Key Takeaways

• Augmented reality is a mixture of the physical and virtual world.
• The Microsoft HoloLens is a device that lets you experience augmented reality, but it won’t be commercially viable until it becomes more comfortable and less expensive.
• This technology can be applied to many different businesses and industries and can make things faster, cheaper, and provide a better customer experience.

Remember The Twilight Zone with Rod Serling and all those strange and sometimes disturbing episodes? Some of those episodes really made your skin crawl. I think sometimes virtual reality with that big headset on and some of the things you see, and augmented reality, which is a mixture of things, can be confusing and strange as well.

Let’s look at augmented reality. You have your physical reality, and you have virtual reality. When you push these two together, there’s a space between where several items overlap. That’s a mixed reality, but the whole thing is called augmented reality. You are taking your current reality, and adding some items to it to augment your experience.

Alex Kipman from Microsoft, has a headset he created called the HoloLens that lets you experience augmented reality. It won’t probably become mainstream until three things occur:

1. Comfortability – Right now, the HoloLens weighs 1.2 pounds, which means you can wear it comfortably for 45 minutes and that’s it. When it gets down to the weight of a pair of glasses, which is about 2 ounces, it’ll be extremely comfortable.
2. Immersion – This is where the eye-tracking and the latency are to the point where you do not get an upset stomach or dizzy when you wear it. The HoloLens has already accomplished this piece.
3. Price – The HoloLens is currently priced at $3,000, so it’s a bit expensive. Once it comes down to $1,000 however, it will become commercially viable.

To see the HoloLens in action, watch this video from a company called Thyssenkrupp Elevators that is using the HoloLens with its elevator technicians.

Isn’t that amazing? It’s fascinating to see how augmented reality can make something like servicing an elevator cheaper, faster, and give a great service experience to a customer. This technology is going to affect a lot of businesses in a very short period of time. Just think of how far drones have come. A couple of years ago, they were no big deal. Now, you’ve got real estate agents frequently flying them around houses to give a virtual tour, and beaches using them as extra sets of eyes for swimmer safety.

Augmented reality is on that same path right now, at least according to Alex Kipman. He believes that it’s going to start to replace some of the features and applications on smartphones, and maybe even the smartphone itself.

How’s it going to affect you in your business with your investments and how you operate personally? Think about those things, how could they be applied in areas in your life? Maybe you could even incorporate it in your own business!

Until next time, enjoy.

Gary

Gary Klaben is in our Glenview, IL office and serves our clients who are now located all over the country. Instead of being afraid of change, Gary is always looking at how technology will affect clients and bringing the best of it into the practice. Whether advising his clients, mentoring his team, or coaching entrepreneurs, he is always simplifying complexity and motivating others to take the next action that’s right for them.

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