Augmented Reality is a steadily growing new way to deliver interactive experiences. In essence it merges digital media with the real world most commonly via a computer's video display and camera.

We've been aware of AR for some time when it appeared more mainstream with Adobe Flash's FLAR Toolkit. And actually the concept of digital reality merging and replacing the 'real' world as an extension of Baudrillard's HyperReal was the investigation of my own personal studies in Media Lab Arts for my University degree. As with a lot of technology its transference to wide use comes with practical application.

I've had my eyes on AR for some time to see if it would mature into more than what appeared at first a visual parlour trick. Whilst it struggled for delivery on desktops and laptops the new breed of tablets and smartphones have allowed AR to be applied more easily and practically thanks to portability.

There are still some challenges as this new form of interaction is still young but when done well, AR is stunning. When conceived well it is more than an app but an experience that can traverse the social channels, the direct digital experience and continue in being a real world experience shareable with others. 

Now adopted by major brands as part of marketing communication to help bring brand experiences to life Augmented Reality is on the rise and data from ABI Research has proven that the market for Augmented Reality will reach $350m (£218m) during 2014 in the US alone.