Technology in Pokemon Go has Real World Applications

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Richmond said this type of technology is the third new medium of the 21st century. In the 20th century, there was TV and radio. In the 21st century, it will be the internet, mobile and immersible technology (augmented reality).

“These new mediums will change every aspect of our daily lives,” Richmond said. “However, we are still in the early days. It’s equivalent to Thomas Edison handing someone a film camera and telling them to shoot a movie in 1900.”

Another frontier for augmented reality will be hospitals, Richmond said. A physician may get an overlay of a patient’s organs without making a single cut, or use the technology to have instant access to the patient’s medical information displayed through a pair of glasses or a headset.

Advertisers and companies will have no trouble tapping into this technology when it becomes popular, he said. People will walk down the street and become “bombarded with advertisements.”

The first wave in which people will be able to experience augmented reality is through phones, glasses or headsets. Richmond said soon hats with drop-down visors or even contact lenses will be developed for the everyday consumer. He said by 2019, augmented reality will be widespread.