What is AR VR MR XR?

What is Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Extended Reality (XR)?

Augmented reality uses a real-world environment adding virtual data to enhance user experience and this is achieved by adding digital visuals, sound with help of technology. Unlike virtual reality, AR adds elements to its existing reality. It is an experience that enhances the user's physical world with computer-generated data input in the form of sound, graphics, and digital content, all interacting in real-time creating an artificial environment for the user. AR helps to bridge the disconnect between digital data and the physical world. By adding digital data directly to the real environment, AR allows people to interact with the digital world and the real world at the same time. 

With Augmented reality,  digital data is projected on smartphone cameras or smart gear devices making the real and virtual worlds interact with each other. The digital world recognizes the real world in the form of physical objects, body, and face gestures all in real-time.     

The most popular AR Experience is available in smartphones as Instagram filters to Enhance selfie users' click-through his camera.

Virtual reality creates an alternate universe for the user shutting out the physical world. Virtual reality immerses the user into an artificial computer-generated environment offering an alternating experience with no connection with the real world. This is done with the help of headset gear, sensors all interacting in the digital environment with objects and visuals, images and sound appearing real making the user feel completely immersed in the virtual universe. 

Mixed Reality is a combination of AR and VR, blending the real and digital world creating a new environment where the physical and digital worlds coexist and interact with each other in real-time. The term was originally introduced by Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino in a 1994 paper entitled “A Taxonomy of Mixed Reality Displays.” 

The main goal of mixed reality is to combine the elements of augmented reality and virtual reality.    

Mixed Reality consists of objects and the environment of the real world on the left to the virtual digital world on the right. 

With one foot in the real world and the other foot in the virtual world, mixed reality is ahead of augmented reality where physical and virtual worlds interact with each other and users can interact with them as well. The user can explore the real and virtual world at the same time instead of exploring only the virtual world in virtual reality.         

Extended reality is for all immersive forms of technologies It is the combination of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality where people will interact in the future with the real environment and the virtual environment without any distinction of a new category of extended reality.

Extended Reality (XR) market – growth

Extended reality is emerging as immersive technology that includes augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality. The demand for these technologies has increased as it reduces the gap between people, real-world and virtual visual-based world. 

 XR technology creates a virtual digital world for people giving them a whole new experience. Due to this, the adaptation of extended reality is being increasingly applied in all fields.

The major reason for market growth is due to huge investment in AR/VR technology, increasing demand for consumer enhancing experience, advancement in the display, and roll out of 5G internet service.

It is expected that the extended reality market is going to reach USD 463 billion dollars in market value by 2026.

With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the need for virtual meetings and online education training has increased the demand for extended reality technology which has forced people to work from home. But the closure of manufacturing due to pandemics has disrupted the production and supply of XR products. 

However, the adaptation of XR technology needs high-speed wireless connectivity which is not feasible all around the world at the moment. Though the risk of data theft of end-user is a major issue, still XR technology due to its unique user experience holds a promising future growth in the coming years.

AR and VR Trends and its Applications

With big brands like IKEA are using AR to help their customer get a new shopping experience using their smartphones to make a better choice, the potential for AR and VR in business and entertainment is huge.

 With social media apps like Instagram are using AR to create a fun filter for the selfie to gaming app like Pokemon Go has transformed mobile gaming using AR.

Due to coronavirus lot of sports events were cancelled and cinema multiplex shut down, there is an eager desire from both the sports and entertainment sector to drive income with AR and Virtual events.

Social distancing due to covid 19 is seen as the biggest driver of AR-based technology in the medicine and health sector. AR assist the doctor in providing life-saving information in the case of an emergency but it is also helping medical students in the training programme. 

AR-based technology is used by automakers to get real-time data about traffic, speed or mechanical issues, it is also impacting the tourism industry in a big way. The AR technology will be used to provide users with an interactive experience of a tourist site or museum through smartphone apps or AR devices.

Virtual reality has been successful in business and will continue to grow in the coming years.

VR technology is being used in education and training where learning can be done in a simulated real environment without any risk involved.it is being adapted in digital education in a major way post covid.

VR technology has gained a lot of popularity in online eCommerce shopping. As most people were stuck at home during the Covid pandemic, people who are seeking vacation are adopting the VR technology but the most investment in VR technology has come in the gaming sector as games have the biggest user of virtual reality right now.

Applications of Augmented reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR)

The emergence of augmented reality is helping in driving the tech economy. The total value of the AR market is expected to reach $100 billion. There is a rapid adaptation of augmented reality-based apps, smart glasses, and headgear in all industries from retail, education to manufacturing 

The real reason for the growth of augmented reality and virtual reality is because it is providing a whole new experience to consumers from visualizing the product and experiencing it before buying it.

Augmented reality is moving beyond retail, online shopping, and manufacturing, on the other hand, virtual reality is giving an immersive experience through video games, performing complex heart surgeries to improve the quality of sports training.

Augmented reality is now being rapidly being adopted in medical training helping students learn the anatomy of the human body with help of AR headgear helping them to immerse into a 3D model of the human body in an interactive way. It is helping in the retail sector where consumers can use AR-based apps to get additional information about products. 

In recent years military is using virtual reality for training soldiers in a virtual combat environment, preparing them to learn how to react in a war-like situations.

Sanika K S