Juniper Research reports an increase of more than 25 per cent in compatible smartphone handsets during 2010, as well as wider availability of augmented reality applications pre-installed or for download.
The process uses light sensors to create an image of the real-life backdrop, with gyroscopic sensors then used to detect the motion of the handset.
By shifting a superimposed image to match this movement, augmented reality allows it to appear as though it were in the real world, being filmed along with the background.
However, the analyst suggests an understanding of the technology is not necessary.
"Even if consumers don't necessarily understand how it works, they can see real-life examples of augmented reality in action," says author of Juniper Research's Mobile Augmented Reality report Dr Windsor Holden.
Posted by Andre Dixon
