Unlocking the Future: How Augmented Reality Workshops Propel Businesses into Tomorrow

In this new age of digital modernisation, augmented reality (AR) is not just a word – it’s a physical technology, slowly finding its way into our everyday lives – a tool that is helping to redefine humanity’s engagement with the world around us. AR is already being used to improve customer experiences and help design, develop and market cutting-edge products and services, while preparing us for a future where the distinction between the physical and digital worlds blurs completely. And augmented reality workshops are fast becoming a key touchpoint for developers and vendors, and for business leaders looking to maximise the potential of AR as a technology. So, what’s special about AR workshops and why are they more than a mere trend indicator?

What is an Augmented Reality Workshop?

Fundamentally, an AR workshop is an ultra-hands-on class about what AR is and what the landscape looks like to someone who wants to use it. It goes beyond simply learning how AR apps are built, and focuses on how to customise them for use in the real world on web, mobile or smart glasses. For developers, it is indeed a learning journey, but for the business leaders and specialist teams that get to play with AR tools during these workshops, it is a form of ‘innovation sandbox’ where they can test out how AR can be used with various applications, such as for collaboration, product design and development, or customer service.

Bridging the Gap: The Essentials of AR Workshops

Prior to jumping into the next AR wave, being able to define what it takes to participate in an AR workshop will augment this outcome. Knowing Unity and/or Unreal, being able to use some programming language (C#, Java, JavaScript, Python) and understanding 3D modelling are good starting points. All of this, along with an appreciation of the UX design principles and the hardware to support AR, are a good starting point.

Top Augmented Reality Workshops to Look Forward To in 2024

• Coursera/Daydream: Introduction to Augmented Reality
• Coursera/Meta: Meta AR Developer
• Tandon School of Engineering: AR/VR Development
• MIT xPro: Virtual Reality and Augmented wishes
• Udemy/Protech Academy: Create Your Own AR Application

The Business Case for Augmented Reality Workshops

These AR workshops are as much about training teams for the future as they are a strategic investment for the company: a way to make the company better at working together now, and in the future, by learning AR skills and leveraging the power of the metaverse in their products. And, as we all know, what can be monetised will be monetised! Additionally, such workshops are a way of setting the tone for learning and development throughout the organisation. Because it is changing all the time and will continue to do so.

GOOGLE’s Role in Amplifying AR Innovations

Leading the pack is GOOGLE, with a variety of resources for AR development such as ARCore, and other collaborations that power many of the AR workshops you can join. When GOOGLE democratises the ability to develop AR, business and developers are able to produce immersive AR experiences that may have previously been available only to an AR studio. Workshops that use some variant of a GOOGLE ecosystem can serve as a baseline understanding of the what, why and how of AR for businesses, to apply it in building the future of marketing and for engaging customers, to design products, or to use AR for remote assistance service.

In Conclusion: The Augmented Path Ahead

Workshops are the key to the future of augmented reality And the future of augmented reality looks pretty damn exciting. Workshops are the key to it, of course. From the summer of websites to the summer of AR, in the past two months I’ve seen a future where the end of the screen frees our eyes for the real world, even as technology pours into it. But doubt raises its gnarly head: is this really the direction digital technology is heading? Will AR end up losing its mojo as it becomes another thing in the attic of tech history, alongside the long-forgotten CP/M or the obsolete eight-track tape? And how can you turn digital artefacts into works of art? If AR’s genius is as simple as it seems, its rise is a given. The fact that you now find yourself reading about it on a screen means workshops are the key to the future of AR. And if you’re a business or an individual wanting to make money and excel in the 21st century, you’d better nail it. Because the potential for AR is huge.