Immersive technologies have been evolving over the years providing an impactful growth to our economy, education, healthcare, industries etc. They offer users an opportunity to experience an artificially simulated environment by creating, displaying and interacting with applications, contents etc.
Immersive technologies have transformed into a huge phenomenon, offering users a chance to digitally be in a world that exists only in their imaginations. It has also transcended to making users feel what they see or experience, with the computer-generated software.
Virtual reality, Augmented reality, Haptics are examples of this immersive technologies.
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality, widely referred to as AR is a type of immersive technology that combines or blends the real world with the virtual world through the integration of immersive sensations.
Augment means to enhance or expand. Following this, AR, provides an enhanced version of the real world. It is technically defined as a digital layer that is superimposed on the real physical world aiding the efficient performance in task and enriching real-life experiences.
AR project, adds computer generated augmentations on top of reality in such a way that it does not replace it but co exists with it at that given time. Simply put, real world + virtual world = Augmented reality.
AR seeks to expand user experience by integrating digital information or objects on top of a user’s physical environment in real time without the ability to manipulate those augmented objects.
In 1901, L. Frank Baum, mentions the idea of an electronic display that overlays data in real life. The Harvard professor and computer scientist, Ivan Sutherland developed the first AR head-mounted display gadget called the “Sword of Democles” in 1968. But the term however, is attributed to the former researcher, Thomas P. Caudell who came up with the name “Augmented reality” in 1990.
AR does not cut you off from the real world and transport you to a virtual world but rather it blends both digital and 3D components with a user’s perception of the real world thereby providing extra information about the real world.
When a person’s real environment is supplemented or augmented with computer generated images on a digital viewing system like a virtual set, we refer to this as Augmented reality.
AR technology works by making use of compatible smart devices likes smart phones, tablets, laptops, smart lenses to project virtual objects and environments on real world objects while requiring hardware components such as accelerometers, sensors, cameras, GPS, solid-state compasses etc. which mobile devices already have in order to make it more accessible to users.
AR systems have infiltrated many areas of our daily lives. The use of Google maps is an example of an AR system, it places digital directions on top of the real ones thereby showing the user where to walk and where not to.
Google lens is another good example, you don’t have to type your query anymore all you need do is to open your google page and capture the image of your interest then the system will identify the object and provide you with all the information and data regarding the object.
Another popular one is the trending snapchat filters where users can add digital contents like images, sounds, texts etc. Other examples of AR systems include: HUDs in car windshields, Pokémon Go (a popular mobile AR game), Google glasses, Tactical Augmented Reality also known as TAR which is used by the U.S army to aid in locating the position of another soldier, Target app feature called “see it in your space”, IKEA mobile etc.
AR is also largely applied in several other sectors like in healthcare, education, marketing and retail etc.
What is Virtual Reality?
The historical journey of Virtual reality (VR) dates back to the 1800s, it has been evolving right from the inception of practical photography. Morton Heilig a filmmaker, invented the first VR device called the “sensorama”, the revolutionary motion picture system that takes you into another world in 1957.
The term virtual reality, was however coined in 1987 by Jaron Lahier during his intense research on evolving technologies. VR is a technology and also a method that introduces an entirely new virtual reality.
For example, putting on a headset and gloves that are built to capture your reflexes, it blocks out the real-world view and substitutes it with a digital world that can fool your senses, making you feel like you truly exist in that space or that you are actually experiencing the things you are experiencing when in reality, you might just be standing in your living room. It’s kind of like a mental teleportation into an imaginary world.
It is a computer-generated simulation or an approximation of the real world. VR creates a totally artificial environment; the real world is hidden and the user is completely immersed in a digital one where they can interact with and manipulate objects.
Virtual reality refers to a complete immersive experience that shuts out the physical world while creating real visual experience for users by regenerating three-dimensional digital videos and images which is also dependent on their physical movements.
VR works on the fundamental principle of our observation of the environment and scene understanding. The VR headsets has built-in skeletal trackers that control the way users move within the virtual environment and their interaction with virtual characters just the same as in a real-life scenario.
It uses an external computer tethering that enables the sustenance of the system round the clock so that the flow of immersion won’t be disrupted along the line and an extensive hardware. VR devices work by engaging our sensory organs like vision, sound, touch, vibrations even smell thereby delivering a sort of real-life experience.
The movie “Ready Player One” directed by Steven Spielberg gives a clear glimpse into Virtual Reality.
Some of the best VR headset products includes; Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, Meta Quest 2, Sony PlayStation VR, Mirage Solo etc. VR is not all about gaming.
It is also revolutionizing other sectors like in education we’ve heard about Class VR, which is a completely integrated, classroom-ready device that aids both the teachers and students to ensure an exciting and engaging classroom experience.
We have also heard about Google Earth VR which offers an exciting trip around the world. You can take an evening stroll along the streets of Paris while in your bedroom.
VR further extends to businesses and also to medical practitioners, clinics, hospitals who uses VR technologies for treatments, training programs for staff etc. as it offers tremendous benefits to the health sector.
Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality
AR and VR are similar in so many ways. They both involve the interaction with virtual elements through a software. Both, having been designed to offer users an opportunity to interact with digital contents or objects in a simulated computer-generated space, they differ in their use cases or functions. This leads us the major differences between AR and VR.
The fundamental differences between the two is that while AR aids you to look at virtual objects in the real world, VR transports you to an entirely different reality than the one you are presently in.
While using a VR headset, you cannot see through to the world. It is similar to having a computer monitor stretched to the limit of your vision in a three spatial dimension so that objects align with your head movement. So, although you’re sitting on your couch, when you launch a VR demo that takes you to a forest, what you will see when you turn both ways will be things in the forest and not your furniture.
In AR, you can see through to the real world regardless. It overlays virtual objects onto your reality allowing you to interact with both the virtual and the real world simultaneously while VR replaces your reality with a virtual one with no visual connection to the real world.
This means that while AR adds or enhances information in the physical world, VR simply provides some sort of immersive experiences that takes users out of this world digitally.
AR requires a compatible smart devices like smartphones, tablets, smart lenses and laptops. VR on the other hand requires a specialized head mounted device or other hardware, such as hand controllers, gloves that can track the user’s movements.
Another major difference is in their use cases. VR is frequently used in gaming, architectural and product visualization and other applications that require a fully immersive experience. AR, on the other hand is often used in education, retail, healthcare, advertising, industries and so many others.
AR and VR differ given the user interaction. In VR, the users technically interact with the digital space using controllers, gloves or other specialized input devices while in AR, the users interact with the digital overlays using either touch, gesture, or voice commands.
It is simple, if you want to translate a word from English to Hangul then Augmented Reality is the deal while Virtual Reality can teleport you to South Korea virtually. In Augmented reality, there is a virtual object in the real world while in Virtual reality, the user becomes the real element in a virtual environment.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Augmented Reality
AR from its inception has led to the improvement of many areas of our everyday lives. It has proven to render an efficient and engaging experience for users. Although it has its cons just like every other technology, it has benefited man in several areas like in education.
It has transformed the learning and teaching process by providing necessary contents, tons of data needed for courses and has helped teachers to improve student’s participation in the classroom. Students and teachers can share experiences, information and debate in real-time irrespective of geographical barriers.
Although it requires a high bandwidth in order to offer real life-like experience with objects, AR systems are still easy to use and its devices are not always out of reach.
It has been employed to several other fields like in interior decoration, gaming, navigation, design, architecture, military, archaeology, social media apps like Snapchat and Google lens which makes gathering information about an object easier and cooler.
Devices that use AR technology collects data about their users in order to provide better AR experiences but this could raise an alarm over the user’s privacy and security as it could make them liable to cyber threats, hacks etc. It has a limited field of view, has a high production cost for its devices, it’s also costly to maintain its technology-based ventures and their applications.
An addiction to AR could result to a negative impact on human health which includes mental and physical. Another major drawback lies in its adoption as the average man may not see its usefulness in his day-to-day activities, current restrictions in 3D systems that aids 3D visualization also drags the adoption of AR technology in real-time.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Reality
Virtual reality has swept over several fields positively with a lot of benefits. Just imagine being immersed in a fantasy world that only exists in movies or novels. VR forms an interactive digital space where users can move around and manipulate virtual objects as if they were real.
With its huge impact in the educational sector, students get to experience learning a whole new level, just imagine wearing a set of ClassVR during a biology class.
It has also contributed greatly in the healthcare sector by offering opportunities for doctors or practitioners in training to confront certain things example surgery before actually performing one although this could be a drawback as the simulation may not turn out as easy as in real life.
With Google Earth VR, users get to spend time in their favorite cities without paying for a ticket. It has also benefited the military, transportation, manufacturing, gaming and so much more.
Its con is in its affordability, which has affected its practical adoption. The usage would have skyrocketed if the price isn’t so high. Excessive use of the VR gadget could cause a lot of people who seek to escape reality psychological damage and social anxiety. Temporary side effects such as headaches, nausea and blurry visions can occur which calls for an enhancement its technology.
Applications of Augmented Reality
AR is applied in fields that require a connection between the virtual and physical world. AR applications gives users the platform to interact with location-specific things.
There are different applications AR. For example, in the entertainment industry, we have cases of its use in sports, social media and provides a better gaming experience in real-time 3D. For example, Pokémon GO, Ingress, Zombies, Run! Army of Robots, Jurassic World Alive etc.
In modeling and interior design, AR is used in visualizing products that are still in the construction phase to see how it fits. Users can navigate through different paint colors, furniture, wallpapers etc. without actually buying them just to see how they perfectly suit their houses.
AR has a major application in medical training where learners engage in a training through the aid of an AR headset. They are introduced on how to handle equipment like the MRI scanner. It can also be used to diagnose patients and monitor health issues.
AR fitness is being used to provide real-time feedback on your workout and heart rate while you exercise, gamify exercise by making it more fun and flexible. Some of AR fitness apps include: Prayoga, Golf shot, Zombies, Run etc.
Its application in education cannot be overemphasized as it provides an adequate and rich learning experience for students and teachers as it has potentials of offering insightful information regarding the subject of interest.
In the retail industry, shoppers can use the Mobile applications on their smartphones to check the details of products thereby helping them to make better choices. Customers can be led to virtual stores using the AR applications, making their shopping experiences easier and better.
AR navigation apps can be used to provide further information or data regarding destinations, locations and routes to take, this is very beneficial for tourists, immigrants and drivers.
It is also applied in advertising and printing where 3D digital contents are being overlayed on top of real-world newspapers and magazines to aid the brands in popularizing their products.
Several other applications like in manufacturing, architecture, and transportation projects among many others exist.
Applications of Virtual Reality
By creating a computer-generated simulation with an immersive real-life like experience, VR offers many beneficial potential applications to several fields with the notable one being entertainment.
For examples, users get to interact and be immersed in their video games as if they are actually present in the game world. Virtual museums and galleries offer users with interactive exhibitions which could change the perception people have about them and find them more engaging. There are also virtual parks, virtual music concerts, virtual theatres, travel simulations etc.
Due to its interactive imaging, it offers a potential opportunity for marketers and business owners who can employ its endless opportunities to survey new ideas before its launch. VR also provides engineers, architects and designers with a platform to comfortably express or experiment on their ideas before kicking off with the projects to determine if it’s worth the risk.
Since VR creates a kind of real-life like experiences in 3D environments, it can be used for rehabilitation and physical therapy. By engaging patients’ attention in something else with the help of specific visual aids, sensations and sounds.
VR has been known to relieve chronic pain in some people that are recovering, help in the treatment of social and autism disorder, post-traumatic stress and curb anxiety.
In the military field, VR is notable for fights, testing of weapons and war simulations while ensuring the safety of soldiers and reducing cost. It provides an opportunity to engage in a training or handle a weapon that may be too dangerous to be done in real life, this includes training pilots for an actual battlefield scenario and manufacturing of new weapons by the engineers.
What is Mixed Reality (MR)?
As the newest member of immersive technology, mixed reality, also called AR 2.0, presents the best of both worlds. It is the fusion of AR and VR, the blending of the real world with the virtual world to create a new environment where users can interact with virtual and physical items in real-time.
It joins the virtual world and the physical world in a unified space. This is achieved using a combination of AI sensors, cameras, GPU, other hardware that allows the MR headset to map the physical world and identify objects in it.
In AR, virtual objects are overlaid onto the real world but do not interact with physical objects while in VR, the user is completely immersed in a virtual space and cannot see the real world.
However, mixed reality continuously collects new data about the real world, allowing users to interact with both virtual and physical objects in a seamless manner thereby creating a more immersive and interactive experience.
The best example of MR is the Microsoft HoloLens which allows users to explore and experience 3D holograms. Microsoft HoloLens is a self-contained holographic device with applications that improve and boost different fields of life.
MR applications are being used across several fields like in design, education, military training, entertainment etc.
These three technologies, AR, VR, and MR are tightly linked with extended reality (XR). Sometimes it is used to refer to all of the above and can be referred to as a universal term for the immersive technologies.
In XR, all digital, physical and human-machine interactions are combined using headsets and other specified devices.
The Role of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in the Metaverse
Simply put, Metaverse refers to a collectively shared online 3D space where users can interact with other users and with computer-generated objects. It unites several components of immersive technologies like AR, VR, MR, blockchain and creative social media ideas in order to build environments that improves user’s interaction and experience while mirroring the real world.
The metaverse is a 3D world accessed through a browser, an augmented reality glasses, virtual reality headsets, or a mobile app, the metaverse offers a boundless, interconnected virtual space where users can communicate, socialize, collaborate and have fun.
AR and VR contribute majorly to the development of the metaverse as they both play a huge role in delivering real-time interactions across the globe.
VR technology supports metaverse greatly by aiding in the creation of an immersive experience for users in a 3D virtual world while AR technology aids in the incorporation of virtual objects into the actual environment.
In summary, a user can either dive into the metaverse through a VR or have his reality transported to him using AR. The metaverse has been one of the popular buzzwords in the tech ecosystem as various companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Google etc. are investing billions into it. There are currently different types of the metaverse platforms in the internet and they include: Decentraland, Axie infinity, Illuvium, Sorare, Sandbox etc.
The developments and rising popularity of VR and AR could potentially aid in providing the right conditions for the metaverse to thrive as they are essential in the creation of metaverses.
