This lesson is from Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality, Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality, and Mixed Reality.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one!

• Albert Einstein

Reality Technologies – A blanket statement used to describe all of the varieties of AR/VR/MR.

Virtual Reality (VR)

• The word ‘virtual’ means something that is conceptual and does not exist physically and the word ‘reality’ means the state of being real.

• So the term ‘virtual reality’ is itself conflicting. It means something that is almost real.

• Virtual Reality means we can experience things that never actually happen.

• It actually tricks our brain into thinking that we are in a different place using 3 of our senses-seeing, hearing, and touching.

• It creates a different world, and we feel we are a part of it, both physically and mentally.

• Virtual Reality (VR) has a lot of applications, some of them are:

  • Entertainment-Used for gaming, 3D cinema, and in theme parks.
  • Medicine-Used for surgery training, exposure therapy for people with phobia or anxiety disorder.
  • Skill training-Used for astronaut training, flight training, military training, etc.

• A completely artificial digital environment that uses computer hardware and software to create the appearance of a real environment to the user

  • (Kipper, G., 2012, p. 22).

Augmented Reality (AR)

• The word ‘augmented’ means to add.

• It might not sound as exciting as VR but has impacted our lives deeply.

• Augmented reality uses different tools to make the real and existing environment better and provides an improved version of reality.

• Snapchat filters, Instagram filters, Pokemon Go are all Examples of AR.

• AR apps that allow a customer to place virtual furniture in their house before buying.

• Projection-based AR applications allow human interaction by sending light onto a real surface and then sensing human touch, learning has become way more interesting and easy with AR, markerless AR provides data based on our location, it is also a powerful tool for marketing as it allows users to try products before buying.

• ”..taking digital or computer generated information, whether it be images, audio video and touch or haptic sensations and overlaying them [onto] … a real-time environment”

  • (Kipper, G., 2012, p.18).

Mixed Reality (MR)

• It brings real-world and digital elements together.

• It integrates digital objects and real-world in such a way that it makes it look like the objects really belong there.

• Mixed Reality works by scanning our physical environment and creating a map of our surroundings so that the device will know exactly how to place digital content into that space –realistically –allowing us to interact with it.

• A few Examples of MR apps are:

  • An app that allows users to place notes around their environment.
  • A television app placed in comfortable spots for viewing.
  • A cooking app placed on the kitchen wall.
  • Microsoft’s Hololens is also a famous example of MR.

• **”..where real world objects or people are dynamically integrated into virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time” **

  • Retrieved 12-17-2017

• Example - Picture a surgeon having a digital overlay while performing an operation, providing detailed live information on the process and the current state of the patient like blood pressure and other vital insights.

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