The idea behind virtual reality and augmented reality, whether combined or working separately, is to help users have an enhanced and more engaging experience. Computers, smartphones, and televisions have all become a giant part of our lives.
They’re how we get our news, use social media, watch movies, and many more. Virtual reality and Augmented reality are two technologies that are changing the way we use screens, creating new and exciting interactive experiences. Virtual reality uses a headset to position you in a computer-generated world that you can simply explore. Augmented reality may be a bit different. Rather than transporting you to a virtual world, it takes digital images and layers them on the real world around you through the help of either a transparent visor or smartphone. While both virtual reality and augmented reality are designed to bring a simulated environment to the user, each concept is special and it involves different use cases.
Additionally to entertainment scenarios, augmented reality is additionally increasingly getting used by businesses, due to its ability to get informational overlays that add useful, real-world scenarios. We will delve into the meaning of virtual reality and augmented reality and their types, with a specific focus on the idea behind both of these technologies.
VIRTUAL REALITY:
This type of technology immerses you in a virtual world with some form of screen displaying a virtual environment through the use of a headset. These headsets also use a technology called head tracking, which allows you to appear round the environment by physically moving your head. The display will follow whichever direction you progress, supplying you with a 360-degree view of the virtual environment.
The three main types of virtual reality used today in most cases includes;
- Non-immersive virtual reality.
- Semi-immersive virtual reality.
- Fully-immersive virtual reality.
Virtual reality devices consist of two major type of headsets which has;
- A screen built into the headset: with great graphics and performance rate, they are also pretty expensive. Some of the devices come with handheld controllers that track your hands movements for a better and more interactive experience. It requires a pretty powerful system to operate smoothly and they are also connected to a computer. For example the PlayStation virtual reality, which connects to the PlayStation 4 game console.
- It houses your phone and uses its screen as the display: this type does not need a computer and runs completely off of apps on your smartphone. The graphics and performance levels on these devices aren’t quite as good as those with a built-in screen, but they tend to be much cheaper. For example the Google Cardboard.
AUGMENTED REALITY:
This is one of the current technologies that are spreading day by day. It allows you tovisualise the world with digital images layered on top of it, with a highly visual and interactive method with digital content such as videos, graphics, sounds and GPS in real working environments with cameras.
Types of augmented reality are;
- Augmented reality based markers.
- Augmented reality without markers; Location-based, Projection-based, Overlay, and Contour-based augmented reality.
There are some augmented reality headsets available, including the;
- Microsoft HoloLens
- Magic Leap.
It can be used on devices like smartphones and laptops without a headset. There are a variety of apps that use augmented reality, including some that allow you to translate text using your camera, identify stars in the sky, and even see how your garden would look with different plants. You may have previously used augmented reality without realizing it, maybe like while using filters on Snapchat. Virtual reality was created initially for military purposes and consisted of a head mount, video screen and tracking system linked to cameras.
The user almost always wears an eye-covering headset and headphones in virtual reality to completely replace the real world with the virtual one. The idea of virtual reality is to eliminate the real world and sheathe the user from it. Virtual reality has business uses in product creation, teaching, architecture, and retail, but most applications are for enjoyment, especially gaming. Augmented reality unites a simulated world with the real one. In most applications the user depends on a smartphone or tablet screen to achieve this, aiming the phone’s camera at a point of interest, and generating a live-streaming video of that scene on the screen. The screen is then covered with helpful information, which includes executions such as repair instructions, navigation information or diagnostic data.
Without no further ado, augmented and virtual reality technologies hold great promise for many industries all over the world. Both technologies are growing at a very rapid pace. Many experts predict that they will continue to become more and more popular in the future. As technology is becoming more advanced, it will be exciting to see how they will be applied to both business and everyday life.
