Mixed Reality- A blend of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Before the emergence of augmented reality and virtual reality, there was just plain old reality — the sounds and sights of everyday life and tactile, ordinary encounters with three-dimensional objects. The last couple of years saw a boom in the enterprise and consumer marketplaces with the rise of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). They quite changed the ways we see the world and now we have a new concept called mixed reality (MR). It is a hybrid of both VR and AR and is far more powerful because it integrates the use of various technologies including advanced optics, sensors and next-gen computing power. 

These technologies can actually be bundled into one gadget to give a user the potential to combine augmented digital holographic content into your real-time space, creating an environment that is mindblowing and unbelievably realistic.

MR, VR and AR

Virtual reality fabricates an absorbing experience for any user - even though they are interacting with their digital environment in real, it creates real-life simulations. To be more facile, virtual reality creates a virtual world for the users but is fashioned in a way where the difference between real and virtual world is quite hard to tell. A computer created, artificial simulation or recreation of some real life situation is what virtual reality is. Vision and hearing of the user are simulated primarily, immersing them in a completely different world.

On the other hand, Augmented reality is the mixture of virtual and real life reality, where developers create such an environment within the app that it mixes with the real world contents, but the difference can be noticed between the two. It also needs both the software and the hardware to work just like the VR. Many Hollywood movies like Minority Report, Avatar, Wall-E and Iron Man,  have already depicted AR. Companies like Microsoft, Google and Oculus are making it a reality with HoloLens, Google Glass, and Oculus Rift.

Stay updated with the latest announcements on Augmented Reality: 

So in the near future it wouldn't be suprising if not only astronauts, but anyone with the right devices could experience the surface of Mars or any other planet through these technologies. We have a list of how VR would help businesses to grow in our blog section. Do check out.

Now Mixed Reality is a blend of both these technologies in a way that the user with MR stays in the real world like AR but has more complex and richer overlays. Compared to AR, MR offers more complicated, large digital features somewhat like VR which makes the illusion more compelling and pervasive than in AR.

Consider being in a war zone, your home would convert into a battleground with a 3D environment where you will navigate and interact with the help of special hardware devices.  MR can be implemented in any form of media be it videos or movies but that would only be possible through MR hardware like goggles and headsets that are being manufactured by companies like OnePlus, Samsung and Oculus Rift. It is highly engrossing and so is being considered the next big thing in the gaming industry. Having being implemented in a range of phone applications and other products in the market (Google Glass being the main player), AR would definitely see more options and variety in the coming time. AR has made a remarkable spot with games like Zombies run and Pokemon Go that has engrossed its audience to an extent that it has surpassed all its competitors

Must Read: How Virtual Reality Works? Know The Technology Behind Virtual Reality

Scope of MR in enterprises

Mixed reality has a wide scope in enterprises to carry out their functions smoothly and effectively. A big difference that we see with Mixed Reality is that it allows the virtual content and the real world content to blend with each other in real time. This would allow any company to make corrections or live updates and changes to the 3D model and enhance their real-time progress.

It allows you to virtually be present at someplace without actually being there. Sphericam 2, a project with 360 degrees video cam, is being used in a myriad of sectors including filmmaking, journalism, real estate and businesses.

MR can be used in training and interviewing candidates, making it a virtual conference room, to see their body language and reactions as if it were real. Also, business travels would reduce to a great extent. Once MR gets mainstream, ventures will be able to save their travel costs and most importantly, their time. Instead of moving to another place, managers will conduct meetings effectively sitting in their cabins itself - as put by Prof. Perlin from NYU, “Of course we’re going to embrace any technology that makes us feel more connected.”  in an article published by The Wall Street Journal last year.

Mixed Reality, undoubtedly will have a larger role in industries and their functioning. Predictions for industry’s growth with this technology would be around $150B by 2020, according to analysts.

The scope of MR can be summarized in the following ways:

• REMOTE GUIDANCE : Most working professionals in the field of sales or field work stay out during their working hours for most of the times. There may be a possibility that they need some help from their peers at the office and this situation can even arise with the most learned professional at work. This can be mitigated with MR, where they would get instructions or manuals to help solve the issue virtually.

• NEWER WAYS OF WORKING : Apart from remotely helping people, mixed reality could change ways of working. Like if we take an example of the healthcare sector, it can be used by paramedics and doctors, to treat the most chronic diseases with ease. It is being employed in medical training and education of health professionals where they can perform hands-on procedures in a virtual environment with controlled settings.

• ENHANCED TRAINING METHODS : When it comes to education and training, MR has a lot to promise. It allows a trainee to experience a real-world training scenario through an MR situation with the help of MR hardware. It helps to grasp a concept or a procedure more easily like for instance, a car engine is easier to disintegrate virtually than in the real life.

If you feel an MR app can grow your enterprise or are looking to develop a consumer Mixed Reality application, get in touch with us.