Kathryn’s story may seem like something out of a sci-fi novel but, in truth, this technology is just around the corner. AR glasses and hologram displays are coming. And they will replace your smartphone.
Let that sink in.
If you think about it, carrying around a hand-sized rectangle is inconvenient. It doesn’t make sense. Your hands are always holding and manipulating an awkward device. You are often losing it. Sometimes it loses its charge or simply dies. And if you want to see the world with augmented reality, watching through a smartphone screen doesn’t cut it. Smartphones are going by the wayside; they are fast becoming out of date.
What will replace it?
For the purpose of this guidebook, we will focus on how a wearable, like AR glasses, would work to replace the mobile phone, although we do have to mention the different approaches that companies like Humane are presenting which are screenless and use projection mapping. Think no one is going to wear them? Well, the success of something as simple as the pedometer can show us how technology can go from a hobby to a technology that has become second nature.
When the pedometer was first invented, it did not become an overnight success. Mechanical pedometers were invented by watchmakers. Over time, they were turned into mechanical devices that hobbyists tinkered with. In the 1960s, a Japanese doctor, Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, invented the term Manpo-kei which translates to 10,000 step-meter. Today, our phones track our steps by default, and our smartwatches display our step goal on the watch face. Counting steps is almost as synonymous with telling the time. Who knew that those first pedometers would turn into cultural normality?
In the same way that the simple pedometer has become part of our daily lives, a new wearable device will become a natural part of it as well. Much like the smartphone that transformed the way we interact with each other, this new device will change the way we digest information, shop for our favorite fashion items, and connect with each other. We will have wearable technology that will be embedded with AI in the form of computer vision, machine learning, and augmented reality.