What is VR, AR, MR & XR and How Can it Add Value to Companies?
1838, when Charles Wheatstone invented the stereoscope, technology that used an image for each eye to create a 3D image for the viewer, the foundations of XR were born.
What is Extended Reality?
XR or eXtended Reality is the collective term for Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality. And it’s big business; with 50% of global consumers expected to use Virtual Reality by 2020 and 3.5 billion Augmented Reality devices expected to be in use by 2022. Let’s take a look at the main features of each technology and how to make the choice as to which to employ as part of an organisation’s digital transformation strategy.
What is Virtual Reality?
Virtual Reality is probably the most understood and immediately recognisable XR technology. Generally comprising of a headset which covers the viewer’s eyes, headphones and some element of a hand control device. VR allows us to place the subject into a completely new, or virtual space. This space can be another physical location shot with special VR cameras, a computer-generated 3D world, a live stream of an event or a combination of these. VR can be entirely passive (you just watch what is happening on the headset) or interactive, where you can use the hand controllers to engage with the content to assemble a piece of virtual machinery or navigate through a physical space. VR headsets range from basic passive solutions which utilise your mobile phone such as Google Cardboard ($15) Samsung Gear VR ($130) to higher-end portable devices such as Oculus Go or Oculus Quest ($500) right up to the gold standard of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift ($2000 incl PC).
What is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality is probably most commonly known for its inclusion in apps such as Pokémon GO and Snapchat filters. Essentially AR takes a camera feed of the real world and superimposes, or ‘augments’ that with overlaid content. While most often considered a mobile technology which is viewed on a smartphone, a number of AR wearable devices or AR Glasses exist on the market to allow the viewer to see augmented content hovering in front of them on the lens of small form glasses, similar to reading or sunglasses.
What is Mixed Reality?
Mixed Reality is a combination of AR and VR to an extent. MR headsets, which include offerings from the likes of Microsoft (Hololens) and Magic Leap, allow the user to see the real world and overlay content as you would with AR. The difference is that the headset is spatially aware. Meaning you can place virtual objects in a physical environment and walk around them as if they are really there. This, coupled with the added interactivity and device freehand control of the likes of Hololens 2, makes MR the pinnacle of the XR revolution. The Hololens 2 is priced in the $3000 region.
When Should Your Business Use XR Technology?
So, now that you know what each reality is. When should you use it? And how can you best make that decision?
The first question you should ask yourself is why? If the technology choice is because ‘it’s cool’ or ‘all my competitors are doing it’, then stop right there. Invest your budget elsewhere, or spend some time detailing your goals with an expert in the field before making any technology decisions. Technology for technology’s sake is far too prevalent in the market. The XR market falls particularly foul to this, with a dearth of good content and experiences, ranging from out of focus 360 video content, right up to VR experiences which make the viewer dizzy and physically sick. The deciding factor and the differentiator between a good and bad experience is, and always should be, the content.
Content can naturally lead you to one or another XR platform. VR is especially powerful in transporting people to another location, so its use in entertainment, gaming and visitor attractions is particularly apt. But along with physical spaces you can visit in real life, VR can also bring you places the human would normally never see, such as inside the human body, so pharma has started to really see the benefits of VR. It is also important to debunk the myth that VR is a technology purely geared towards entertainment, recent studies show VR technologies are improving training programmes in plant facilities and bridging the skills gap with more efficient training for the incoming workforce – training new workers delivering 30% to 40% more efficiently.
AR or MR glasses worn in the manufacturing environment can allow operators to view operational data, drawings, documents, and blueprints overlaid onto the machinery and plant floor. A global manufacturer of business-technology products, headquartered in the U.S., leveraged AR to connect field engineers with experts instead of providing service manuals and telephone support. First-time fix rates increased by 67% and the engineers’ efficiency increased by 20%. The average time to resolve problems dropped by more than 2 hours.
So XR has real business value in the digital transformation of everything from marketing to manufacturing, in industries from sports to entertainment, and on an increasingly diverse and more affordable set of hardware devices. But perhaps for a technology nearing its 200th birthday, that’s no surprise!
About The Author & vStream:
Andrew Jenkinson is the Director & Co-Founder of vStream. Andrew holds a BSc in Computer Applications from DCU and a Masters in Innovation & Technology Management from The Smurfit School of Business. He has received significant award recognition including Internet Marketer of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year (European Business Awards) and Irish Times Innovation Awards.
vStream is an Irish company, specialising in innovation, consultancy and digital transformation for global clients including McLaren Formula 1, Pfizer, Roche, SAP, Coca Cola, Audi, The NFL and Twitter.
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