From Apple’s AR glasses development to Zuckerberg’s multiverse, everyone is talking about augmented, virtual and mixed reality, but how to distinguish between them?
We hear about it every day, technological progress has gained a prominent place in everyone’s life and in our daily lives. Reality is becoming more and more mixed with digital, and let’s face it, there is more and more confusion in the correct definition of augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.
They seem to be synonyms for the same thing but that is not the case at all, quite the contrary. There are profound differences that distinguish one from the other reality, and it is crucial in this day and age to have a clear idea.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented reality, abbreviated AR, does not eliminate reality (as we shall see for virtual reality) but keeps it visible and enhances it (precisely, augmented), empowers it and enriches it. One does not necessarily need a viewer to enjoy it, just think of the satellite navigation of cars that use the camera to film roads and intersections in order to send more accurate directions, or that of google maps, which, with its streetview, is accessible from any smartphone device on the market. These are just a few of the countless types of augmented reality that are being developed and improved day by day.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality, abbreviated VR, is a “parallel world” to the real one, accessible through visors or glasses-a virtual universe that works like Ready Player One have taught us to know and love. The digital world, through the visor, makes the world around it disappear completely, replacing it in all respects with virtual reality. Thanks in part to the use of sensors and hand peripherals, it is definitely the one that gives the greatest feeling of immersiveness but also the one that is least usable in everyday life.
What is mixed reality?
Also known as hybrid reality, MR is often confused with augmented reality but is, for all intents and purposes, a mix of AR and VR. A very famous example is the movie Minority Report with Tom Cruise, where the main character interacts with digital controls and interfaces visible to everyone. In order to interact with hybrid reality, a visor is required as the reality is not only augmented with information and data, but is enriched with elements such as avatars, objects and people that are not there.
Photo : Pexels
Author : Alessandro Volpe