The idea of “augmented reality” began to sound familiar to almost everyone this summer. This is because of the furious popularity of the game Pokemon Go for mobile platforms. In our article we will talk of what activities pokemonomania has caused and will the forecasts of cyberpunk ideologists about the fact that we will not be able to distinguish the reality and virtuality will come true.

In fact, the term “augmented reality” has appeared in 1990. It was introduced by the former researcher of the company Boeing Thomas Caudell. And this is quite logical, because initially the technologies of augmented reality were used only by military pilots. Their electronic helmets provided them with the information about craft condition and armament systems, and also radar data.

Smartphones and tablets are not considered to be the special AR-devices for obvious reasons. However, the augmented reality not only caught on but also became a real glut of modern times here rather than elsewhere.

Let’s begin our research with the game Pokemon Go which went out into the world on July 6 and won the hearts of the whole world literally within a week. China, the USA, Russia, New Zealand – the application is being spread with the great power and embraces the whole continents like a virus. It broke in the top in App Store and closes in it in Google Play, and also notes of pokemons appear in media every day.

The secret of popularity is just in the augmented reality technology. The player uses camera and GPS to find and catch pokemons in the streets, parks and so on. After this he can train and develop his/her own pokemons and start the battles with other coaches.
This entertaining game returned the glut of the end of 1990s and beginning of 2000s when everybody talked only about pokemons and at the same time introduced the augmented reality. The hashtag #pokemongo is one of the most popular in the history of Instagram. There are more than five million tags.

But not nearly all people take this tendency positively. 20% of posts are the sarcastic caricatures on a topic of human stupidity and addiction.

All this boosted the rise of virtual reality products. For example, a new VR-attraction under a promising name The VOID was launched in the USA and China. Here the complete feeling of attendance is created and the quest participant entirely focuses on scenery – an ancient church where it is necessary to do puzzles. The first participants who had overpassed the labyrinth have already left feedback on the Web.

If you think that virtual and augmented realities can be used only for gaming purposes, you are wrong. There is one more breakthrough, and now such technologies will be used even for the treatment and prophylaxis of phobias. One of the mobile apps named Speech Center which helps to overcome the fear of public presentations has already gone out into the world. Society considers it a real “major step of humanity” on the way to success.

Virtual and augmented reality apps have filled the Web like “mushrooms after rain”. With their help you can model a design of your flat, get education, visit excursions, take part in a performance, work. In a word, you can live up to the hilt in a virtual world staying in your flat. The time will show what fate is promised by such a technological revolution to the humanity. Until then, the reality is: