When asked for a practical example of augmented reality (AR), I usually point towards two very popular things: the movie Terminator and football. While a robotic Austrian and the most popular game in the world may not have much in common, the similarity they share is in the technology they use.

In the 1984 film, we get a glimpse into what the Terminator sees, and on top of the red image is a group of numbers and shapes that are overlaid onto its vision, granting the robot extra information. That, in a pinch, is what AR is all about: taking a view and enriching it with more details, which usually relate to what the user is seeing on screen.

In football, it’s also become accepted practice to highlight offsides and free kicks, among other things, using computer graphics, and it makes the game much easier to appreciate and interesting to watch, even for ‘newbies’ such as myself.

Thanks to the latest developments in smartphones, a simplified version of ‘terminator vision’ is literally in the palm of everyone’s hand.

The possibilities are endless. A compelling use being touted by a company called Layar is interactive print, be it newspapers, magazines, posters and even billboards. With their smartphone, readers can share articles they like on their Facebook wall or Twitter account.

They can also buy products online while reading the many advert magazines distributed for free. Buying tickets to their favourite event right off the poster is also a possibility. This is done simply by using a mobile app to take a picture of the article or poster. The app will recognise the article and when the user holds the smartphone over the article it will display content directly over it. The entire process takes a few seconds, and can leave lasting returns for its users.

Another common use of augmented reality is three-dimensional maps. The same browsers capable of displaying content onto images can also show you how far it is to the nearest police station, the nearest properties for sale that meet specific criteria, the nearest taxis (with the facility to call them directly through the app), major touristic locations around the island, even what band is playing on the Rock stage at a major festival.

These are just a few of many examples of augmented reality’s practical uses, with effective results. From a mobile developer’s perspective, it means that ‘write-once, run anywhere’ is now possible with smartphone apps. From a marketer’s perspective, it means greater visibility and new ways to engage audiences using products and brands. Why not create a marketing campaign where users can send messages to each other using chocolate wrappers?

From an artist’s point of view, it represents a new medium to experiment with. Art museums abroad have hosted ‘virtual’ exhibitions on top of their mainstay exhibits, accessible only through AR-enabled devices. The list goes on and on, and new uses for the technology are being discovered daily.

Although ‘terminator vision’ seems to be a few years away, it’s estimated that by 2015, there will be nearly 1.4 billion downloads of mobile augmented reality apps worldwide, due to major brands using AR actively in their marketing campaigns. The industry is also expected to reach $1.5 billion in revenue by the same year.

Augmented reality has landed, and the sooner we embrace it and start exploring different possibilities and uses, the sooner we’ll reap the benefits.

Mr Theuma heads a start-up company that specialises in mobile-based augmented reality services.

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