Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory.

AR can be defined as a system that fulfills three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects. The overlaid sensory information can be constructive (additive to the natural environment) or destructive (masking of the natural environment).

The first functional AR system was developed in 1992 by Louis Rosenberg at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. It was called Virtual Fixtures and was designed to improve human performance by overlaying sensory information on a workspace.

Modern AR systems use a combination of cameras, sensors, and display technologies to overlay digital information onto the physical world. Devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens, Meta Quest 3, and Ray-Ban Meta glasses represent the current state of consumer AR hardware.