AUGMENTED REALITY

HEAD BACK TO the science fiction of the 1990s and you often find protagonists immersed in virtual worlds. These frequently lurid, neon–clad spaces, packed full of “computer code” imagery (this was the 1990s, after all) were usually accessed by way of a hefty headset and allowed the user to go anywhere — or any when.

Today, the onset of consumer–accessible virtual reality has largely transformed science fiction into science fact (and, in Spielberg flick Ready Player One, also dystopian future) — but the requirement to wear a headset hasn’t (yet) gone away. Fortunately, augmented reality offers us an alternative — and one that’s more broadly useful.

Augmented reality takes a step back from placing the user within entirely virtual confines. Instead, it seeks