Virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) seem like magic. The technology that was once mysterious and novel has emerged from computer labs and research facilities to become part of everyday life.
While VR places you in a virtual world, AR places virtual objects onto the real world and lets you interact with them. You may have downloaded a few apps onto your smartphone that use the technology, most notably Snapchat, which pioneered AR in the social media space with its popular puppy, deer and flower crown selfie filters, which it calls lenses. Earlier this year the company introduced a set of rear-camera lenses that place virtual objects, like Bitmoji avatars, in the real world using the app’s camera.