Augmented reality (AR) has extended into sectors beyond gaming — you can download mobile apps that let you integrate the benefits of AR into your home.
From managing devices to automating home environments, there are many applications to consider. How has AR already changed the smart home experience, and what will AR-integrated homes look like in the future?
Managing Your Home the Smarter Way
AR technology is making smart home control more seamless than ever. Instead of using navigation apps or voice commands, homeowners can interact with their properties using AR interfaces. By wearing AR-enabled headsets and devices, you can:
- Control devices with gestures: Simply pointing at the lamp or TV can switch it on or off. You can snap your fingers or blink to change channels.
- Use eye-tracking for automation: You could raise or lower the temperature of your HVAC unit by looking up or down at the thermostat.
- Overlay digital controls in real space: Visualization tools let you create virtual buttons and sliders to activate smart devices, making home control more intuitive.
- Choose between voice and gesture: AR technology can use voice and gesture commands. Plus — thanks to the adaptive nature of artificial intelligence (AI) — your systems can adapt intuitively to your needs.
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Visualizing and Designing Smart Homes
Designers, architects and contractors now use virtual reality to predict design outcomes, increasing client satisfaction. You can view what a new sofa will look like in your living room at full scale before purchasing it, eliminating any buyer’s remorse.
AR-enabled apps allow homeowners to see various elements overlaid in real time, reducing guesswork and enhancing customization.
Other AR applications include:
- Previewing appliances: See the augmented version of a refrigerator in your kitchen before making a purchase.
- Testing lighting setups: Preview how different bulb colors and intensities will look at various times of the day. This application is especially helpful for designers trying to choose the best products for a space.
- Planning home upgrades: Use AR to scan room dimensions using light detection and ranging technology for accurate information before you buy floor tiles or try to fit a comfy chair into a too-small corner.
- Managing home hardware: AR technology helps you optimize the placement of cameras, thermostats and other home tech. Construction professionals can also use it to perform an inspection after a renovation or repair to ensure your satisfaction and safety.
Enhancing Troubleshooting and Maintenance
It can be challenging to install or set up a new device, but AR can simplify the process by offering:
- Step-by-step installation guides: An AR overlay shows you precisely how to install devices or set up systems.
- Real-time troubleshooting assistance: Support staff can use AR to guide homeowners remotely in accessing and setting up systems without on-site technicians.
- Virtual annotations: Users can directly see highlighted components or instructions instead of having to rely on print or online manuals.
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Enhancing Immersive Home Entertainment
AR can enhance many forms of home entertainment.
- Interactive home theaters: Virtual screens can project onto walls, adjusting to fit the space.
- Immersive gaming experiences: You can superimpose game elements into the physical world, blending digital characters with reality.
- Virtual storytelling: Imagine reading your children a bedtime story and having the characters appear in the room, making narratives more entertaining.
Predicting the Future of Smart Homes
AR is expected to become even more personalized and advanced in smart homes. Some future applications include:
- Personalized home environments: AR could fill a space with colored walls and furnishings according to a user’s preferences.
- Health tracking: With fitness tracker access, AR can show users real-time metrics data on their heart rate, glucose levels, hydration and much more. AI can already act as an early warning system for medical conditions. Adding AR capabilities could help people catch and resolve health-related issues even faster.
- Seamless notifications: Instead of receiving and reading notifications on your phone, you could use AR glasses to display alerts. Turn on alarm systems with a nod and unlock doors with a gesture for efficiently integrated surroundings.
AR Reality: Is It Here to Stay?
Augmented reality is transforming smart homes by making them more interactive, customizable and intuitive. People now engage with their homes instead of merely living in them. With applications ranging from health and wellness to home design, AR is changing the world — and homes — people live in.