4 tech stories you don’t want to miss -- brands are turning to AR to show plastic-free efforts

Augmented reality is helping brands communicate their commitments to the environment
Forbes

Retailers are under increasing pressure to cut down on waste. To generate awareness of plastic pollution and show its plastic-free efforts, Lush -- the UK handmade cosmetics company -- is turning to augmented reality. It plans to introduce AR into stores to let customers scan a product to see how it was made, its ingredients and more. Read more

5 ways businesses can get started with AR
TechRepublic

A new report looks at five ways businesses can incorporate AR into business strategy. For example, AR is a useful tool for gaining feedback on a new product before it goes into manufacturing. Consumers can interact with a 3D visualisation of the product from their own homes to provide feedback on design and functionality. The report also explains how AR can be used for employee training, generating brand awareness and more. Read more

High-tech Sweden strikes again with AR navigation in its busiest railway station
Railway Technology

Stockholm’s central railway station is not only Sweden’s busiest station -- it’s the busiest in the whole of Scandinavia. To offer passengers a better experience, the station has launched its own AR app to help them navigate. The app uses virtual arrows -- in a similar way to AR City -- to guide passengers to their platform. Not only is this a great use case for AR navigation, it highlights the potential for augmented reality to enhance the quality of public services. Read more

An augmented night’s sky -- stargazing with AR
Next Reality

Augmented reality has led to the launch of the world’s first outdoor planetarium. An initiative by National Geographic, visitors can look up at the night’s sky and see names of planets, stars, and outlines of constellations overlaid in AR. Visitors view the experience with their smartphones through a wearable cardboard viewer whilst listening to a narration by ‘The Night Sky Guy’, Andrew Fazekas. Read more