#Extended_Reality

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Blog#6

VR/AR/MR:

XR, or extended reality, is an umbrella term that encompasses Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR). Although all three technologies share similar features, each serves distinct purposes and employs different technologies.

Augmented reality (AR):

Augmented reality is the technology where it overlays computer-generated information on top of our real-world view through glasses, smartphones, or other devices. This computer-generated information can be text, audio-visual, interactive 3d objects.

There are many used cases for AR technology, for example, in Smartphones AR games can use the phone camera to take images and overlay certain gaming features or objects to deliver the gaming experience combined with the real world.

AR smart glasses can also be used just to merge the real world and technology. It can also be used with medical devices to guide and assist navigation for blind or other disabled people.

AR is also used in many other places like architectural visualisation, medical science, education (children’s playbooks) and many more.

Virtual Reality (VR):

VR devices are used as wearable headsets which completely change use’s view from reality to a computer-generated virtual environment. This type of XR has been in existence for a while. The first use of VR for gaming can be traced back to the 1980s.

Virtual reality has mostly been used in entertainment media or games. The first consumer-ready VR product was launched in 2013. Soon the population of VR games grew with it.

VR is also used in some cases for educational and business purposes.

Standalone VR devices, such as the latest meta-Quest 3 can even deliver AAA gaming at ease. The advancement of XR devices and Innovation in technology is bridging the gap between high-end pc and console games to VR gaming.

Mixed Reality (MR):

Mixed reality is the combination of AR and VR, it merges the real world and virtual world.  MR technology can be experienced through smartphone or AR wearable devices with virtual objects or characters superimposed into real-world scenes.

The Pokémon GO mobile game, released back in 2016, took the world by storm with its popularity. Pokémon Go which was always named as an AR game is a great example of an MR game. It blends the virtual world of Pokémons with the virtual gameplay mechanics on top of real-world maps and locations.

XR technologies have been establishing their presence in the market for a while now, and with advancements in technology and AI, Machine Learning is at the forefront of the IT world. These are XR's going to be mainstream.

With the recent launch of Apple’s Vision Pro, we have seen the potential of these XR devices growing from complex uses like healthcare, education, and retail, to normal day-to-day activities like watching a movie or a show.

References:

(Author unknown). Augmented reality. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality.

(Author Unknown) Extended reality. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_reality.

(Author unknown). Mixed reality. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_reality.