Summary

The article discusses four innovative AR applications that leverage augmented reality technology to enhance everyday tasks, from copying and pasting real-world objects into digital designs to scanning for allergens in food products.

Abstract

The article "4 AR apps ahead of their time" explores the transformative potential of augmented reality (AR) through the lens of four cutting-edge applications. It emphasizes the power of AR to bridge the gap between physical and digital realms, showcasing tools like ClipDrop, which allows users to capture real-world objects and integrate them into digital projects. It also highlights Soosee, an AR food scanner that helps users identify potential allergens in food products. Additionally, the article introduces Neatsy, an AR sizing tool for shoes, and Anonymous Camera, which anonymizes faces in photos and videos, particularly useful for citizen journalism. While acknowledging the immaturity and performance issues of current AR apps, the author expresses optimism for a future where AR is seamlessly integrated into daily life for enhanced interaction with the world.

Opinions

The author is enthusiastic about living in an era where AR technology is accessible and holds significant potential for enhancing life quality.
There is a critique of other AR applications that seem gimmicky and lack a clear vision, contrasting with the apps featured in the article.
ClipDrop is praised for its simplicity and effectiveness in merging the real and digital worlds, addressing a practical need for designers and creatives.
Soosee is seen as a valuable tool for individuals with food allergies, potentially reducing the risk of allergic reactions by scanning ingredient lists.
The author believes that Neatsy represents the future of online shopping, offering a convenient solution for finding the correct shoe size without physical try-ons.
Anonymous Camera is considered particularly beneficial for citizen journalists and others who need to protect the identity of individuals in photos and videos.
Despite the potential and usefulness of the featured AR apps, the author notes that AR technology is not yet fully mature, with room for improvement in precision and performance, especially on older devices.
The author anticipates a future where AR becomes an integral part of daily life, simplifying interactions with the environment through the use of smart glasses and other AR-enabled devices.

4 AR apps ahead of their time

It is a great era, and I love living in it. Using Augmented Reality in our smartphones and tablets is incredible. The potential to alter our reality and enhance our lives is so high. The technology is getting a lot of attention since many businesses can make use of it.

As an avid Apple user, I have been fascinated by the power of ARKit and tried many apps to see how I can alter some parts of my reality.

The following are four applications that make great use of augmented reality:

1. ClipDrop:: Augment reality copy and paste

The augmented reality before this application seemed more gimmicky. The problem I see with lots of implementations in AR is developers’ focus on making many cool apps that lack vision. This one doesn’t.

Clipdrop does a simple yet effective approach in augmented reality — reducing the border between the real world and the digital world.

Suppose you are designing a prototype for an iPhone app, and you are using your laptop in a beautiful cafe. You notice a lovely plant and think to yourself: I wish I could use that plant as a still image in my design. Well, that is what this app does.

Clipdrop lets you capture an object with your iPhone, then put it in your computer using augmented reality.

To understand how it exactly works and what other features it offers, visit their website linked here.

2. Soosee:: Allergy & food scanner

A lot of people who deal with food allergies take precautions when eating something new. Most of them carefully look at the table of ingredients for a product and understand some of the chemicals used in them.

That brings many problems to those in situations where time and place limit them; therefore, disasters usually happen.

Hopefully, with the help of Soosee, this problem can slowly fade away. Point your camera at the product’s table of ingredients, and it will tell you if it has sugar in it or you might be allergic to it.

Having said all of that, don’t entirely rely on the app, as it could be as accurate as the database it is using, and off-course, the camera quality and how shaky your hands are could also affect the result.

You can download the app through its website here.

3. Neatsy:: AR sizing for sneakers and shoes

The future of online shopping is heading towards apps like these. Imagine your device being smart and telling you exactly what size you need for your clothes, and that is what this app tries to do (for your shoes.)

Using the app is simple: point your iPhone’s faceID at your feet, and change the angle a couple of times until the app gets an accurate measurement of your size, then it will show the best shoes for you.

Only make sure you own an iPhone X or newer (excluding the SE) as they come equipped with FaceID.

To download the app, use this AppStore link.

4. Anonymous Camera:: Anonymize photos and videos

This app is handy if you are interviewing people who don’t want their faces revealed. The app helps you automatically blur peoples’ faces. It even has other effects if blurring is not your cup of tea.

I believe this app is beneficial for those involved in citizen journalism.

The app works with most apple devices that run iOS 13 or newer, and you can download it from this AppStore link.

AR apps have not matured enough to be completely useful for our lives. Even though many of the apps I introduced here are pretty helpful, they still lack preciseness and have performance issues, especially on older devices.

I imagine a future where AR is so integrated into our lives that I put on my smart glasses and interact with the world in a better (hopefully more straightforward) way.

Thanks for reading this article. If you enjoyed it, make sure to give it a clap and let me know if you came across some other amazing apps using augmented reality, and I will include them in the next article.