What is augmented reality (XR)

Now not everyone fully understands what augmented reality (XR) is. It’s not just technology. Augmented reality refers to several methods of changing reality at once. These are virtual, augmented and mixed realities. When they are combined, XR is obtained. All this is worth dwelling on in more detail.

A virtual reality

Almost everyone is now familiar with the very concept of virtual reality. This augmented reality component is a technology with which a person can be completely disconnected from reality. VR can show the user a complete simulation of the virtual world, replacing vision and hearing. In addition, now there are the most advanced models of virtual reality that can replace the tactical sensations of a person. That is, he can feel touches that are not actually happening.

There aren’t many VR headsets out there right now. The best of them is Oculus Quest 2, which allows you to move the user into the virtual world and experience completely new sensations.

Augmented reality

The main difference between augmented reality is that it does not move the user to the virtual world. AR works differently and adds new images and sounds to the real world. The most obvious example is Pokemon Go. In it, the user points the smartphone’s camera at a real place, and some Pokemon appears on the image. As a result, it seems that it exists in reality.

Pokemon Go is a prime example of advanced augmented reality implementation. The fact is that in other projects, a certain marker was needed in the real world in order for a virtual image to appear. This is not required in the game.

Now, with the development of machine vision technologies, augmented reality is already able to recognize walls, tables and other surfaces, correctly transferring the image to them.

At the same time, it is important to understand that AR is not only the augmented reality described above. The technology itself is used in the development of modern car models, the military industry and other fields of activity.

Mixed reality

Most people are unlikely to be able to distinguish mixed reality from augmented reality. But even from the name it becomes clear that it is based on mixing the real and virtual worlds. MR integrates digital objects into the environment much better than AR. This gives the impression that they are actually in the real world.

A good example is the Hololens mixed reality headset. It has special sensors, thanks to which it turns out to translate the virtual image into the real world. Moreover, everything looks so realistic that an incredible effect is created.

Can Augmented Reality Replace Virtual Reality?

This question is asked quite often. This is due to the fact that augmented reality became known only a few years after the second generation of virtual reality devices appeared. Most likely, the XR device will offer a choice between VR, AR, MR. Thanks to this, the user can first immerse himself in virtual reality, and then switch to mixed reality mode. In any case, the XR concept itself will give developers a new experience in content creation.