AR, VR & MR explained!

The new types of reality technology that have come up in the tech market is the Virtual reality or VR, Augmented Reality or AR and Mixed Reality or MR. these realities helps the people to do various research studies as well takes our way of entertainment to another level. Let me explain the 3 realities in layman’s language.

Virtual reality

is the technology through which we can watch movies, play games in a 3D environment. This technology came before AR and MR. it is commercially available and is used by many people with the help of their smartphones. You just need a VR headset or you can make your own DIY Headset at home with a cardboard and attach lenses to it and then fix your smartphone into the cardboard and watch your videos in full closed view in 3D.

Augmented reality

is a technology which was first introduced by Google through their google glasses. In this a computer generated image is placed in the real world view. The biggest example of this technology is the Pokémon go game which was blockbuster hit among the gamers as it introduced a new interactive tech where you could see computer generated pokemons nearby you in the real world scene, on your lap, on the chair, floor, everywhere. No external device was needed but just a smartphone.

Mixed reality

is the latest tech introduced by Microsoft. It is actually an advanced version of AR where you can interact with the images generated by the computer in the real world. You could move the image, touch it and add/remove according to your needs and not just view it as in AR. You can treat the digital objects as they are real ones. You can use Microsoft hololens

or Acer mixed reality headset

to use this advanced technology in your daily lives.     

Major Differences (source: futurism.com)      

Virtual Reality(VR)	Augmented Reality(AR)	Mixed Reality(MR)
Special headsets used for display purposes like VR headset, Samsung Gear.	Holo displays used and smartphones and tablets also.	Holo displays like Microsoft Holo lens and Acer Headset.
Computer graphics or real images developed by computers.	Combination of computer generated digital images and real life objects.	Combination of computer generated digital images and real life objects.
Completely digital environment.	Virtual and real life objects are combined.	Virtual and real life objects are combined.
Virtual objects will change the position and size according to user’s view in the virtual world.	Virtual objects will change the position and size according to user’s view in the real world.	Virtual objects will change the position and size according to user’s view in the real world.
Feeling of being transported into a different 3D world with no sense of real world.	Feeling of being in the real world with added objects and interactive elements.	Feeling of being in the real world with added objects and interactive elements.
Virtual objects can’t be properly distinguished from the real world objects.	Virtual objects can be properly distinguished from the real world objects such as Pokémon creature.	Virtual objects can’t be properly distinguished from the real world objects.
360* like concept and not at all reactive.	Real world content and computer graphic generated content do not interact with each other.	Real world content and computer graphic generated content interact with each other.

So VR or Virtual reality is viewing the real world in a 3D form or 360* view.

AR or Augmented reality is adding a computer generated text or image into a real world,

MR (Mixed Reality) = AR+ VR+ Human Interaction