Mixed Reality: The Positive View of Technology

The digital world is moving forward so fast, every day there seems to be new innovations, one after another. One of the most exciting technological developments of recent times is mixed reality, or MR for short. When you use filters on Instagram or Snapchat, try out virtual makeup apps, or even take into account the furniture fittings in a house, you’ve already been involved with a fraction of what mixed reality has to offer.

Then just what is mixed reality, and how does it work? Here we take a deep dive into this fascinating technology.

What Exactly Is Mixed Reality?

Mixed reality (MR) is a combination of both the real world and a virtual world, where digital and physical objects can interact with each other in real time. If you wear mixed reality glasses, real-life space is filled with the same kind of things that people know and love from the internet, however augmented with various pieces of digital content.

If you were wearing mixed reality glasses and looked at a table in front of you, then a digital calendar would appear on the table. You can interact with the calendar, scroll through its dates, and even adjust it like a physical object with control pins stuck into a corkboard. All of these digital elements look and feel like part of your real environment; you can touch them, move them around the screen, and they will respond just as if they were any other physical object—score!

For example, if you are shopping for groceries, you could have a virtual shopping list displayed on your mixed reality glasses. The items in the list are highlighted on the shelves so that everything can be found faster and more easily.

History of Mixed Reality

Though a relative newcomer in technology, the roots of “mixed reality” can be traced back several decades. In the early 1990s, Yin et al. (2001) introduced the concept of “mixed reality” with the research margin. With him were his colleagues and long-time friends from Tsinghua University. They designed a “Reality-Virtuality Continuum,” which represents how real life seemingly melds into different stages of virtual environments. From one extremity of the continuum is “real reality,” where there are no elements that are artificially generated and re-presented electronically as their being or place of existence; at another extreme, completely computer-generated, by analogy with what are called “virtual environments.”

Over the past several decades, mixed reality technology has developed rapidly. Thanks to advances in computer vision and graphics processing, MR systems are now becoming more comfortable and affordable for consumers. Early models were bulky and expensive, whereas today’s devices allow people throughout society to obtain them easily if they wish. At the same time, they offer better experiences (less distortion, greater sense of immersion) than before. For many people who may not have had access to such technology heretofore.

Types of Mixed Reality Devices

There are many types of devices for experiencing mixed reality. Some common MR devices include:

Glasses and Headsets:

These electronic eyeglasses can be the most well-known MR component. The Microsoft HoloLens, along with the Magic Leap One, are examples. Users wear these lightweight devices to see and often physically interact with virtual objects overlaid on their actual living space. They incorporate camera sensors that track the environment around them.

Mobile Devices:

Smartphones and tablets can also be used to experience mixed reality. Many applications are available for these devices, providing users with the opportunity to put digital objects right into their current environment via their cameras. For example, IKEA’s app allows you to visualise how a certain piece of furniture would look inside your house before purchase.

Smart glasses:

Smart glasses, such as Google Glass, are another form of MR (mixed reality) device. They are lighter and less intrusive than headgear box sets, but can display information such as notifications or map routes within one’s line of sight.

Mixed Reality Controllers:

To manipulate virtual objects in mixed reality, users use special controllers that they put on their hands. Controllers can track hand movements and allow users to manipulate what they see at that time or digital content in real time for an even more immersive experience.

Application Scenarios of Mixed Reality:

In many industries today, mixed reality (MR) is being used in all kinds of ways to improve efficiency and creativity and create new experiences. Some of the more exciting references MR:

Education:

MR is changing our approach to learning. Students can stand inside a historic artefact, fly over 3D models of biological systems, or float out into outer space. Teachers are highly enthusiastic about the potential of virtual reality to create learning environments that will draw in students better than traditional textbooks ever could.

Health Care:

In the field of medicine, MR is becoming increasingly common for teaching—as well as for treatment. Surgeons can look at 3-D models of the organs they will operate on or see where all parts of an organ have gone on different late nights when planning procedures to greater precision. Medical students can also practice complex procedures in a virtual environment before carrying them out on real patients.

Retailers and Shopping:

Mixed reality is revolutionising how we shop. For example, virtual fitting rooms allow customers to try on clothes without ever entering a store, or MR-powered applications can show what a piece of furniture looks like in a home before purchase. This is a truly personalized shopping experience.

Architecture and Design:

Architects use MR to visualise and interact with building designs in real time. This way they can make changes to the design on the spot and show clients what the result will look like in a real context.

Entertainment and Gaming:

MR is reinventing entertainment, bringing people new experiences of games, movies, live shows, and so on. MR-powered games can place players in a virtual environment with interactive elements, where digital figures and objects coexist with the real world.

Benefits of Mixed Reality

Mixed reality provides several benefits that make it an attractive technology for individuals and businesses alike. Several of the important advantages are:

MR enables people to interact with virtual materials in a real and vivid way, thereby enhancing the whole experience. Improve Learning and Training:

MR hands-on learning and training in a safe environment can be valuable, such as training medical students to practice surgery without having to operate on patients. It’s just as practice aircraft engineering passenger cabins and gives them experience in ground operations, there is an alternative field of choice too. Increase Productivity:

Difference: Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality vs. Mixed Reality

It’s easy to confuse augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality because they all overlap in some ways. Here’s a quick comparison to help clear things up:

• Augmented Reality (AR):Digital content is overlaid on the real world in AR, but there’s usually very little or no interaction with one another. The best-known example is the game “Pokémon GO,” in which digital creatures appear in specific places in our world.
• Virtual Reality (VR):This is a totally immersive experience; the user is surrounded by a digitally created environment. With VR you are taken into a completely virtual world, and there’s no interaction with the real world.
• Mixed Reality (MR): MR is a combination of the best points of both AR and VR. Virtual objects can interact with the real world, allowing users to immerse themselves in a more interactive and immersive experience.

The Future of Mixed Reality

The future of mixed reality looks bright. As technology continues to improve, MR devices will become more affordable, powerful, and user-friendly. The prospects are endless—from changing how we work to learning. It will also impact entertainment and shopping in ways traditional media hasn’t yet achieved. And as mixed reality continues to evolve, we can expect it to play an increasingly significant role in shaping the development/acquisition of new technology.

In conclusion, mixed reality is an exciting new world for current technology professionals. It’s already beginning to impact various industries, but in the future its influence will only increase. As it works to improve learning, healthcare, or even how we shop for things, MR truly is what makes technology more beautiful.