As the limits of the Human-Machine Interface evolve, so does the definition of our reality. Within the last decade, technological progress has met "supplemented reality" through devices like Microsoft's HoloLens, Google's Glass, and Facebook/Oculus VR. Within the world of this reality supplementation live varying levels of interaction and information.
What is Extended Reality (XR)?
Extended reality (XR) combines augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality―meaning that nearly all forms of technologically-supplemented reality fall under the XR umbrella. Like its subsets, extended reality is a relatively new term, but XR is rapidly making its way into industries and supplementing human reality in unimaginable ways. However, these separate technologies require different levels of processing, information collection, storage, and power.
1. Augmented Reality: Most Common XR Technology
Augmented reality is the simplest of the three XR subsets and describes the interaction between a virtual experience and the real world, which results in an augmented or supplemented environment. One popular example of augmented reality is the smartphone game "Pokémon GO," where users virtually place a character somewhere in their surrounding environment. As you can see in the image above, the game achieves this by utilizing the phone's camera and screen.
Augmented reality is slowly making its way into sectors beyond entertainment, such as retail, online shopping, and manufacturing. 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. Augmented reality can exist in any environment that contains two necessary features:
1. A camera to capture the surrounding environment
2. A processor to understand that environment and actively simulate a virtual object placed into that environment
Currently, the only factor slowing the growth of augmented reality is the native processing power in devices where augmented reality will take place.
2. Virtual Reality: Technology, Headsets, & Haptic Feedback
As the name and image above suggest, virtual reality (VR) creates a completely virtual environment that allows users to immerse themselves in an alternate universe. The Oculus, a consumer-grade, multimedia entertainment VR solution, may be the most famous VR system on the market today. Since its founding in 2012, Oculus's creators have continually pushed the limits of virtual reality technology.
Because virtual reality is completely simulated, users can also supplement the virtual, simulated environment with controllers and other sensory stimulators. The most obvious sensory additives, such as headphones and haptic devices, have already made their way into the virtual reality market. More advanced technologies, such as the haptic technology presented by Ultraleap, are working their way into the virtual reality market to provide users with next-level intractability and feedback.
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. When compared to standalone simulators, PC virtual reality devices feature more advanced:
• Video quality
• Refresh rate
• Video complexity
• Movement tracking
• Controller complexity
• Audio integration
• Immersive experience
3. Mixed Reality: Virtual and Augmented Reality Hybrid
The newest and most complex facet of XR is mixed reality. Think of mixed reality as a hybrid between augmented and virtual reality. Its goal is to superimpose an interactive experience over the real world, allowing for both the simulated reality and true reality. In augmented reality, the ability to interact with the simulation does not exist or is significantly limited. In virtual reality, the ability to interact with the real world does not exist. Mixed reality has set out to fill the gap between the virtual and augmented world; this highly advanced augmented reality allows for an interactive experience that's similar to virtual reality.
One excellent example of mixed reality is Microsoft's HoloLens' integration with Skype, in which the user can superimpose a Skype session into reality, transmit their reality over Skype, and virtually control their Skype session with their hands by "touching" the simulation. Imagine being able to scroll through your Twitter feed or navigate the internet using Google glasses, all while being able to see the world around you.
Mixed reality's limitations lie in the processing capabilities of available devices. However, this technology may hold the most promising future for revolutionizing how we interact with true reality. Mixed reality has already made its way into employee training, manufacturing, military, and the consumer sector. Imagine putting on your MR goggles to diagnose internal issues within your car, see your current performance, and adjust settings.
As highly complex XR devices become more powerful, efficient, compact, and affordable, this technology will find its way into our everyday lives. Scientists 50 years ago would never have believed we could fit terabytes of storage into a device the size of a stick of gum, but here we are. In 50 more years, we may be able to fit a data center worth of processing power into wearable glasses.