What's the Difference Between AR, VR, and MR?

What's the Difference Between Augment Reality(AR), Virtual Reality(VR), and Mixed Reality(MR)?

Tags: Augment reality, virtual, mixed reality, difference

Hello Friends,

Today’s morning I am playing with my Google Cardboard and then search for the technology in which I can interact with that virtual objects then I find these three terms Augment Reality (AR), Virtual Reality(VR) and Mixed Reality(MR).

This last MR term is new and somewhat the next level of AR. So I think that you need to also know the difference between them because this three technologies gaining popularity and it’s not just in the world of fun and games. Business applications are becoming more and more commonplace, such as visualizing unbuilt spaces or better understanding a product design concept.

VR: Virtual Reality

All reality-altering technology changes the way we perceive the world in some way, but virtual reality (VR) completely changes the visual environment around us.

Merriam-Webster defines virtual reality as "an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine what happens in the environment."

How we interact with this virtual environment, however, depends heavily on the platform in use. Some VR headsets were designed to be used while staying seated and moving yourself through the virtual space with a handheld controller, like you would in a video game. The difference here is simply that the screen is attached to your face (by way of a headset) and covers a much larger portion of your field of vision, immersing you in the virtual, 360-degree world.

Examples: Oculus Rift,  Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR

AR: Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) takes your existing reality and changes aspects of it through the lens of a smartphone, a set of glasses, or even a headset. With augmented reality you'll always see what's right in front of you, but with an added virtual layer on top of it.

According to Merriam-Webster, augmented reality is "an enhanced version of reality created by the use of technology to overlay digital information on an image of something being viewed through a device (as a smartphone camera)."

Glass was one of the first devices to take AR beyond the smartphone, but it became the source of controversy due to privacy concerns, chunky hardware, a high price tag, and a less-than-compelling feature set.

Overall, you can think of augmented reality as a layer on top of your existing reality, not mixed into it. While headsets certainly fall into this category, the most common usage of AR is a layer on top of your smartphone's field of view. This kind of AR visualization can't be interacted with as part of the larger environment, but only through your phone's screen.

MR: Mixed Reality

Mixed reality (MR), on the other hand, takes AR to the next level and is, essentially, what many of us initially expected or hoped for AR to be. Instead of just a layer on top of the world we see every day, MR refers to the ability to mix digitally rendered objects into our real environment.

Wikipedia defines mixed reality as "the merging of real and virtual worlds to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. Mixed reality takes place not only in the physical world or the virtual world, but is a mix of reality and virtual reality, encompassing both augmented reality and augmented virtuality."

While MR experiences can certainly happen on a smartphone, headsets will likely dominate this space with a more immersive experience. The most well-known mixed reality device currently in development is Microsoft's HoloLens. It can scan the room and understand the space it's in so it can accurately mix in digital objects into your existing environment.

You can interact with the projected images on your HoloLens by using your own hands just as if they were real—but they're not, and that's what mixed reality is all about. The digital world gets mixed in with the real one, and by donning a headset you can interact with it all.

Magic Leap and Meta 2 are other mixed reality devices in the works.

So hope you guys understand the difference between VR, AR, and MR. Share this page. Keep in mind one sentence “Sharing is caring”

Tags: Augment reality, virtual, mixed reality, difference