We’ve all been there, browsing through the stores for hours find our dream piece of furniture, only to find that when we get home it doesn’t fit or look anything like we imagined. IKEA is trying to change that with its augmented reality mobile app “IKEA Place”. The IKEA Place allows its users to visualize how furniture will look in their own home, which means that customers can not only decide which furniture to buy from home but decrease the undesirable results of not being happy with their choice. This app enables furniture shoppers to virtually furnish their rooms with over 2,000 objects and accessories available from the IKEA catalog. The app automatically scales the chosen product to the size based on the shopper’s room’s dimensions with some 98% accuracy and offers the ability to see the texture of the fabric rendering of lights and shadows making the experience of choosing an item of furniture into a fun digital activity. IKEA Place aims to blend real and digital worlds through the touch of a smartphone and provides opportunities to improve the stressful in-store shopping experience with an aim of decreasing hassle and the number of returns.
Can you think of any other applications where a technology like this could be used and business or education? What’s the next Air BnB virtual walkthrough, H&M virtual change rooms? Virtual classrooms?
Hi Michael,
Thank you for this post; quite interesting.
Your follow up questions are quite valid and relevant. Can augmented reality be used in education/classrooms? My humble opinion is that Yes, definitely!
Augmented reality can certainly be valuable for teachers and educators. Even though it will bring along a series of challenges, both on the infrastructure level as well as on the process level, but in the long-run it can be quite beneficial.
Let’s examine the learning opportunities using a few examples. Currently, we utilize two-dimensional mediums for educational purposes, but what if we introduced three-dimensional products in our teaching? For instance, how would combining physical and virtual worlds impact a science teacher who is trying to explain the heart and circulatory system? You see how valuable the three-dimensional teaching becomes? How about for a physical education teacher who is trying to educate kids on the muscular system? You see the where I’m going with this? With the introduction of augmented reality to our education, the learning possibilities become endless and priceless.
Great post Michael, got me thinking about the subject,
Thank you,
Saeid
Hi Michael:
This is an interesting concept that IKEA is playing with concerning AR. I am actually surprised that other retail outlets have not moved into this direction. Retail in fact is suppose to be one of the most disrupted sectors when it comes to incorporating technology. This not only includes employment but also customer service and delivery of goods. If you have any more videos, please share. I know some people who may want to capitalize on this idea, since they work in the retail industry.