掌控AR

到底什么是增强现实?没有一个简单的答案。增强现实使用图形显示将图像叠加在实际“现实”之上。它可以通过多种方式做到这一点——通过智能手机、智能眼镜、车内显示器或功能强大的全功能AR耳机。

这些产品的不同之处在于它们的图形功能和交互性。智能眼镜传递基本的平视显示器，将2D信息投射到用户的世界观之上。智能手机和成熟的AR耳机的图形功能更加强大，能够将复杂的交互式3D图像投射到用户的视图中。

消费者最熟悉的是基于智能手机的应用程序，其中最大的两个是社交媒体应用Snapchat和手机游戏应用Pokemon Go。虽然谷歌Glass智能眼镜在2012年一度受到全球关注，但在遭遇隐私问题反弹后，该产品很快就离开了消费领域。2014年，It转向了企业市场。

虽然谷歌玻璃吸引了全世界的想象力，但它并不是同类产品中的第一款。其他公司——比如Vuzix——十多年前就已经推出了智能眼镜和头戴式显示器(HMDs)，最初是用于军事用途。在成熟的AR头盔领域，微软的HoloLens和Magic Leap的头戴式虚拟视网膜显示器是两款领先产品，但大多数消费者并不了解这些产品。

原文：What is augmented reality exactly? There's not really an easy answer. Augmented reality uses a graphical display to superimpose images on top of actual "reality." It can do so through multiple means -- via smartphones, smart glasses, in-car displays, or powerful full-fledged AR headsets.

Where these products differ is in terms of their graphical capabilities and interactiveness. Smart glasses relay basic heads-up displays, projecting 2D information on top of the user's view of the world. Smartphones and full-fledged AR headsets are more graphically powerful, capable of projecting complex interactive 3D images into the user's view.

Consumers are most aware of smartphone-based applications, with the big two being social media app Snapchat and mobile gaming app Pokémon Go. While the Google Glass smart glasses briefly rose to worldwide attention in 2012, the product quickly left the consumer sphere after a privacy backlash. It pivoted into the enterprise market in 2014.

Although Google Glass captured the world's imagination, it wasn't the first product of its kind. Other companies -- such as Vuzix -- had introduced smart glasses and head-mounted displays (HMDs) more than a decade prior, originally for military use. The two leaders in the full-fledged AR headset space are Microsoft's HoloLens and Magic Leap's head-mounted virtual retinal display, but most consumers are unaware of these products.