by Michele Marques, Information Developer Specialist, Digital Service Management

Augmented Reality is starting to become useful. For example, on a trip to Japan, I was able to translate instructions for a toilet into English. I opened Google Translate on my phone, and used camera mode to translate the image. If you didn't realize that a toilet might need instructions, check the pictures in this article.   The instructions didn't come with augmented reality - and I'm not sure how much I really wanted to visualize or explore the instructions. But the augmented reality side of Google Translate helped me bridge my illiteracy in Japanese.   This was a cool experience and made me wonder whether augmented reality is now ready for use as technical documentation.

Image courtesy of blackzheep at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  Here are a few links that I found:

• Is Augmented Reality the Future of Technical Documentation - Good ideas. When looking at the "Getting Started" section, however, keep in mind that this article was written in 2013 and there are likely better tools now.
• Retargeting Technical Documentation to Augmented Reality - Interesting idea about automated system for shifting printed hardware documentation to augmented reality. The abstract and short video are free, but the full article is behind a paywall.
• Preparing for Augmented Reality - SlideShare from a presentation to technical communicators at Lavacon 2015.

What has your experience been with augmented reality?

The postings in this blog are my own and don't necessarily represent BMC's opinion or position.