Museums, healthcare facilities, and airlines are all beginning to take advantage of AR digital wayfinding. Wayfinding– which refers to the process or activity of ascertaining one’s position and planning and following a route– can be useful in many situations.
We have all dealt with frustrations in navigating our way to a destination–sometimes with a time crunch– to only wish we had more useful tools to help. For example, when traveling in a foreign country, one may need to board their next flight in a timely manner. Navigating through an unfamiliar airport can be intimidating– especially with signage in a different language. Thus, forcing someone to rely on airport personnel for information and assistance.
As current technology continues to expand, AR wayfinding can improve the experience of navigation forever. In an article by Mobiddiction, it is revealed that Augmented Reality wayfinding is more reliable than GPS. The article points out that, “ The AR system is so precise it can guide users to a distant gate in a busy airport or even a specific bed in a vast medical facility complex.”
We see new companies being developed such as Visualix that utilize AR cloud wayfinding technology to make business and visual asset management easier. For utility workers that need assistance in tracking assets and a better understanding of their surroundings, 3D wayfinding is a plausible solution.
As written in the article, “Beyond improving finding your way around supermarkets, galleries, museums, conferences and more, AR can also improve accessibility for visually impaired users by providing turn-by-turn audio prompts.” The brilliant combination of audio and visual overlay creates an elite navigation system that assists all sectors of the community.
Assistive technology, such as AR wayfinding, can extend our abilities to understand the world around us. Per Mobiddiction, over 75% of smartphone owners regularly use navigation apps. Therefore, why not transform the existing navigation system to make it more efficient, safe, and engaging. It is exciting to think about the vast opportunities for augmented reality to become a part of our daily lives. Just as getting around the city was more difficult before Uber, we may look back and remember how grueling indoor navigation was before Augmented reality.
What do you think? Feel free to leave any comments below!