Contenido

Los dispositivos de realidad aumentada normalmente constan de unos cascos, o gafas, y un sistema de visualización para mostrar al usuario la información virtual que se añade a la real. Los auriculares, o headset, llevan incorporado sistemas de GPS necesarios para poder localizar con precisión la situación del usuario.[30]​.

Augmented reality elements and levels

According to Edgar Mozas Fenoll, to achieve the superposition of virtual elements in different formats in a physical environment, an augmented reality system must generally be made up of the following elements:[31]​.

Augmented reality levels can be classified into the following six levels:[32]​[33]​[34]​.

Software

Some of the augmented reality software are:.

The Designer's Augmented Reality Toolkit (DART) is a programming system that was created to help designers visualize the mix of real and virtual objects. They calculate the actual position and orientation of the camera relative to physical markers in real time. Provides a set of tools for designers: extensions for Macromedia Director—a tool for creating games, simulations, and multimedia applications—that allow coordinating 3D objects, video, sound, and augmented reality object tracking information.[37]​.

Some examples of tools to create augmented reality Apps are: Vuforia, WikiTude, LayAR, WallaMe and ARToolkit.[38]​.

Augmented reality platforms

Augmented reality platforms are made up of internet-based technological tools that allow you to create a personalized application or use existing applications on Google Play and the App Store. Augmented reality applications are created through app building tools, APIs and services.[39]​.

Visualization techniques

There are three main techniques to display augmented reality:.

Augmented reality glasses, despite the low popularity of the first generation, projects such as Google Glass 2 have made them fashionable again,[44]​ since the original Google Glass left the commercial market, but did not stop being distributed. These glasses were adapted to the business world, giving rise to a renewal of the device that aims exclusively at the business environment. Thanks to these glasses, we can use our smartphone without using our hands.

Google Glass Enterprise 2 has a classic design with a plastic frame that protects the sides of the lenses. The superimposed screen is projected above the left glass, which is responsible for offering the information to our eye. Compared to the previous edition - Google Glass Enterprise Edition Original - it does not have many variations.[45]​.

Education

In recent years, augmented reality is gaining increasing prominence in various areas of knowledge, showing the versatility and possibilities presented by this new technology derived from virtual reality. With AR you can identify, locate, obtain, store, organize and analyze digital information, evaluating its purpose and relevance. It is defined as an efficient resource to be able to share through open resources, such as communities and networks, thus allowing teachers and students to create new digital content. Through AR, learning can be developed more quickly by enabling an interaction enriched with knowledge associated with increased motivation on the part of the student.[46]​.

It is based on the possibility of inserting virtual objects in real space, which, through an interface, can be accurately displayed at real scale. In this paradigm, students become an active precursor for the development of the teaching and learning process with which they interact, increasing their motivation towards learning through educational methodologies such as gamification or edutainment.[47]​.

Its application in early childhood and primary education occurs from the use of books with AR that allows contributing to the creation of enriched reading experiences, by incorporating an immersive component that structures the content in an innovative way.[48]​.

In secondary education, the visual detection of information quickly represents direct access to empirical knowledge in the field of this stage. In aggregate, it is presented as a communication channel, which provides immediate information about any concept, through interaction with it, generating 3D maps, which include visual layers superimposed on reality, allowing the possibility of manipulating a digital model in three dimensions in a similar way as we would do with a physical model.[49]​.

AR can be applied to transversal projects with the involvement of different subjects at this stage, as pointed out by the Polytechnic University of Madrid in:[50]​.

For all this, considering the effectiveness of the use of visual information, its use at this stage represents an enrichment of the methodological construction, favoring the teaching-learning process of the contents regardless of the area of ​​study.[51]​ It should be noted that the search for more interactive teaching and learning scenarios are the root and essence of the educational process with AR.[52]​.

In 2016, Murat Akçayır and Gokçe Akçayır used as a source of information the published literature, which deals with augmented reality in the educational field up to that point, to carry out a study about the advantages and challenges of using AR in education.[54]​.

Later, in 2018, Hilario Cervilla Fajardo reviews the concept of augmented reality and the advantages and disadvantages of its use in different educational stages:[55]​.

The Magic Book project, belonging to the active group HIT, from New Zealand, is one of the best-known applications in augmented reality education.[56] High school students read a real book with a hand-held display and real virtual content is reflected in it. The Magic Book project and its later versions[57]​ have enriched printed content with virtual information. They can be worked collaboratively, as students can sit around the book to work and investigate together.

Magic Books are also intended for the early childhood education stage, as they promote reading and improve fluency.[58]​.

In higher education, the FutureLab research group, made up of members from different universities, has created an augmented reality model that facilitates access to virtual reconstructions of different symbolic monuments in 3D.[59]​.

Furthermore, some educational centers use this practice to clarify and expand concepts that, a priori, are difficult to represent. In this case, high school students use it to visualize the elements of the periodic table in 3D.[60]​

In this sense, other centers use this resource to teach technical drawing. They use augmented reality to create a three-dimensional vision of the object to be represented, which offers them a real perspective that facilitates learning.[61]​.

In the case of early childhood education, augmented reality can be used to carry out a game in which children, with their own hands, can manipulate sculptures previously seen in class in order to observe them from different perspectives (according to how they place the image), see their details, etc. In addition, this allows students to also see the sculptures they create in 3D.[62]​.

In the case of primary education, an example of an interesting practice could be making use of augmented reality to expand students' knowledge in social sciences. The teaching unit being worked on is about Iberian art and students can see sculptures characteristic of this art through augmented reality. In this way, boys and girls can see what these sculptures would be like in reality.[63]​.

The Google translate app is available on both Android and iOS. This application has a function that activates the camera and can focus on the word in real life so that it translates it instantly. For example, to know the directions on any sign in another language.[64]​ This application works by choosing the language you want to translate into, focusing on or writing the word or sentence in question and it appears in its translated language. It has support for up to 88 languages ​​with the camera.

Some authors have implemented augmented reality to encourage reading, as is the case of the writer and computer scientist Marcos Vázquez Debali.[65]​.

Importance of augmented reality for students with special educational needs

Augmented reality can be a powerful educational didactic resource for the teaching and learning process that allows us to promote inclusion in classrooms, increase interaction, motivation, accessibility, attention of students and improve their learning process.[66]​.

Students with autism spectrum disorders use as their main communicative resource a methodology based on paper with images, logos, symbols and/or illustrations in the form of pictograms known as the augmentative and alternative communication system, allowing them to know the reality of our environment.[67]​.

Currently, multiple applications on augmented reality and educational robotics are used to promote pedagogical innovation in the classroom, facilitating communication for these students is increasing, taking advantage of the advantages promoted by new technologies to contribute to the communication, social and cognitive aspects of ASD students.[68]​.

The Quiver augmented reality application, available for Android and IOS operating systems, allows students with autism to color the illustrations chosen in paper format and then use the camera of the electronic device and focus on the drawing created to see it in 3D.[69]​.

We can use augmented reality as a resource for inclusion. AR helps to create a feeling of learning while increasing motivation, both on the part of the student, who learns what he has not been able to access or has had difficulties, and on the part of the teacher to see the acquisition of the content. In this sense, augmented and virtual reality applications serve people with disabilities so that they can live experiences that they could not enjoy in the real world. These resources and methodologies have enormous potential that helps us empathize with the problems they experience or suffer daily. In addition, it facilitates establishing social relationships, facilitating its inclusion in the ordinary classroom.[70]​.

Television

Augmented reality is common in sports broadcasting, from football, to show the result in the center circle and/or offside situations, to ice hockey, where the location and direction of the puck is colored in AR, to basketball, where repetitions can be recreated giving the sensation of 360°. Also, swimming broadcasts often add a line to indicate the position of the current record holder and compare it with the race.[71]​.

On the other hand, AR can be a great help for television meteorologists, who can make accurate samples by interacting with people about any natural disaster.[72]​.

In addition to this, AR is often used in the information spaces of many television channels, such as Atresmedia, which has opted for the use of this technology in order to capture the viewer's attention and thus use a new language. Previously, these montages were made in post-production, but in this way viewers have been able to see how the AVE to Mecca crossed the television set.[73]​.

Entertainment and advertising

Augmented Reality has been a great advance for the advertising sector, using smartphones as a tool,[74]​ merging advertising with entertainment. The advertising game creates an environment that connects the customer with the product.[75]​.

This experience allows the user to connect with the product directly and interact with it, creating a great impact and increasing the chances of success. Nike launched a campaign in 2018 where the user customized sneakers to their liking, thus allowing the user to choose the Timberland product. "Timberland (company)") together with the company Lemon&Orange created a campaign in 2015 where the user could try on clothes in an interactive fitting room, giving them an immediate feeling of how their products would look.[76]​.

The trend for this type of campaigns is constantly growing due to the great impact they have on the target audience to which it is directed. According to the Markets&Markets platform, a profit of 151.3 billion dollars is estimated in 2022 according to the article shared by Forbes magazine.[77]​.

Gastronomy

Faced with an increasingly technological society, gastronomy has introduced the use of augmented reality as a means of fusion between haute cuisine and technology, offering a unique experience to diners. Its use allows the visualization of the menu in 3D and the dishes that make it up as they will be presented to you later, also indicating the ingredients that make them up. In the future, the development of an application is planned that allows it to be extended to different restaurants. One of the restaurants that presented its virtual reality project in 2014 is found in Spain, Sublimotion67, by Spanish chef Paco Roncero. In this, the client will be able to enjoy a unique experience by joining a table of 12 diners who, over three hours, will have an enhanced perception of the dishes while a show is performed by the actress Mapi Galán.[78]​.

Information

AR can improve the effectiveness of navigation devices for a variety of applications. For example, navigation within a building can be improved in order to support the maintainer of industrial facilities. Similarly, automobile windshields can be used as display screens to provide navigation directions and traffic information.[79]​.

Tourism

Many tourists travel with a mobile phone or tablet in their hands, which can open up a new world of possibilities when it comes to discovering new places. Applications such as Mexico City, in the Time of ILLUTIO, have managed to take users to tour the city in its different historical periods through augmented reality and geolocation.[80]​.

Platforms such as Junaio or Layar allow third parties to develop applications, with virtually no technical knowledge, through their servers.[81]​[82]​.

The Austrian company Mobilizy has developed WikiTude. By pointing the mobile camera at a historic building, the GPS recognizes the location and displays information from Wikipedia about the monument. In Japan, Sekai Camera, from the company Tonchidot, adds people's comments about addresses, stores, restaurants, etc. to the real world. Acrossair, available in seven cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, ​​identifies the closest metro station in the image. Bionic Eye and Yelp Monocle, in the US, are similar examples.[42]​.

Due to this great impact on this sector, large multinationals such as Google have started to provide an augmented reality service to users. Google Maps is a navigation tool to find the exact location of any trip on a digital map. Its initial version was developed in 2015, in a web version for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Currently its use has extended to smartphones. It is a tool that allows you to calculate the route both on foot, by car and by public transport.[83]​.

Many museums offer a real experience through augmented reality. With it, visitors can interact with different works of art or witness a historical sequence when visiting, for example, the Roman Colosseum. The inclusion of this tool also boosts commerce. This is due to the interactivity of users in the different advertising and marketing campaigns that are created to promote tourism. Likewise, consumers can virtually approach different accommodations, according to their interests, enabling greater satisfaction when deciding on a stay during their trip.[84]​.

AR has also been recently adopted in the field of underwater archeology to efficiently support and facilitate the diving experience at submerged archaeological sites.[85]​.

Medicine

Augmented reality also contributes to medicine, in which both computing and its derived branches have allowed professionals in the sector to have certain tools to perform their skills quickly and effectively.[86]​.

One of the most popular examples is the use of augmented reality in prenatal ultrasound. 4D ultrasound allows you to see the fetus in motion by accumulating different 3D ultrasounds over time, using the same principle as cinema. Since 2016 we have found news of the latest trend, 5D ultrasound, which adds a difference in lighting and sharpness making the image more realistic. In addition, the use of virtual reality glasses has been incorporated to see the image of the baby as if we were in front of a movie screen.[87]​.

But perhaps the greatest advance in augmented reality in medicine is the invention of glasses that can distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones. These glasses were created at the University of Washington School of Medicine. This discovery could mark a before and after in surgical procedures to remove tumors from patients suffering from cancer, since it will significantly benefit the work of surgeons.[88]​.

Augmented reality allows data to be collected from a patient in real time with the use of non-invasive sensors with magnetic resonance, tomography or ultrasound images. Augmented reality technology allows an internal view of the patient without the need for surgery, visualization and precision tasks in the operating room such as knowing where to drill the skull or do a biopsy. It may also be useful for medical training.[89]​.

Architecture and construction

Augmented reality (AR) is shown to be a great ally in the architecture and construction sectors due to the multiple uses and benefits it gives them. This type of technology suggests a new way of carrying out the work of these specialists, since the workers themselves or even the client could see, thanks to this resource, a full-scale work and even interact with it before its construction. In this way, you can check if the calculations are correct, or refine details of the facilities.[94]​.

Origins

The first time the concept of augmented reality was used was in 1901. Frank L Baum included the idea of ​​electronic glasses that superimposed data on people who were viewing, this invention was called “character maker”.[8]​.

The second antecedent was created by cinematographer Morton Heiling in 1962, father of virtual reality.[9]​ His invention called Sensorama included images, sound, vibration and smell, in an attempt to add additional information to an experience. On the other hand, the so-called “The sword of Damocles”, invented in 1968 by Harvard professor Ivan Sutherland together with his student Bob Sproull. The Sword of Damocles consisted of a gadget that was placed on the head and through which the user could experience computer-generated graphics.[10]​.

Later, in 1973, Ivan Sutherland invented the virtual reality headset, opening up the possibility of entering a virtual world. However, these inventions are closer to virtual reality than augmented reality.[11]​.

The first major development in augmented reality was “Videoplace”, created in 1974 by Myron Krueger. This invention combined a projection system and video cameras that produced shadows, generating an interactive environment in an artificial reality that surrounded users and responded to their movements and actions. This invention can be seen at the State Museum of Natural History at the University of Connecticut.[12]​.

In the 1980s, Steve Mann gave the world wearable computing and in 1981 Dan Rei for the first time geo-spatially mapped multiple images from weather radar, space and studio cameras to Earth maps and abstract symbols for television weather broadcasts, bringing a precursor concept to augmented reality (mixed real images/graphics) to television.[13]​

.[14]​.

90's decade

In the 1990s, the term “augmented reality” was coined by Tom Caudell to refer to the devices used by electricians in aircraft factories when they had to carry out complicated wiring. These devices increased the information that the operator received from reality by projecting an assembly diagram on the piece of wiring being worked on.[15]​.

But it was not until 1992 when the first functional immersive augmented reality system was launched by Louis Rosenberg. It is Virtual Fixtures and was developed at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas. This invention projected the vision of robotic arms onto the user's arms, creating an augmented vision of reality.[16]​[17]​.

In 1994 Steven Feiner, Blair MacIntyre and Doree Seligmann created KARMA (Knowledge based Augmented Reality for Maintenance Assistance), a test bed that explores and allows the automated design of augmented realities to explain maintenance and repair tasks, being considered the first prototype of this technology.[18] In this same year, performer Julie Martin creates Dancing in cyberspace, the first augmented reality theater production, which features dancers and acrobats who manipulate virtual objects the size of the body in real time, projected in the same physical space and performance plane.[19]​.

In 1997, Ronald T. Azuma conducted “A survey of Augmented Reality” exploring the different uses that augmented reality could have in medicine, production, research, mechanics and entertainment.[20]​.

In 1998, Sportsvision made the first application of augmented reality in entertainment and television during live NFL broadcasts to mark a virtual line on the field marking the first down. Nowadays it is a norm in all American football games. In 1999, NASA used augmented reality on its X-38 spacecraft to improve navigation during test flights. Also in 1999 Hirokazu Kato developed ARToolKit, a software that captures actions in the real world and combines them with virtual objects, allowing the creation of augmented reality applications and having a great influence on what can currently be experienced in flash-based AR applications.

2000s

In 2000, Bruce H. Thomas developed ARQuake, based on the classic computer game Quake, but incorporating augmented reality into the experience. It is the first outdoor game with augmented reality mobile devices, and is presented at the International Symposium on Wearable Computers.[21]​.

In 2003, the NFL used the popular “Skycam” that captured an aerial view of the field and allowed the first down line to be inserted. In 2008 AR Wikitude was founded as a provider of mobile augmented reality technology, primarily focusing on offering augmented reality experiences through the “wikitude world browser app”. In 2009, AR Toolkit was incorporated into Adobe Flash (FLARToolkit) by Saqoosha, bringing augmented reality to the Web browser. Also in 2009, the official augmented reality logo was created in order to standardize the identification of the technology applied in any support or medium by the general public. Developers, manufacturers, advertisers or researchers can download the original logo from the official website.

2010s

In 2010, Kinect went on sale, which is a game controller developed by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game console, which allows users to control and interact with the console without having to have physical contact with a controller.[22]​.

In 2012, Google launched the design of glasses that would create the first commercialized augmented reality, naming the project Glass and announcing its open beta of Google Glass in 2013. The result, full of lights, shadows and criticisms regarding security and privacy, was finally withdrawn from marketing in 2015 with promises of improvement for users.[23][24]​.

In 2013, Sony shows augmented reality on PS4 with The Playroom [E3 2013]. Also in 2013, Niantic, in collaboration with Google, launches Ingress, an AR mobile game, the most successful so far in this field. Finally, in that same year, Volkswagen uses augmented reality in its vehicle manuals through the MARTA iPad application. This application allows users and mechanics to view the internal workings of the vehicle, along with instructions for locating and solving mechanical problems, in a projection on the car itself.

In 2015 Microsoft launched its augmented reality glasses, HoloLens, thanks to the work of Alex Kipman in what was called the Baraboo project and which took Xbox's Kinect, developed in 2010, as its starting point.[25]​.

In 2016 Niantic created Pokémon Go, an AR game for mobile phones that achieved unprecedented global success in the genre and whose idea came from a joke for “April's Fool’s day” that the president of Nintendo devised with Google so that Pokémon would appear on Google maps.[26]​ In 2017, Apple and Google launched their own augmented reality development kits, ARKIT and ARCore. And also in 2017 Google launches Google Glass Enterprise Edition.[23]​.

In 2018 Google created Google Article, a 3D object viewer that will be integrated into the browser. In addition to radio control games for mobile phones.

In 2019, Microsoft launches a new improved model: the HoloLens 2, on February 24 of the same year, and later, in May, Google presents its new model: the Glasses Enterprise Edition 2 with improved features from its previous model.[27]​.

2020 decade

At CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2020, we found new additions such as the Panasonic VR glasses that have a high definition resolution that allows you to see without the “metal mesh” effect, among others such as the new ones presented by Samsung. These have a system called Gait Enhancing & Motivating System, which is a training and exercise analysis platform. In this presentation, an exoskeleton and glasses were used that are capable of selecting an exercise table.[28]​.

In this decade, the popularity of Technosports rises so rapidly that the formation of new competitions (Monster Battle, Hado Shoot or Hado Kart) that favor its development and expansion for the user is becoming more and more frequent.[29]​.

Contenido

Los dispositivos de realidad aumentada normalmente constan de unos cascos, o gafas, y un sistema de visualización para mostrar al usuario la información virtual que se añade a la real. Los auriculares, o headset, llevan incorporado sistemas de GPS necesarios para poder localizar con precisión la situación del usuario.[30]​.

Augmented reality elements and levels

According to Edgar Mozas Fenoll, to achieve the superposition of virtual elements in different formats in a physical environment, an augmented reality system must generally be made up of the following elements:[31]​.

Augmented reality levels can be classified into the following six levels:[32]​[33]​[34]​.

Software

Some of the augmented reality software are:.

The Designer's Augmented Reality Toolkit (DART) is a programming system that was created to help designers visualize the mix of real and virtual objects. They calculate the actual position and orientation of the camera relative to physical markers in real time. Provides a set of tools for designers: extensions for Macromedia Director—a tool for creating games, simulations, and multimedia applications—that allow coordinating 3D objects, video, sound, and augmented reality object tracking information.[37]​.

Some examples of tools to create augmented reality Apps are: Vuforia, WikiTude, LayAR, WallaMe and ARToolkit.[38]​.

Augmented reality platforms

Augmented reality platforms are made up of internet-based technological tools that allow you to create a personalized application or use existing applications on Google Play and the App Store. Augmented reality applications are created through app building tools, APIs and services.[39]​.

Visualization techniques

There are three main techniques to display augmented reality:.

Augmented reality glasses, despite the low popularity of the first generation, projects such as Google Glass 2 have made them fashionable again,[44]​ since the original Google Glass left the commercial market, but did not stop being distributed. These glasses were adapted to the business world, giving rise to a renewal of the device that aims exclusively at the business environment. Thanks to these glasses, we can use our smartphone without using our hands.

Google Glass Enterprise 2 has a classic design with a plastic frame that protects the sides of the lenses. The superimposed screen is projected above the left glass, which is responsible for offering the information to our eye. Compared to the previous edition - Google Glass Enterprise Edition Original - it does not have many variations.[45]​.

Education

In recent years, augmented reality is gaining increasing prominence in various areas of knowledge, showing the versatility and possibilities presented by this new technology derived from virtual reality. With AR you can identify, locate, obtain, store, organize and analyze digital information, evaluating its purpose and relevance. It is defined as an efficient resource to be able to share through open resources, such as communities and networks, thus allowing teachers and students to create new digital content. Through AR, learning can be developed more quickly by enabling an interaction enriched with knowledge associated with increased motivation on the part of the student.[46]​.

It is based on the possibility of inserting virtual objects in real space, which, through an interface, can be accurately displayed at real scale. In this paradigm, students become an active precursor for the development of the teaching and learning process with which they interact, increasing their motivation towards learning through educational methodologies such as gamification or edutainment.[47]​.

Its application in early childhood and primary education occurs from the use of books with AR that allows contributing to the creation of enriched reading experiences, by incorporating an immersive component that structures the content in an innovative way.[48]​.

In secondary education, the visual detection of information quickly represents direct access to empirical knowledge in the field of this stage. In aggregate, it is presented as a communication channel, which provides immediate information about any concept, through interaction with it, generating 3D maps, which include visual layers superimposed on reality, allowing the possibility of manipulating a digital model in three dimensions in a similar way as we would do with a physical model.[49]​.

AR can be applied to transversal projects with the involvement of different subjects at this stage, as pointed out by the Polytechnic University of Madrid in:[50]​.

For all this, considering the effectiveness of the use of visual information, its use at this stage represents an enrichment of the methodological construction, favoring the teaching-learning process of the contents regardless of the area of ​​study.[51]​ It should be noted that the search for more interactive teaching and learning scenarios are the root and essence of the educational process with AR.[52]​.

In 2016, Murat Akçayır and Gokçe Akçayır used as a source of information the published literature, which deals with augmented reality in the educational field up to that point, to carry out a study about the advantages and challenges of using AR in education.[54]​.

Later, in 2018, Hilario Cervilla Fajardo reviews the concept of augmented reality and the advantages and disadvantages of its use in different educational stages:[55]​.

The Magic Book project, belonging to the active group HIT, from New Zealand, is one of the best-known applications in augmented reality education.[56] High school students read a real book with a hand-held display and real virtual content is reflected in it. The Magic Book project and its later versions[57]​ have enriched printed content with virtual information. They can be worked collaboratively, as students can sit around the book to work and investigate together.

Magic Books are also intended for the early childhood education stage, as they promote reading and improve fluency.[58]​.

In higher education, the FutureLab research group, made up of members from different universities, has created an augmented reality model that facilitates access to virtual reconstructions of different symbolic monuments in 3D.[59]​.

Furthermore, some educational centers use this practice to clarify and expand concepts that, a priori, are difficult to represent. In this case, high school students use it to visualize the elements of the periodic table in 3D.[60]​

In this sense, other centers use this resource to teach technical drawing. They use augmented reality to create a three-dimensional vision of the object to be represented, which offers them a real perspective that facilitates learning.[61]​.

In the case of early childhood education, augmented reality can be used to carry out a game in which children, with their own hands, can manipulate sculptures previously seen in class in order to observe them from different perspectives (according to how they place the image), see their details, etc. In addition, this allows students to also see the sculptures they create in 3D.[62]​.

In the case of primary education, an example of an interesting practice could be making use of augmented reality to expand students' knowledge in social sciences. The teaching unit being worked on is about Iberian art and students can see sculptures characteristic of this art through augmented reality. In this way, boys and girls can see what these sculptures would be like in reality.[63]​.

The Google translate app is available on both Android and iOS. This application has a function that activates the camera and can focus on the word in real life so that it translates it instantly. For example, to know the directions on any sign in another language.[64]​ This application works by choosing the language you want to translate into, focusing on or writing the word or sentence in question and it appears in its translated language. It has support for up to 88 languages ​​with the camera.

Some authors have implemented augmented reality to encourage reading, as is the case of the writer and computer scientist Marcos Vázquez Debali.[65]​.

Importance of augmented reality for students with special educational needs

Augmented reality can be a powerful educational didactic resource for the teaching and learning process that allows us to promote inclusion in classrooms, increase interaction, motivation, accessibility, attention of students and improve their learning process.[66]​.

Students with autism spectrum disorders use as their main communicative resource a methodology based on paper with images, logos, symbols and/or illustrations in the form of pictograms known as the augmentative and alternative communication system, allowing them to know the reality of our environment.[67]​.

Currently, multiple applications on augmented reality and educational robotics are used to promote pedagogical innovation in the classroom, facilitating communication for these students is increasing, taking advantage of the advantages promoted by new technologies to contribute to the communication, social and cognitive aspects of ASD students.[68]​.

The Quiver augmented reality application, available for Android and IOS operating systems, allows students with autism to color the illustrations chosen in paper format and then use the camera of the electronic device and focus on the drawing created to see it in 3D.[69]​.

We can use augmented reality as a resource for inclusion. AR helps to create a feeling of learning while increasing motivation, both on the part of the student, who learns what he has not been able to access or has had difficulties, and on the part of the teacher to see the acquisition of the content. In this sense, augmented and virtual reality applications serve people with disabilities so that they can live experiences that they could not enjoy in the real world. These resources and methodologies have enormous potential that helps us empathize with the problems they experience or suffer daily. In addition, it facilitates establishing social relationships, facilitating its inclusion in the ordinary classroom.[70]​.

Television

Augmented reality is common in sports broadcasting, from football, to show the result in the center circle and/or offside situations, to ice hockey, where the location and direction of the puck is colored in AR, to basketball, where repetitions can be recreated giving the sensation of 360°. Also, swimming broadcasts often add a line to indicate the position of the current record holder and compare it with the race.[71]​.

On the other hand, AR can be a great help for television meteorologists, who can make accurate samples by interacting with people about any natural disaster.[72]​.

In addition to this, AR is often used in the information spaces of many television channels, such as Atresmedia, which has opted for the use of this technology in order to capture the viewer's attention and thus use a new language. Previously, these montages were made in post-production, but in this way viewers have been able to see how the AVE to Mecca crossed the television set.[73]​.

Entertainment and advertising

Augmented Reality has been a great advance for the advertising sector, using smartphones as a tool,[74]​ merging advertising with entertainment. The advertising game creates an environment that connects the customer with the product.[75]​.

This experience allows the user to connect with the product directly and interact with it, creating a great impact and increasing the chances of success. Nike launched a campaign in 2018 where the user customized sneakers to their liking, thus allowing the user to choose the Timberland product. "Timberland (company)") together with the company Lemon&Orange created a campaign in 2015 where the user could try on clothes in an interactive fitting room, giving them an immediate feeling of how their products would look.[76]​.

The trend for this type of campaigns is constantly growing due to the great impact they have on the target audience to which it is directed. According to the Markets&Markets platform, a profit of 151.3 billion dollars is estimated in 2022 according to the article shared by Forbes magazine.[77]​.

Gastronomy

Faced with an increasingly technological society, gastronomy has introduced the use of augmented reality as a means of fusion between haute cuisine and technology, offering a unique experience to diners. Its use allows the visualization of the menu in 3D and the dishes that make it up as they will be presented to you later, also indicating the ingredients that make them up. In the future, the development of an application is planned that allows it to be extended to different restaurants. One of the restaurants that presented its virtual reality project in 2014 is found in Spain, Sublimotion67, by Spanish chef Paco Roncero. In this, the client will be able to enjoy a unique experience by joining a table of 12 diners who, over three hours, will have an enhanced perception of the dishes while a show is performed by the actress Mapi Galán.[78]​.

Information

AR can improve the effectiveness of navigation devices for a variety of applications. For example, navigation within a building can be improved in order to support the maintainer of industrial facilities. Similarly, automobile windshields can be used as display screens to provide navigation directions and traffic information.[79]​.

Tourism

Many tourists travel with a mobile phone or tablet in their hands, which can open up a new world of possibilities when it comes to discovering new places. Applications such as Mexico City, in the Time of ILLUTIO, have managed to take users to tour the city in its different historical periods through augmented reality and geolocation.[80]​.

Platforms such as Junaio or Layar allow third parties to develop applications, with virtually no technical knowledge, through their servers.[81]​[82]​.

The Austrian company Mobilizy has developed WikiTude. By pointing the mobile camera at a historic building, the GPS recognizes the location and displays information from Wikipedia about the monument. In Japan, Sekai Camera, from the company Tonchidot, adds people's comments about addresses, stores, restaurants, etc. to the real world. Acrossair, available in seven cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, ​​identifies the closest metro station in the image. Bionic Eye and Yelp Monocle, in the US, are similar examples.[42]​.

Due to this great impact on this sector, large multinationals such as Google have started to provide an augmented reality service to users. Google Maps is a navigation tool to find the exact location of any trip on a digital map. Its initial version was developed in 2015, in a web version for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Currently its use has extended to smartphones. It is a tool that allows you to calculate the route both on foot, by car and by public transport.[83]​.

Many museums offer a real experience through augmented reality. With it, visitors can interact with different works of art or witness a historical sequence when visiting, for example, the Roman Colosseum. The inclusion of this tool also boosts commerce. This is due to the interactivity of users in the different advertising and marketing campaigns that are created to promote tourism. Likewise, consumers can virtually approach different accommodations, according to their interests, enabling greater satisfaction when deciding on a stay during their trip.[84]​.

AR has also been recently adopted in the field of underwater archeology to efficiently support and facilitate the diving experience at submerged archaeological sites.[85]​.

Medicine

Augmented reality also contributes to medicine, in which both computing and its derived branches have allowed professionals in the sector to have certain tools to perform their skills quickly and effectively.[86]​.

One of the most popular examples is the use of augmented reality in prenatal ultrasound. 4D ultrasound allows you to see the fetus in motion by accumulating different 3D ultrasounds over time, using the same principle as cinema. Since 2016 we have found news of the latest trend, 5D ultrasound, which adds a difference in lighting and sharpness making the image more realistic. In addition, the use of virtual reality glasses has been incorporated to see the image of the baby as if we were in front of a movie screen.[87]​.

But perhaps the greatest advance in augmented reality in medicine is the invention of glasses that can distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones. These glasses were created at the University of Washington School of Medicine. This discovery could mark a before and after in surgical procedures to remove tumors from patients suffering from cancer, since it will significantly benefit the work of surgeons.[88]​.

Augmented reality allows data to be collected from a patient in real time with the use of non-invasive sensors with magnetic resonance, tomography or ultrasound images. Augmented reality technology allows an internal view of the patient without the need for surgery, visualization and precision tasks in the operating room such as knowing where to drill the skull or do a biopsy. It may also be useful for medical training.[89]​.

Architecture and construction

Augmented reality (AR) is shown to be a great ally in the architecture and construction sectors due to the multiple uses and benefits it gives them. This type of technology suggests a new way of carrying out the work of these specialists, since the workers themselves or even the client could see, thanks to this resource, a full-scale work and even interact with it before its construction. In this way, you can check if the calculations are correct, or refine details of the facilities.[94]​.