Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality

Introduction to Virtual Reality:

Many of us, when hear the term “Virtual reality” or simply “VR”, the first thought that crosses our minds is of science-fiction movies, video games etc. But guess what? VR now has an involvement in our lives even beyond sci-fi movies and video games! With the ever-increasing technological advancements, VR has become a prominent part of our everyday lives.

Virtual Reality is basically the concept of creating artificial/simulated environments through the use of computer technologies. VR generates an environment for users that make them view images/objects as real, rather than virtual objects. VR creates a three-dimensional experience through which, users feel immersed in the surroundings of what they are seeing and feel that they are actually interacting with it. This 3D experience is perceived through a device known as “Helmet” or “Virtual Reality Headset”. 

Examples of VR are 3D video games, simulators etc. Also, names like Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, and Samsung Gear VR are well-known to everyone who is familiar with the AR technology.

The ideas of VR originated in the 1800s, with the invention of the first stereoscope in 1838. This stereoscope used twin mirrors for the projection of a single image. The term VR was first used in the mid-1980s, when the owner of VPL Research, Jaron Lanier started working on the development of those gears which included gloves and goggles, that were necessary for the VR experience. However, even before 1980s, the VR setup “Sensorama” was developed by Morton Heilig in 1956, that provided an immersive experience to the user, watching a movie etc. 

Till date, many researchers have developed their VR devices, most of them being head-mounted.

Categories of Virtual Reality:

There are 3 main categories of VR:

1: Non-immersive Virtual Reality:

It is a type of VR that is the most common among all types, and it basically works upon the principle of creating a computer-based 3D environment for the user, while at the same time enables him/her to be fully aware and controlled by the real world/physical reality around them. Video games are the most prominent example of Non-immersive VR. 

2: Semi-immersive Virtual Reality:

It basically provides a partial VR experience, with the involvement of graphical computing and large projectors. It is used for educational/training purposes. Flight simulators being used for pilot training are the best example of Semi-immersive VR.

3-Fully-immersive Virtual Reality:

It provides a highly realistic VR experience, with the sensations of sound, sight, and even the haptic ones. The user feels like he/she is actually present in the simulated environment. Right now, there hasn’t been enough work done on this technology, but it will prove to be a breakthrough in the future of VR. Highly advanced car racing games are an example of fully-immersed VR. 

Introduction to Augmented Reality:

When we talk about “Augmented Reality” or simply “AR”, we actually talk about the concept of the enhanced version of the physical reality that we live in. This enhancement is brought about through the use of technology in the digital visual elements, auditory ones or any other sensory stimuli. AR provides a better experience to the user by adding computer-generated input to the components of the physical world. This computer-generated input enables the system to respond to changes in the user’s environment or movement. AR designers use a variety of digital inputs ranging from simple auditory and visual inputs, to more advanced ones like GPS overlays and graphics.

Augmented reality is somehow rooted with sci-fi technology, traced back to 1901. But the first time when the term was used formally as a technology, was in 1990. It was when Thomas Caudell was making a design for the visualization of intricate aircraft systems to aid the Boeing workers. With the passage of time, more advancements came in the AR world with Louis Rosenberg’s complex Virtual Fixtures AR system, which was introduced in 1992 for the US Air Force. Afterwards, the most prominent AR systems kept releasing which included the ARQuake game (2000), and ARToolkit (2009) which was a design tool. Augmented reality became a massive growing technology after 2010, when the Microsoft’s HoloLens was introduced in 2015 with highly advanced features way above the classical AR setups. It was by then that AR technology became affordable and popular. 

We are living in the era where data collection and analysis are the key approaches in any kind of technological process. In this regard, AR aims to highlight certain elements of our physical world and improve our understanding of those features, ultimately to draw accessible and intelligent insights that can be practically implemented to the real-world processes and applications. AR has wide application in the marketing and retail sector, as it is used within the catalog apps to let the consumer visualize different aspects of certain products in different settings. AR has become an important tool in the medical and healthcare field as well, with the 3D imaging of body parts and internal organs, used in the training of healthcare professionals.

“Pokemon Go” and “Snapchat filters” are one of the most popular products of the AR technology.

Comparing Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality:

Both VR and AR have a thing in common, that they possess an incredible ability to play with our perception of the real world. The thing that is uncommon is their ability to play with our perception of our own self, our existence, our presence. Virtual reality takes us into another world, the world which we are seeing through VR, and makes us immersed in that virtual reality. Augmented reality, on the other hand, lets us stay in our physical reality but with an enhanced experience. As the name indicates, it augments our present state with advanced elements. While both the technologies are unique and remarkable in their own ways, both of them have some limitations and other aspects, that may give an edge to one over the other. 

 VR is immersive and provides a limited usage freedom to the user, as it requires specific gears for the experience, particularly those head-mounted display systems. AR on the other hand, provides more freedom to the users because it does not need any head-mounted display gear or other things like this. Also, VR takes us slightly away from reality because it lets us imagine the world that doesn’t exist for us, while AR works with the existent world and enhances our experience of it. We usually think that VR is more popular and used but the statistics clearly indicate that about 19% of people have tried on VR whereas around 26% have preferred attempting AR. Also, the high satisfaction level/rate towards virtual reality is about 55% while for augmented reality, it is about 68%. These differences exist mainly because of the exploration and interest differences of people, as everyone views and consumes technology in accordance with his/her own requirements.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality both, are one of the most remarkable technological advancements of the 21st century and have a bright future indeed.