The Biggest Players In Augmented Reality

One of the most hyped and often thrown around tech phrases in recent times is Augmented Reality, or AR. The term means integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time.

A comparison with virtual reality, or VR, shows that VR creates an altogether different environment, while AR uses the existing environment and overlays information on top of it. In AR, live video imagery is digitally enhanced with computer generated graphics.

AR is displayed in three different ways, as a head-mounted display, hand-held device and spatial display. It finds application in several areas such as navigation, tourism, medical technology, gaming, entertainment, repair and maintenance, etc.

Information company the NPD Group said in a release on December 5 that the U.S. dollar sales of VR/AR devices have been on the rise since July and have increased 300 percent in the six months ending October 2016 compared to the previous six months. IDC estimates that market for AR hardware will grow roughly 190 percent per year from 2016 to 2020.

Waves In Tech

To capitalize on the huge potential, Benzinga looked at some companies making waves in the technology:

• Microsoft Corporation MSFT is making strong inroads in the AR arena with its HoloLens headset.
• Intel Corporation INTC: The company has its own AR product branded Project Alloy. Intel is also partnering with Microsoft on Windows 10 Creators update that are expected to feature AR and VR readiness.
• NVIDIA Corporation NVDA has a presence in AR opportunity through its GPUs, which could be used for Google's parent Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL's project Tango AR platform Google is also a way to play the AR crest.. Pokémon Go, which has created an app revolution, is a subscriber to Google's neutral stance and latter has a stake in Pokémon Go creator Niantic. Google's project Tango could be used in indoor navigation and retail, where buyers can get a feel of how a particular product will look on them or in their houses before the purchase is actually made.