augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience of a real-world environment where the objects in the real world are "augmented" by computer-generated information, usually across multiple sensory modalities, such as visual, auditory, haptics, and olfactory.

The overlaid sensory information can be positive (i.e. adding to the natural environment) or negative (i.e. removing the natural environment) as it is interwoven with your physical world in such a way that it is perceived as an immersive experience of the real environment. Augmented reality alters one's ongoing perception of a real world environment, whereas virtual reality completely replaces the user's real world environment with a simulated one.

Historical perspective: In July 2016, millions of smartphone gamers caught Pokemon Go fever reported The Wall Street Journal. The overnight success of the mobile-gaming mega hit, which was jointly developed by Nintendo and Niantic Inc., was immediately download more than 15 million times, sending Nintendo's market value from $20 billion to nearly $31 billion. Pokemon Go uses augmented reality to let players hunt for and caputre the game's "pocket monsters" which can be seen through users' smartphone cameras lurking around parks, offices and other real-world locations. The New York Times said Pokemon Go, which lays digital imagery over a person's view of the real world, could be the moment augmented reality broke through from a niche toy for early adopters to something much bigger.