Before we go into the technical types of AR apps, how to make the best AR apps and all the AR features available, here are some examples of our top augmented reality apps.

AR app for archaeological storytelling

We worked with various bodies (including the local council for the Outer Hebrides and the University of the Highlands and Islands) to create a Virtual Archaeology AR app for the North and South Uist islands.

The best AR apps make the subject matter more accessible and better understood through digital storytelling. This project did just that by developing an innovative approach to bring AR technology to remote archaeological sites in Uist.

We created an AR experience that ensures local communities are better informed about the heritage sites in their local area. The app lets the user see and understand the surrounding environment using 3D reconstructions of historic real-world scenes.

AR app for High Street recovery

At Peel X we’ve also worked on bespoke city/town AR Trail apps designed to bring life back to the High Streets using AR.

Our augmented reality experiences are created to reflect different content throughout the year, so include different animations and characters created by our talented team. So far, we’ve worked with The York BID, Nottingham BID, Tamworth Borough Council, Muncaster Castle, and many more to create these AR apps that overlay a virtual environment over the real-world environment.

Augmented reality may sound futuristic, but as you can see, AR apps are becoming more and more mainstream. Here’s a closer look at the different types of augmented reality technology can be used in AR apps.

Augmented reality games are probably the most well-known use case for AR, but it offers much more than this. Through our augmented reality apps, we can offer an interactive experience in the real-world environment. Rather than totally constructing a new computer-generated environment in the same way as virtual reality (VR), AR technology augments your immediate surroundings with virtual versions of all kinds of elements.

Whether it’s a home improvement app, a retailer’s app such as Ikea Place, or an app like ours that specifically communicates about an area or historical event, AR apps superimpose virtual imagery directly onto your field of vision. This digital imagery therefore replaces (either fully or partially) the un-augmented view.

This is the basic description of the technology we use in our augmented reality apps. But there are different types of AR too.

As the name suggested, marker-based AR uses a specific visual market with which to active the experience. Usually, the most commonly used markers are 2D QR codes. The smartphone camera or other device’s camera recognises the barcode on the QR code and immediately responds by producing the augmented images.

Marker-based augmented reality was the first tech to emerge in this space and such was considered ground-breaking. However, in today’s tech space, it is limited in some ways. For example, the technology only works with mobile devices (whether that’s a smartphone or tablet). Furthermore, the user must download specific software or the app to then experience the virtual objects augmenting the environment.

AR apps work very well in real life environments, as we’ve proved with many of our app projects. However, AR apps do need to be downloaded which adds an extra step in and therefore doesn’t give the instantaneous experience that marker-less AR can provide.

Marker based AR is also known as recognition-based AR or Image Recognition.

As you’ve probably guessed, marker-less augmented reality doesn’t need image recognition to trigger the visual effects. Rather than having to scan a QR code, marker-less AR uses the mobile camera, accelerometer, and location software to detect the data needed. This includes the orientation of objects and the spaces between them.
After this, the AR app utilises SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping) to interpret the 3D environment surrounding the user. It is more complex to develop marker-less AR, but we use it in most of our AR work as it’s fast eclipsing the older marker-based tech. This type is also known as Location based AR due to the commonly available location detection features in Android and iOS devices.

It is important to understand which app software is most suitable when creating apps using AR. Recent advancements in technology have enabled greater compatibility between marker-less AR and smartphones as a 2021 global report showcased 1.25 billion and 891 million compatible devices for Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore, respectively. As compatibility between AR and mobile devices grow, it is essential to know your customer’s needs and understand the market before committing to an app software. In recent years, SLAM technology has begun to penetrate the market, enabling marker-less AR to become more feasible in modern projects. With regular monitoring of technological trends and advancements, our team can ensure projects are using the most appropriate tools and software to meet the intended audience’s needs. We mentioned earlier that there are four different types of marker-less AR. Here is a run down of the four types.

1. Projection based
This type of AR projects immersive light onto a flat surface, which creates three-dimensional imagery. The tech then uses SLAM to detect any human interaction with the augmented reality. This type of projection-based AR technology is often used to create holograms for corporate or entertainment purposes.

2. Location based
This allows users to experience augmented reality in a different way. The content is fixed to a specific space in the physical world. In other words, the technology maps the real-world environment and defines the virtual object’s position in the surroundings. When the device has detected a mapped location match, the technology then superimposes the virtual object and digital imagery. One of the most famous examples of this kind of location-based AR apps is Pokémon Go.

3. Overlay
This is used in AR apps where the unaugmented view of an object is replaced with an enhanced version of the same image, including multiple visual perspectives. This is the kind of tech used in Ikea Place, for example, where users can then see how the object, they’re considering buying will look in their own environment.

4. Contour-Based AR:
Contour-based augmented reality (also known as outlining AR) uses SLAM to outline object silhouettes to simulate a realistic experience for the user. Use cases for this could include AR apps that offer safe-driving simulations for poor driving conditions.

Data from Statista shows that the global market for AR development is expected to grow to be worth $18 billion by 2023. This translates to more than 3.5 billion AR users, with just over 83 million people using AR around once a month.

And when it comes to retail, there is a clear uptick in demand from customers, even though some used to prefer stores. According to information from eCom Dash, just under 65% of online shoppers said that AR filters had boosted their experience.

Image tracking through a phone camera has given people a different way to shop. This is something that advanced rapidly in the public’s consciousness during the mass lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

As millions of people relied on Wi Fi for everything from shopping to socialising, the use of an app became far more mainstream. From people who chose to download Snapchat for the first time to those who jumped into gaming with motion tracking, augmented apps have become easier to use for most.

The kinds of trends we’re seeing – and those that are facilitating the best AR apps – include more than just online shopping. AR is also being used more and more for indoor navigation, to find solutions and software for enterprises and for remote assistance and in the automotive sector.

Technology is also moving on to include artificial intelligence enhancements for AR apps, something that will continue to be included in the best AR apps.

Here are some more examples of trends where you may well see AR effects being used more often throughout 2023.

Art exhibitions powered by AR

Your own personal top AR app will depend on your own interests. Maybe it’ll be AR games, for example, or the Ikea Place app, or it could relate to an art exhibition.
Many museums and public institutions are considering utilising this technology to connect their audiences with their exhibits. A museum’s AR app will help the visitor glean far more information and understanding of the exhibit, using a free version of an app available on Android and iOS.

Manufacturing and automotive sectors

Automotive sectors are catching on to the tech used in the best AR apps and using it to streamline production, manufacture, and assembly. AR can assist companies all the way from design to sales and include production along the way.

Social media

Whether you download Instagram or Snapchat you’ll find AR utilised within filters and lenses. This is a real growth area for major social media channels.

Indoor navigation

We’re all used to the idea of using Google Maps to help us navigate outside, but when it comes to indoor navigation Google Maps don’t work. Indoor navigation apps, however, use AR to find the shortest route towards the object of your interest.

Avatars

Avatars work well within various apps for others to engage with you in a more personal way. Facebook and Instagram, for example, use AR to allow you to bling up your profile with effects, avatars, and stickers. Other common and useful examples are in game avatar depictions for gaming.

Healthcare apps

AR offers all kinds of opportunities for healthcare providers and patients, whether through monitoring vitals during treatment to referencing MRI and CT imagery.

Wearables

Retailers are already all over AR to provide customers with all kinds of information that could influence their buying decisions through their smartphone. This is likely to expand to retailers providing even more personalised shopping experiences through wearables.

Travel

This is where we have gathered a lot of expertise. AR is ideal to enhance the visitor experience to all kinds of attractions, historic and present day. Visitors to museums and historic attractions can learn so much more using their smartphones or by wearing AR equipment. Android and IOS users can see for themselves what historical sites would have looked like through the augmented images being laid over their own surrounding environment. This is invaluable and is likely to grow much more over the next few years as an area of interest for developers.
Interior design

Some of the best AR apps are about simplifying a process. If you can use your smartphone and an app to actually see how a piece of furniture or decor change would look in your real space in real time, this makes it much easier to make decisions.
Storytelling for advertising and marketing

AR allows for a whole new level of user interaction and, as such, offers a vital new tool for digital storytellers. Whether the story you want to tell is to advertise a product or service, or for any other message, the best augmented reality apps show just how much the technology can enhance how you tell that story.

What kind of technology goes into our Augmented Reality app?