Augmented reality support
— support of special technologies of augmented reality (AR).
Recall that the idea of AR is to supplement the image of the real world displayed on the screen of the device with additional elements that organically fit into the real world and look like a part of it. For example, the well-known game Pokemon Go is built on this principle: Pokemon images are superimposed on the landscape seen by the smartphone’s camera, while the Pokemon seen by the player is always in the same place, no matter from what position and angle the camera looks at it . However, in this case, we are talking not just about the ability to launch applications with the AR feature, but about the support of special augmented reality technologies. Currently, two such technologies are mainly used:
- Google AR Core (on Android devices);
- Apple AR Kit (in gadgets on iOS).
The implementation of these technologies has made it possible for anyone to create AR applications (previously only available to large companies that are professionally engaged in mobile software development), and also expanded the capabilities of such applications. So from the point of view of the average user, the support of AR Core or AR Kit means that the smartphone has more extensive capabilities for working with augmented reality than a device without support of such technologies. In other words, this feature allows you to work with a wider set of AR applications and more advanced features in such applications. Examples of the use of augmented reality, in addition to games, include navigation (displaying a "guide line" directly on the smartphone screen over the image from the camera), educational applications (the ability to view, "disassemble" and "assemble" various physical and biological objects), design premises (the ability to evaluate how a certain item will look in the interior); repair and maintenance of machines and mechanisms (illumination of certain parts and units of equipment on which the camera is pointed, "X-ray vision"), etc.
