Top 10 Augmented Reality Trends of 2022

With a large market to tap into, providing AR experiences can be a competitive edge in many industries. The improving technology also stands to allow for greater efficiency in the workplace. Experts at MobiDev looked at some of the augmented reality trends driving innovation in 2022. 

Trend 1 Mobile Augmented Reality

Mobile augmented reality has many clear advantages that make it the center of much of the technology’s attention. Mobile devices, by their nature, are very portable and easy to bring into nearly any space. In fact, many users already own an AR capable smartphone, so there’s no need for them to go out of their way to get an expensive and bulky headset. 

Trend 2 Powering Indoor and Outdoor Navigation

AR navigation has become more fluid and achievable than ever before. Most importantly, the rise of technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antennas, Wi-Fi RTT and ultra wideband (UWB) make indoor navigation much more viable than in previous years. One of the most useful applications of this technology is for displaying AR directions in large indoor locations like distribution centers, shopping malls, and airports. 

Trend 3 Healthcare and Augmented Reality

With the continued restrictions associated with Covid-19, the use of augmented reality solutions is becoming increasingly important to address issues such as the complexity of remote patient support and the increased burden on hospitals. This includes both telesurgery solutions and mental health apps that are helping people to maintain psychological balance during these difficult times.

Trend 4 Augmented Reality Shopping Experiences

Augmented reality has numerous opportunities in the retail sector. One of these opportunities that is currently being realized is store mapping. With augmented reality, on-screen directions can help a user navigate the layout of the store to find the item that they need.

Trend 5 Augmented Reality and Remote Assistance

According to Owl Labs, in 2020 nearly 70% of workers in the U.S. working full time, work from home with video conferencing being the lifeblood of telework. When we use video conferencing, we lose an entire dimension of context, moving into two dimensional space instead of three - augmented reality software can help at least partially restore that lost dimension of space back into the conversation.

Trend 6 Augmented Reality in Automotive Industries

AR technology has had profound impacts on vehicle safety and usability. For example, Tesla Motors has demonstrated the possibilities of AR for the road. With the Full Self-Driving Beta now on the road and used by many consumers, drivers can see how the vehicle’s advanced suite of cameras consistently analyze the world around them using object detection and scene analysis. 

Trend 7 AR Glasses, Future or Fiction?

Augmented reality glasses and headsets have an interesting reputation. Although they are widely seen as the future of AR technology and have been tested and utilized in real world applications, they haven’t quite made the mainstream just yet. If they’ve made a landing point anywhere, it has been for enterprise and business solutions.

Trend 8 The Metaverse, Live Events, and Social Upheaval

The concept of the Metaverse and upheaval of digital communication with extended reality space has been around for some time. Although the metaverse is very focused on VR spaces, the movement will likely transform AR’s use in business and consumer contexts as well. 

Trend 9 AR In Education

AR in education simplifies the perception of information and leverages technology to enable teachers to demonstrate virtual examples and gamify the learning process. This increases student engagement and speeds up the process of mastering the materials. Augmented reality based apps can also give students access to unique learning environments that are difficult or even dangerous to experience in real life without proper preparation.

Trend 10 Improving Mobile AR Hardware & LiDAR

One popular trend in the augmented reality industry is improving hardware for mobile devices. In particular, Apple’s famous LiDAR sensor on its iPhone 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, 13 Pro, and 13 Pro Max smartphones as well as iPad Pro. By using infrared lasers, smartphones like Apple’s can determine the depth of scenes with more precision than ever before. This can make analysis of scenes for AR experiences better than ever.

More detailed information about Augmented Reality Trends in 2022 can be found at:
https://mobidev.biz/blog/augmented-reality-trends-future-ar-technologies

MobiDev is a US/Ukraine software engineering company focused on helping visionaries create their products. The company invests into technology research and has years of experience building AI-powered solutions, implementing machine learning, augmented reality, and IoT.