The road to ubiquitous consumer augmented reality systems

The tremendous rise of interest and hype in augmented reality (AR) is justified by its long‐term potential as the technology with the best chance to supplant smartphones, by becoming the dominant platform and interface for accessing digital information. However, we are still far from achieving an ideal AR system that is ubiquitously accepted by consumers and reaches this potential. This paper focuses on the two fastest paths leading to ubiquitous consumer AR systems: (a) offshoots of enterprise AR systems, and (b) systems that initially target niche consumer AR usages and subsequently expand in capabilities. To justify these two paths, this paper describes some history of AR, recent changes due to new developments, and specific obstacles and challenges. Not all challenges are technical. Social acceptance and usages are also crucial. This paper identifies specific characteristics, approaches, and strategies that are most likely to succeed, and compares these to the characteristics and development of previous successful consumer technologies, including smartphones and devices that improve human eyesight in specific situations.