6 Awesome Facts You Need to Know About AR

From sports to space travel, augmented reality (AR) is increasingly playing an important role in our lives. Whether you’re new to AR or a seasoned pro here are six facts you need to know:

1. The NFL uses AR: If you’ve ever watched college or professional American football, you’ve experienced augmented reality. The yellow first down line is generated by a computer system creating graphics that are augmenting the viewing experience.

2. The term AR: "Augmented reality" was coined at Boeing in 1990 by researcher Tom Caudell.

3. A year in space: Scott Kelly, NASA astronaut who spent a year in space, used augmented reality while in space. Calling mission control using Skype to stream his first person perspective through an augmented reality headset.

4. There are two main ways of triggering AR: Marker based or location based:

Marker based: A marker or real world object or photo can be scanned to trigger an augmented reality experience.

Location based: Being in a certain location can trigger an AR experience.

5. Commercially used AR can be traced back to 2008: German agencies in Munich developed an augmented reality experience with a printed magazine ad for the BMW mini. When held in front of a computer camera it triggered an on screen car. By moving the ad users could move the on-screen car.

6. AR Can Be Traced Back to 1968: When Ivan Sutherland a computer scientist at Harvard created the first head mounted display in 1968. It paved the way for the augmented reality we use today. Sutherland was later named “the father of computer graphics.”

Got another fascinating AR fact? Share in the comments below.

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Jenny Kay Pollock is the Customer Success - Community Manager at Blippar. She is interested in the impact of technology on our society, IoT, AR/VR, solar energy and space.