From the high-tech, information-laden sight of The Terminator to Ironman’s augmented view of the world from inside his suit, digital information overlaid on the real world is a long-established trope in the world of science fiction. We don’t need to wait for movies or video games to give us an augmented view of reality anymore–modern computing hardware is more than capable of replicating the high-tech worlds of fiction.

Augmented reality (AR) can be used with devices as simple as a camera-enabled smartphone or with advanced hardware like Microsoft HoloLens. AR is likely to change the way we interact with computers in the near future, and in many ways it already has. Find out how, and why, augmented reality matters to modern businesses.

The AR market is predicted to be worth $60.55 billion USD by 2023, and it’s likely to be led by some of the biggest names in tech: Google, Samsung, HTC, and Microsoft. Companies that want to stay on the cutting edge should, at the very least, consider where augmented reality could fit in their organizations. It’s not going away anytime soon, and if the predictions are correct, it’s only going to be more important as time goes on.

Learn more about AR for business in this free cheat sheet PDF download from TechRepublic.

From the cheat sheet:

WHAT IS AUGMENTED REALITY?

Like the heads-up displays seen everywhere in science fiction, augmented reality is any technology that allows its users to see digital information projected onto the real world. That’s where AR differentiates itself from virtual reality (VR): AR doesn’t block out the real world or replace it with a completely digital one–it lets the real world show through, only with digital objects or information on top of it.

There are plenty of well-known examples of AR in the real world. Games like Pokemon Go project digital critters onto the world around them; Google Maps has added AR features that show directions on the real world; and other smartphone apps have made novel use of AR through embedded cameras. Data security, which encompasses all elements of protecting data and ensuring only authorized users have access.