There's growing talk about the emergence of mixed reality (MR) as a technology that will arrive and surpass today's virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). However, even though it's a term widely used in virtual reality forums, there's still a lot we don't know about this technology and its potential.
FullOffice Learning created this article to explain what mixed reality is and the opportunities this technology will offer us. The idea behind mixed reality is to create a technology that blends VR and AR.
Virtual reality involves creating an alternate reality accessed through a device that isolates the user from their physical environment. Augmented reality, meanwhile, involves viewing objects or other layers of information overlaid on the physical world we live in, through a screen.
And, as mentioned earlier, mixed reality will be a combination of both, resulting in the fusion of the physical world with the digital world.
The process works as follows: first, the surrounding environment is scanned to generate a 3D map. The surface is then analyzed, enabling the device to place visual elements in the exact right spots. This ability to combine the best features of both realities suggests that mixed reality will become the future of immersive technology.
We already know the applications virtual reality has across different fields: entertainment, medicine, architecture, film, education, and many more. Mixed reality shares that same adaptability, which allows for continued progress and improvement across processes and industries. For example, companies can offer their customers interactive products, new catalogs, or 3D replicas rendered in reality — options that used to be almost impossible to pull off.
Although the paradigm of mixed reality is different from that of VR and AR, the current methodologies used to create virtual and augmented reality experiences will serve as the basis for creating mixed reality applications and experiences in the future.
Mixed reality has the potential to change how many industries and trades work. It could also impact our daily lives, making certain tasks more interactive and easier. Its versatility is so broad that the ways we currently know it will likely continue to grow in the coming years.
It's possible that it will become more common than virtual and augmented reality. And, of course, it's expected to help optimize everyday tasks and support the growth of businesses.