What is exactly XR [ Extended Reality ] & what are the example of XR

What is XR or Extended Reality ?

As human technology is evolving day by day & the new technology is shaping up regularly. The next big thing which is coming is Extended Reality or XR . To understand the Extended Reality 1st we need to see the constituent of Extended reality.  Basically XR is the mixture of three latest technology namely – Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality & Mixed Reality. To Understand XR, we need to checkout these 3 technology in brief.

1st take a look at a most familiar technology to us which is being used very vastly by  tech & gaming company – That is;

#Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality uses computer technology to create simulated experience that can be similar to or completely different from real world. standard virtual system used in VR handsets or multi projected environment to generate realistic vision & sound. VR headset with use of interface offers you Digital experience, to create an interactive & immersive feel to a virtual world or 3D environment, Instead of watching conventional 2D computer screen. VR technology is currently limited by low-power processing devices and GPUs. An immersive virtual reality experience requires a fully-developed simulation as well as native processing of the interactions and movement within the simulation. We see one excellent example of these current processing limitations in the jump from “standalone” VR headsets to headsets that require a PC for operation.

Even with its existing limitation, there are many companies which are producing quality VR headsets & other Virtual Reality products such as SONY, HTC, Amazon etc. Gaming & movies industry  are dominantly using VR. With this the tech company like Facebook & google is way ahead in using VR products for their customer. Facebook infant very aggressively promoting VR ads to its customers. With tech company & entertainment company there is huge potential of VR being used in healthcare,military, Education field etc.

Next constituent of Extended reality is:

#Augmented Reality

In contrast of the  virtual reality, the Augmented Reality is a interactive experience of the real world environment, where the object that reside in the real world are enhanced by computed generated perceptual information, sometimes across multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory. Source  . AR can be experienced using smartphones and if you have used Snapchat filters, you have  somewhat experienced AR.

” AR can be defined as a system that fulfills three basic features:”

1. a combination of real and virtual worlds.
2. real-time interaction.
3. accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects.

The overlaid sensory information can be constructive (i.e. additive to the natural environment), or destructive (i.e. masking of the natural environment).This experience is seamlessly interwoven with the physical world such that it is perceived as an immersive aspect of the real environment. In this way Augmented reality is perceptual real world wheres VR is stimulated environment.

Augmented reality is slowly making its way into sectors beyond entertainment, such as retail, online shopping, and manufacturing, military, education . Augmented reality is arguably the most widely adopted of all XR technologies as it requires the least amount of processing, allowing it to function on most smartphones and tablets.

Example:

One of the first major commercial  AR applications developed with Apple’s ARKit is IKEA Place. The Scandinavian furniture maker’s foray into AR uses your mobile device’s camera to visualize how virtual IKEA items would look in any given space.

And finally the 3rd and the last element of Augmented reality is:

#Mixed Reality: 

Mixed reality is mixture of Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality, It merges VR & AR to produce new environment & visualization. where physical and virtual object exist and interact in real time, as the name implies, mix reality is mixture of AR & VR. Mixed reality does not exclusively take place in either the physical or virtual world, but is a rather hybrid of reality and virtual reality, encompassing both augmented reality and augmented virtual via immersive technology. Mixed reality  allows virtual overlay graphics to interact with the real world.

Example

In 2019 the tech giant Microsoft had launched, mixed reality smart glassed called hololens2. In the showcase they demonstrated that their MR smart glasses an application created with unreal engine. You can build an AR game or an enterprise application. And with robust emulator support, it doesn’t matter if you have a device already or are still eagerly awaiting delivery—you can get started right away with Unreal Engine and HoloLens 2 development.

Recently, Indian telecom giant RelianceJio owned by Mukesh Ambani,  unveiled the Jio HoloBoard MR headset to offer mixed reality services. The headset will allow its user to create a 3D hologram of any subject placed in front of the eyes. This will give cinematic experience in MR shopping, MR education, MR movie watching, and hands-free video calling.

These three major technology which composes the Extended Reality or XR.XR is therefore a superset integrating the entire spectrum of the virtual-reality continuum, from unaltered physical environment to completely immersive virtual reality. Although it is still in the early stages, extended reality is already being used in several sectors, three examples of which are to follow.

Extended Reality Conclusion/ Example / Use cases.

Still there is huge scope for this technology and need more device in Extended reality segment which can inculcate all the major technology in one. in 2019 Qualcomm has been heavily invested in the XR industry since the early days, creating platforms like Snapdragon XR2 as well as its XR Enterprise Program (XEP) initiative. This year they have announced to add more member to join in team to accelerate the adoption of their Extended reality devices.

For the growth of XR, its important to have access of 5G technology to maximum country,  which ll make XR experience absolutely seamless. And it can be adapted in various field such as:

Entertainment:

Extended reality is creating early & Higher impact in the way consumers experience movies, sports events by making entertainment more immersive.

Marketing:

Extended reality has opened new avenues for brands to engage with customers, introducing new immersive ways to interact with products. Big tech brands from Facebook & Google have already started testing it for Ads & their devices.

Education:

Education is next big sector where Extended reality and change the complete landscape of current education market. As online classes are taking shape, the smartphone courses ll not be same as its today. As we have seen above the Microsoft MR product Hololens2. The Extended reality  ability to mirror real-life situations gives extended reality the benefit of exceeding any possible limit. Obviously, you can’t send a class of first grade students on a field trip to the moon. At least, in the real sense. With a basic VR simulation, they can start exploring the surface of the moon within a matter of seconds.

Healthcare: 

Healthcare ll be blessed with great power of Extended reality, In healthcare Extend reality can easily facilitated remote treatment and many other benefit it can have.

Other than this XR ll greatly used in military, warfare, real estate, financial market etc. XR users will be wireless and will be supplying huge data point to XR companies, which posses a threat of and challenge of privacy & data protection as well. Also, the cost of implementing XR technologies is very high in a near future, barring companies and counties from investing in it.

This was all about Extended reality [XR ] and its use cases example. If you like the blog please hit share in social media account.