AI, automation and the internet of things, The list of exciting and growing technologies goes on but there's one technology that excites me more than any other - augmented reality.

AR is poised to disrupt just about every industry in existence. Marketers are using AR to create exciting storytelling animated AR ads. Healthcare and medicine are utilizing AR, and even the military are currently experimenting with augmented reality by creating large-volume simulation environments.

While this may be cool and will benefit a lot of people and change a lot of lives, it's the entertainment industry that's got me fired up about AR.

TV

Since the television started becoming a part of the household furniture back in the '50s and '60s, the concept of how we watch it has remained relatively the same. It's a square or rectangular box that goes in the corner of the room and we watch on a screen from a distance. Sure, the television got an injection of color, HD was introduced and Netflix made its way into over 100-million homes across the world, but the process of how we watch and consume hasn't really changed.

Augmented reality is set to change that in a big way. With AR, the restrictions on how you watch TV are transformed dramatically. Turning your 32” television into an 80” television will be as simple as pinching a corner of the virtual TV and dragging it to your desired size. And moving the TV around the room will no longer require heavy lifting and rewiring, AR will allow you to simply point and drag it to any position you want.

Mark Zuckerberg has even predicted AR to be the end of the TV stating:

“You want to watch TV? We could put a digital TV on that wall and instead of being a piece of hardware, it’s a $1 app, instead of a $500 piece of equipment.”

This is only the start of AR-based television. In the future, technology like volumetric video will allow for completely holographic augmented television.

You'll be able to watch some of your favorite programs in AR and see life-sized 3D recordings of top actors and celebrities performing in your living-room. This tech is already here but it will be some time before it becomes a normal part of our daily lives.

Gaming

I've always been Pokémon's number 1 biggest fan, something I don't tend do admit, but I've loved it since the very first episode aired in 1998 so when I heard about the release of Pokémon Go, the idea of my trusted little pocket monsters flying around and causing havoc in my real-world space got me very excited indeed.

AR makes the ideal technology for gaming experiences, matched only by virtual reality. My initial reaction to Pokémon Go was sadly met with disappointment, but my vision of what it could be and what AR gaming is a whole could be still remain strong. Imagine a life-sized Charizard flying high above before you command it to attack an unsuspected Exeggutor sat in the grass below. The battle erupts in front of your very eyes with fire, explosions, and bursts of color consuming your entire field of view. You aren't just playing the game anymore, you are in the game, taking the place of Ash Ketchum out on a mission to catch them all and become the greatest trainer that ever lived!

Ok, see I told you I'm Pokémon's biggest fan and maybe you don't share the same excitement as me but if you're a gamer at heart then there will be many augmented reality experiences that will make you want to spend your hard-earned salary on a top of the range headset. Maybe you're a Call of Duty fan? Call of Duty in AR would allow you to assemble 2 teams to head in to combat in your home town. You'll have a virtual gun firing virtual bullets which you will see blowing holes in your target. Or have your village overrun with large groups of deadly zombies trying to eat your flesh. They're coming from the alley, stumbling out from your neighbors front garden and creeping up the road behind.

Whatever your choice of gaming experiences, there's no doubt about it, gaming is going to be seriously disrupted by augmented reality technology.

Pornography

Shocked? Anybody? No, I didn't think so. Augmented reality has been making its way into porn for some time now with no signs of slowing down. Breakthroughs like ARCore and ARKit have helped accelerate the developments of mobile-based AR adult entertainment and even Hololens now has AR porn.

I believe AR will have the biggest impact on the adult industry since the introduction of videotapes. Just like with gaming, you're no longer a separate entity consuming your entertainment from a distance. You become immersed in a life-sized scene and fully interact with the girl in front of you on a personal level. Various developers are already taking advantage of 4D volumetric technology which allows you to position a life-sized kinky 3D girl in your physical space.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the idea of AR porn. I've tried VR porn and it was next-level but I didn't like all the restrictions like having to sit so completely still only being able to move my head. I can see how augmented reality will shine through out of the two technologies and maybe even become a dominant force in the adult space.