Discussion
I believe that technology that merges the digital world with the real world will become more and more relevant and likely in the future. As computing power becomes faster and smaller, there is no doubt augmented reality will become more common as a result.
In the current state of the pandemic, augmented reality has become more of a discussion in the way we interact with technology, and in a way has been boosted into the spotlight. During the pandemic more companies such as ImageAR have been working on using AR in areas such as remote teaching environments (Teach Online 1). Facebook has even recently paired up with sun glass company Ray Ban to create a smart wearable sun glasses. (Ray-ban .com). Even the rise of things such as Non-fungible token, or NFT's, have gone into the mainstream. Hype in these technologies show just the potential in the relationship between humans and technology.
A vision I have with this technology, which is similar to this project, is a time when smart glasses have become main stream and accessible, similar to the recent popularity of smart watches. Artist are able to use smart glasses to digitally sculpt and paint, similar to how they do in real life. Artist are then able to make a living by creating and selling their art as NFT's. An artist is able to create an art piece on one side of the world, and instantly sell or install a piece thousands of miles away. Owners are then able to interact, and even move art pieces into the public for other to see. This art can range from small tokens, like this project, to massive scaled installations.
In this vision, AR will also play a key part in entertainment, particularly in video games. Currently AR games such as Pokemon Go have swept society in popularity with people walking around in public trading and catching new digital assets. Perfected AR smart glasses will create an even more immersive experience in video games.
Though I feel that AR will create a great impact in our societies, I do believe that there could possibly be an exclusiveness to it. Currently we are in a time where AR devices are pretty expensive. With a heavy price tag, AR could be limited to those who can afford it. I believe that AR in the future will need to be affordable for mass public adoption. This I feel is possible, if the market want/needs AR devices. An example of this situation has been seen before with the introduction of cell phones. As cell phones market become more needed, competition created more competitive prices resulting in much more affordable and accessible devices. I believe AR technology will be tested in a similar way, which I believe will decide its future.
Though AR technology can go many different paths in the future, I do believe it will have a greater influence as more and more developers and users gain interest.
Resources
teachonline article : https://teachonline.ca/tools-trends/how-augmented-reality-transforming-online-learning-during-covid-19-pandemic > Facebook Rayban: https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/ray-ban-stories?cid=PM-SGA_300419-1.US-RayBanStories-EN-B-Core-Exact_RayBan_Facebook_Rayban+Facebook&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv5uKBhD6ARIsAGv9a-zh1YPjUrQsy7v_MPqvsUCNz6Kex8hFEXW4rwxQ3J6gfpBsoFEmjvUaArX7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds