of the furnitures in the room and also the exact measurements without the tape. With the camera and the TANGO's hardware, the implementation was complex however it was to the point and was an effective tool for any interior designer since the AR related apps were quite limited and the applications were mainly related to the usage of space. A lot of technical terms and imagination in the previous lines, isn't it? Well the most famous Pokemon Go game that rattled the entire world for a few months was also purely based on AR. Here, the Pokemon characters which could be seen live on the maps and roads were the objects that had to be implemented.
Now the question arises that Pokemon Go could be played on any device and why does the TANGO require such complex hardware? Pokemon Go made use of server based communication which would acquire data about any region and hence, the game required an active internet connection along with GPS whereas the TANGO's hardware could gather the data instantaneously which would be projected on the display.
After the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, Asus came up with their TANGO based device i.e the Zenfone AR. This device was a complete package when compared to Lenovo’s offering since the Phab 2 Pro was a mid-ranger as against Zenfone AR being a flagship although it did come with a flagship price.
Now, coming to the future of AR on smartphones, Apple had recently announced the iPhone X, the “REVOLUTIONARY PHONE” as they claim it. It did come with a revolutionary feature known as the 'Animoji’. Although it has no use but was a demonstration of Apple's hardware or rather the beginning of AR for them. It made use of the sensors present on the notch to detect facial movements thereby reflecting the motions on the emojis. Similar implementation is also followed with the studio lighting feature which Apple has been bragging about. It makes use of the sensors including the front facing camera from the notch which captures the image. The image can be further edited to the user’s liking and the editing is not a mere filter but rather use of AI and complex algorithms for an optimum output. Various other brands like Oppo has also made use of AI in their phones for the front facing cameras although it could just be a marketing gimmick considering they always focus on selfies.
Speaking of TANGO's further implementation, the SDK’s and API’s are available for developers however the manufacturers don't seem interested at present since the devices are not for any average consumer. Also, the development seems quite less due to just 2 mainstream devices available in the market. However, software related machine learning is being implemented on a larger scale of which even Google's assistant is a part of it. No doubt Apple has always been considered for taking the lead which the other manufacturers have been found guilty of following it blindly (Headphone Jack :P). This clearly indicates a very optimistic future of AI or rather AR in smartphones and especially Android although Google had initially started it. Another major requirement is the availability of hardware in the form of SOC’s (System on a chip or Processor) which is far advanced and better with Apple and precisely the A11 Bionic chipset. The Qualcomm equivalent i.e Snapdragon 845 that was announced recently has kept everyone on high expectations considering this field.
Summing it up, AR is a part of AI i.e artificial intelligence. On a lighter note, we can imagine AI as a Pizza of which the Augmented Really is a slice of it. Whether you like the comparison or not, it’s a fact. The applications and implementation of AI is vast in the field of Robotics be it industrial or humanoids, aircrafts, smartphones, etc. The AI can easily replace human labour which will be effective although it does come with its disadvantages which we need to be aware of and speaking of smartphones, well, it will always be beneficial with endless applications in daily life ultimately benefitting us.
Image source 1 ; source 2 ; source 3
Google had initiated the project TANGO which focussed completely on AR. The first commercially available device to make use of the specialized hardware was the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Like the name suggests, it was a phablet with most part of the rear covering the camera hardware supporting the Tango Project.
What could the hardware do?
Well, imagine an empty room which has to be furnished. The user has an idea of the furniture and cupboards to be included in the room. Manually, one will have to take the measuring tape and measure the estimated dimensions and with the power of imagination determine as to whether how it looks. Not the most optimum way, is it? Here, AR or rather project TANGO’s implementation can help. By using a particular app related to TANGO, one can get an exact idea of the placement of the furnitures in the room and also the exact measurements without the tape. With the camera and the TANGO's hardware, the implementation was complex however it was to the point and was an effective tool for any interior designer since the AR related apps were quite limited and the applications were mainly related to the usage of space. A lot of technical terms and imagination in the previous lines, isn't it? Well the most famous Pokemon Go game that rattled the entire world for a few months was also purely based on AR. Here, the Pokemon characters which could be seen live on the maps and roads were the objects that had to be implemented.
Now the question arises that Pokemon Go could be played on any device and why does the TANGO require such complex hardware? Pokemon Go made use of server based communication which would acquire data about any region and hence, the game required an active internet connection along with GPS whereas the TANGO's hardware could gather the data instantaneously which would be projected on the display.
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| Asus Zenfone AR |
After the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, Asus came up with their TANGO based device i.e the Zenfone AR. This device was a complete package when compared to Lenovo’s offering since the Phab 2 Pro was a mid-ranger as against Zenfone AR being a flagship although it did come with a flagship price.
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| Animoji on the iPhone X |
Now, coming to the future of AR on smartphones, Apple had recently announced the iPhone X, the “REVOLUTIONARY PHONE” as they claim it. It did come with a revolutionary feature known as the 'Animoji’. Although it has no use but was a demonstration of Apple's hardware or rather the beginning of AR for them. It made use of the sensors present on the notch to detect facial movements thereby reflecting the motions on the emojis. Similar implementation is also followed with the studio lighting feature which Apple has been bragging about. It makes use of the sensors including the front facing camera from the notch which captures the image. The image can be further edited to the user’s liking and the editing is not a mere filter but rather use of AI and complex algorithms for an optimum output. Various other brands like Oppo has also made use of AI in their phones for the front facing cameras although it could just be a marketing gimmick considering they always focus on selfies.
Speaking of TANGO's further implementation, the SDK’s and API’s are available for developers however the manufacturers don't seem interested at present since the devices are not for any average consumer. Also, the development seems quite less due to just 2 mainstream devices available in the market. However, software related machine learning is being implemented on a larger scale of which even Google's assistant is a part of it. No doubt Apple has always been considered for taking the lead which the other manufacturers have been found guilty of following it blindly (Headphone Jack :P). This clearly indicates a very optimistic future of AI or rather AR in smartphones and especially Android although Google had initially started it. Another major requirement is the availability of hardware in the form of SOC’s (System on a chip or Processor) which is far advanced and better with Apple and precisely the A11 Bionic chipset. The Qualcomm equivalent i.e Snapdragon 845 that was announced recently has kept everyone on high expectations considering this field.
Summing it up, AR is a part of AI i.e artificial intelligence. On a lighter note, we can imagine AI as a Pizza of which the Augmented Really is a slice of it. Whether you like the comparison or not, it’s a fact. The applications and implementation of AI is vast in the field of Robotics be it industrial or humanoids, aircrafts, smartphones, etc. The AI can easily replace human labour which will be effective although it does come with its disadvantages which we need to be aware of and speaking of smartphones, well, it will always be beneficial with endless applications in daily life ultimately benefitting us.
Image source 1 ; source 2 ; source 3