Forget your smartphone. Augmented reality will provide us with completely new interfaces to interact with technology. It reinforces our minds and becomes an extension of ourselves, rather than a new technique that we need to learn.

Charlotte Mattfolk is an expert on AR. When we meet her, she lectures on the subject, and has recently returned from several international fairs within the AR area.

What practical uses are available for AR?

To give a clearer picture, Charlotte gives examples in three areas:

• AR as a guide: AR will guide us right when we drive a car, searching for a person, an address or a product in store. Today, the brain needs to translate the interpretation of a map, AR will give us precise instructions with very high precision, tells Charlotte and continues:
• AR for identification: AR will help us to quickly find out how, where and from whom a product was produced and handled throughout the whole value chain. It is a huge opportunity to increase its credibility in sustainability, but will also immediately demands a change.
  Consumers can use their power in a completely new way.
• AR for education: AR in combination with VR (virtual reality) will enable you to learn things by experiencing the situation yourself. We will be able to visit historical sites, experience war or a surgical procedure.

How do you think AR will change our everyday life?

The most concrete thing is that we will stop looking down on our screen and instead lifting our eyes and interacting with “screens” in completely different formats, where we may not even be aware of the technology.

Charlotte tells that US strategy professor Michael Porter estimates that AR will have as much influence as the development of the internet. The reason for this is that AR connects Internet of Things, the Internet and our minds in a way that drastically increases our productivity and efficiency.

AR will awaken a variety of philosophical questions about what we want to experience and what we can experience. It will be able to leave so strong memories in us that we will need to create filters and ways to choose what we want to refrain from. The brain and body will not necessarily be able to differentiate between a real experience and an AR experience.

About Charlotte

Charlotte Mattfolk, CEO of Cartina, is passionately interested in how new technologies can affect companies and industries.

What is your favorite destination?

– I always long for countries where the weather is hot! Like Asia or Brazil. Love Paris too.

What is your best series?

– The Swedish serie Ms. Friman’s war I think is amazing. Would you like some inspiration for new technologies? See Black Mirror and Mr. Robot!

What is augmented reality (AR)?

Augmented reality (AR) can be described as a combination of reality and a visual layer of data. To be called augmented reality, three things must be fulfilled: the sense of mind must come from the reality and the digital at the same time. The two worlds should match each other geometrically, and finally, it should happen in real time.