5G Is The Technology That Will Push AR Into The Mainstream
By
Jason Yim
With the advent of 5G technology, many industries are poised to be reshaped. From self-driving cars and healthcare to manufacturing and entertainment, 5G will have a major impact on both businesses and consumers. One area that will see a major impact due to 5G is augmented reality (AR). 5G is the technology that will push AR into the mainstream and AR can become a part of everyday life.
Here are four reasons for AR truly taking off after 5G becomes widespread:
- Size of content: Basically a “bigger pipe” allows AR creators to push more content to a device. For example, Volumetric 3D video is a hot topic within the AR industry. Right now that type of content has to be preloaded into an app and is so size prohibitive that content creators have to use it sparingly. Yim believes that if 3D content could be streamed, it would open up many content opportunities in industries including entertainment, sports or even travel and hospitality.
- Micropositioning: Yim states that the anticipated leap in accuracy of indoor positioning with 5G will be a game changer in retail and other locations including airports, museums and theme parks. Consumers will have access to advanced AR experiences that more accurately allows them to see yet-to-be-purchased furniture in their living room, new clothes on their body before they order, new types of experiences at tourist locations and more.
- Connectivity at events: With 5G, those going to large public arenas, events, concerts and sporting events will no longer be bogged down by the concentrated traffic. Therefore, consumers will be able to take part in amazing, new social experiences that up until now could not be done because of bandwidth.
- Speed to the cloud: Some AR experiences hinge not on the size of the file, but the speed of processing and transmission. A Google Lens-type of recognition tool, where for example you point at a flower and get identification back, may only appear to the consumer as a few lines of text, but its usability depends on its speed. Waiting 2 seconds may create a very frustrating user experience, especially over many scans and frequent use vs. an “instantaneous” response. 5G will vastly increase speeds in communicating with the cloud, delivering a much better consumer experience.
Jason Yim is the CEO and Executive Creative Director of Trigger – The Mixed Reality Agency with offices in Los Angeles and Aarhus, Denmark
