In 2016, software development company Niantic, Inc. released Pokémon Go. While AR Quake, released in 2000, holds the title of the first augmented reality (AR) video game, Pokémon Go revolutionized how the industry approached AR video games.
By 2018, this wickedly popular AR mobile game had 147 million monthly users. This had all the other industries scrambling to discover how they could apply immersion tech in their domains.
Today, augmented reality has gone beyond gaming, and this is great news for United Arab Emirates nationals specializing in augmented reality. In light of the Emiratisation program in the UAE, Emiratis who are augmented reality engineers, developers, and specialists are in the best place to explore augmented reality jobs in the country’s private sector.
From training future surgeons to creating immersive weather reports, augmented reality has extensive applications. If you’re an Emirati who studied and trained in augmented reality, you essentially have your pick of augmented reality careers in the following industries.
1. Healthcare
The applications of augmented reality range greatly. Not only is AR being used in medical training facilities, such as at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, but it’s also being used in highly delicate surgeries.
AR diagnostic tools such as 3D medical imaging enable medical professionals to turn 2D images on a computer screen into interactive 3D objects. This allows doctors and surgeons to better assess medical conditions and plan procedures before making the first incision.
AR can also provide real-time information to surgeons, saving time in critical situations in the case of emergency surgery.
2. Retail
Despite e-commerce maintaining a majority share in the retail space, brands are transforming the retail experience with the help of augmented reality. The use of AR is made possible through applications such as Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore.
Both AR development platforms, among other development kits, build new augmented reality experiences in the retail environment. Retailers from IKEA and Sephora to Home Depot and Gap have all introduced AR solutions into their retail space.
With consumers expecting augmented retail experiences to become more commonplace in retail, many more retailers plan to implement AR applications in the near future.
3. Construction
From architects and contractors to clients, the construction industry is tapping into the immersive power of augmented reality.
The primary focus of AR in the construction industry is visualization.
AR allows the construction industry to digitally construct proposed designs in an existing space. Through AR applications, clients and property developers can visualize what a project will look like with real-world coordinates and space.
Visualization is not the only AR application being used by the construction industry. AR solutions can also be used as a training tool for inexperienced construction crews and to support ongoing maintenance.
Service manuals outfitted with AR technology provide remote assistance to customers who require procedural steps to repair or maintain a product (for example, an air conditioning unit).
4. Emergency services
Emergency service providers such as fire departments are turning to augmented reality to bolster their efficiency and enhance real-time information visuals. Augmented and virtual reality training simulators allow emergency management agencies to undergo training scenarios that mimic real-life situations.
Being able to test and train skills in highly immersive scenarios rather than in the traditional classroom setting exposes first responders to a wider array of high-risk situations that are difficult and expensive to recreate physically.
This allows responders to rehearse and perform potentially life-saving tasks in controlled environments, improving situational decision-making and response times.
5. Hospitality
In recent years, AR has emerged as an important technological tool for the hospitality industry.
AR technology is vital for marketing efforts and to better sell a physical environment. Enhancing a potential customer’s interaction with a space can increase customer satisfaction, resulting in a better bottom line.
AR applications also make relevant information available to guests before they even ask for it. Providing engaging, interactive experiences from the moment the guest enters the hotel to the moment they leave improves the entire customer experience.
From beacon technology that sends virtual keys that unlock hotel rooms to interactive maps of hotel room interiors, AR technology can be used by hotels and hospitality brands as a differentiator to draw in more guests.
6. Entertainment
Like the video game industry, entertainment has been one of the early adopters of AR applications, particularly in television. The Weather Channel, for example, has used AR to convey the severity of 2018’s Hurricane Florence through impactful demonstrations of hurricane flood water simulations.
As the technology continues to mature, expect to see AR applications employed in other program segments like sports and live events.
7. Education
Augmented reality is transforming the learning process from classroom settings to corporate environments.
Schools are equipping their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM labs with AR capabilities. AR applications in the classroom combine smartphone technology to increase student engagement and interaction. Explaining abstract and complex concepts through 3D objects improves student retention and makes learning easy and interesting.
AR is also increasing engagement and interaction in corporate training. Unlike traditional training modules, AR provides high levels of personalization at less cost with a greater return. The enhanced ability to measure outcomes improves learning efficiency and brings more accountability.
Consider a Career in Augmented Reality
AR is changing the reality of many industries. The growth of AR and its proliferation across multiple sectors will continue to grow as the technology evolves. As AR technology becomes more sophisticated, cost-savings will increase, and applications will expand.
This represents a golden opportunity for anyone interested in a career in augmented reality globally. For Emirati augmented reality engineers and developers, specifically, the government’s Emiratisation recruitment initiative should drive the demand for augmented reality specialists in the UAE private sector.
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