According to Verified Market Search, the augmented reality market is estimated to reach USD 298.45 bln by 2031 at a CAGR of 25.35%. This growth is because augmented reality has long gone beyond entertainment software and is actively being introduced into areas where maps and GPS were previously used. In particular, every year, we are delegated projects to develop solutions at the intersection of AR, mobile, and navigation for retail, logistics, and travel services. That’s why we decided to share our insights regarding the AR software development, describe its challenges, and also explain in which cases such software will bring maximum benefit.
What Is AR-Powered Navigation?
AR navigation is a system of positioning and determining routes with objects that are projected in real time over the image transmitted through the users’ smartphone camera. This approach is especially useful in situations where conventional maps do not work or are not informative enough – in particular, indoors, at complex intersections, in multi-level transport hubs, etc.
Top Use Cases for AR in Navigation
Now, let’s consider the most typical cases for augmented reality wayfinding below.
Indoor Navigation (Airports, Malls, and Hospitals)
Finding the way around large buildings such as airports, shopping malls, hospitals, etc. can be a major challenge for new visitors, causing them critical delays. In turn, AR navigation solves this problem by overlaying arrows and other pointers directly onto the image in real time. For example, at WEZOM, we have used this technology in navigation projects for shopping malls and medical centers to achieve accuracy that GPS cannot provide.
Tourism and Outdoor Exploration
For tourists, AR navigation can ensure real-time directional guidance. Instead of peering at a map, even on a smartphone, it is enough to point the camera at the surrounding area to see where to go and where the nearest cafe, landmark, or bus stop is. This approach increases user comfort and involvement, especially among those who are poorly oriented in a new locations.
Logistics and Field Operations
As for the service segment, AR navigation can provide immediate assistance in orienting delivery drivers, couriers, or technicians. For example, an AR wayfinding system can instantly show which entrance to drive to or where exactly to leave the cargo. As a result, such software can reduce the number of errors and calls to the support service.
Campus or Event Wayfinding
Another standard case is when users get into a large event or corporate cluster. In this case, navigation becomes critical because only understanding the route will help them get to the desired stand, stage, or exit in time. In turn, augmented reality technologies ensure plotting the route step by step, directly through the smartphone camera.
Benefits of AR-Based Mobile Navigation
Let's talk about the benefits of AR for navigation, both as a standalone technology and in comparison to its predecessor, GPS.
Increased comfort and intuitiveness for users
Visual cues that are superimposed on the image of the user's real environment make the perception of the route as natural as possible, thereby reducing cognitive load and facilitating orientation in space.
Fewer errors and confusion
Instead of trying to interpret the map on their own, with augmented reality, the users simply need to go exactly where the arrow points. This is especially important in complex locations, as well as in places where every minute counts, such as airports with numerous floors and passages.
Better user engagement
AR makes the application interactive and useful in real-life scenarios. Therefore, users rarely delete such software after the first interaction experience, and, as a result, it becomes their digital guide in everyday life.
Improved accessibility
For people with spatial or navigational disabilities, augmented reality can become a full-fledged digital assistant. The visual support provided by this technology helps to remove barriers where regular text and maps demonstrate reduced effectiveness.
Technologies Powering AR Navigation
At WEZOM, we select the tech stack for AR solutions depending on the platform, scenarios of use, and scalability requirements. However, the most commonly used solutions are:
- ARKit. This is Apple's proprietary AR framework, which is used to build AR apps on iOS. It provides device position tracking, recognition of horizontal and vertical planes, support for LiDAR sensors for improved accuracy on the latest devices, as well as 3D navigation overlay in real time.
- ARCore. This is an AR framework for Android that allows us to create seamless AR experiences on Android devices. Its capabilities include motion tracking, environmental understanding, and light estimation, and its main advantage is its wide support for Android devices of different brands and form factors. At the same time, it requires calibration and fallback mechanisms for low-performance smartphones, so in some projects, we have to look for alternatives.
- Mapbox Navigation SDK. This is a modular navigation platform with the ability to integrate AR routes on top of the map. It provides 3D direction visualization via the camera, GPS, and gyroscope integration, as well as turn-by-turn prompts synchronized with the user's position. In general, Mapbox is convenient for quick integration of an AR navigator into indoor positioning systems (IPS) since it does not require writing low-level logic and positioning.
- IndoorAtlas and NavVis. These are solutions for indoor navigation where GPS does not work. In particular, while IndoorAtlas implements positioning by magnetic anomalies using Wi-Fi and BLE, NavVis is responsible for professional scanning of premises with an accuracy of up to 0.1 m. Typically, they are used in combination with Bluetooth-based BLE beacons, as well as with technologies for mapping objects.
- GPS. In combination with a smartphone camera and built-in IMU sensors, this technology can provide effective outdoor navigation, with tracking of the device's position in space in real time. In some cases, development teams have to implement filters (such as the Kalman filter) to improve the accuracy of geolocation.
In conclusion, we would like to add that any AR software requires modern devices, so when working on such projects, we additionally implement a mechanism for recognizing device capabilities. So, if the smartphone does not support ARKit / ARCore for navigation, we disable the AR component and return the fallback interface with regular maps. This ensures high stability of the app even on older smartphone models.
Challenges in Implementing AR Navigation
Despite its wide applicability in real life, AR navigation still remains a technologically challenging task due to:
- High load on battery and device resources. The need for the smartphone camera to be constantly running, as well as the use of GPS, IMU, and real-time graphics rendering tools, puts a heavy load on the user device’s processor and battery. Mid- and low-end devices are especially sensitive to such location-based AR features. To overcome this problem, we use delayed AR activation, optimize rendering, and disable unnecessary sensors during pauses.
- Limited device support. ARKit is only available on iOS 11+ and devices with an A9+ processor, while ARCore requires special support from the manufacturer, which is not available on all Android models. In this regard, our approach includes the implementation of a fallback mode and adaptive logic at the level of build flavors or runtime detectors.
- Low indoor positioning accuracy. GPS inside buildings almost never works or makes a lot of noise, while BLE beacons, Wi-Fi, or visual SLAM require infrastructure and mapping. All this leads to errors in positioning. To avoid this, we implement GPS + AR integration and map preprocessing, as well as configure tolerance zones and anti-drift algorithms in the visual SLAM system.
Of course, these are not all the nuances that should be taken into account in custom augmented reality navigation app development, so if you want to be sure that your project will be compatible with the vast majority of user devices, entrust its implementation to us.
Real-World Examples of AR Navigation Apps
In this section, we offer you a brief overview of a couple of the most well-known augmented reality navigation apps.
- Google Maps – Live View. This is an AR navigation solution from Google that is available in major cities. At its heart are ARCore and GPS, which are responsible for displaying signs and directions on a real street image. The solution works when exiting the subway, at complex intersections, and in pedestrian navigation.
- IKEA Place. Although this app is initially focused on furniture placement in the interior, it demonstrates how AR can scan the environment and accurately capture objects in space. By the way, it inspired us to create a number of custom logistics AR indoor navigation interfaces for warehouses.
Overall, an in-depth analysis of these examples allowed us to develop custom solutions based on AR for logistics and warehousing, as well as for airports, hospitals, and commerce. Their implementation brought business owners a significant decrease in the number of navigation errors, and as a result, provided convenience for new employees and couriers without knowledge of the object.
Should You Build an AR Navigation Feature?
Mobile navigation AR should be implemented when classic navigation methods no longer cope, which is typical for complex objects, with restrictions on the use of GPS, and also when high visual clarity is required. In particular, augmented reality can become the only viable solution for businesses that are tied to large premises, those that deal with large flows of new visitors (specifically, we often use AR for tourism apps), as well as those who want to collect maximum data on the users’ orientation and behavior in space.
Conclusion
We see how AR in mobile apps changes the approach to navigation: they become part of the user's surrounding world. If you are considering implementing an AR component in your mobile solution, contact our team right now.