One of the biggest confusions in the world of Digitalization is the difference between augmented reality and virtual reality. Both are gaining a lot of media attention and promise tremendous growth.
What is virtual reality?
Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation or artificial recreation of a real-life environment or situation. It immerses the user making him feel as if he is experiencing simulated reality first hand, mainly stimulating his vision and hearing.
Virtual reality is generally achieved using headphones like Facebook’s Oculus equipped with technology, and is used prominently in two different ways:
- To create and improve an imaginary reality for games, entertainment, and games (such as video games and computer games, or 3D movies, head-mounted screen).
- Improve training for real-life environments by creating a realistic simulation in which people can practice beforehand (such as flight simulators for pilots).
Virtual reality is possible through an encoding language known as VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) that can be used to create a series of images and specify what types of interactions are possible for them.
What is augmented reality?
Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that combines computer-generated improvements over an existing reality to make it more meaningful through the ability to interact with it. AR is developed in applications and used in mobile devices to combine digital components in the real world in such a way that they improve each other, but they can also be easily distinguished.
AR technology is rapidly reaching the mainstream. It is used to display score overlays in televised sports games and display emails, photos or 3D text messages on mobile devices. Technology industry leaders are also using AR to do incredible and revolutionary things with holograms and motion activated commands.
Augmented Reality vs. Virtual reality
Augmented reality and virtual reality are inverse reflections of each other with what each technology seeks to achieve and deliver to the user. Virtual reality offers a digital recreation of a real-life environment, while augmented reality offers virtual elements as a superposition to the real world.
How are virtual reality and augmented reality similar?
Technology
Augmented and virtual realities take advantage of some of the same types of technology, and each one exists to serve the user with an enhanced or enriched experience.
Entertainment
Both technologies allow experiences that are increasingly expected and sought for entertainment purposes. While in the past they seemed simply the product of a science fiction imagination, new artificial worlds come alive under the control of the user, and deeper layers of interaction with the real world can also be achieved. The main technological magnates are investing and developing new adaptations, improvements and launching more and more products and applications that support these technologies for more and more expert users.
Science and medicine
In addition, virtual and augmented realities have great potential to change the landscape of the medical field by making things like remote surgeries a real possibility. These technologies have already been used to treat and cure psychological conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
How do augmented and virtual realities differ?
Purpose
Augmented reality enhances the experience by adding virtual components such as digital images, graphics or sensations as a new level of interaction with the real world. On the contrary, virtual reality creates its own reality that is completely generated and managed by the computer.
Method of delivery
Virtual reality is generally provided to the user via a handheld computer or a head-mounted controller. This team connects people with virtual reality and allows them to control and navigate their actions in an environment designed to simulate the real world.
Augmented reality is increasingly used in mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets to change the way the real world and digital images, graphics intersect and interact.
How do they work together?
It is not always a virtual reality versus an augmented reality: they do not always operate independently of each other and, in fact, often mix to generate an even more immersive experience. For example, haptic feedback, which is the vibration and sensation added to the interaction with the graphics, is considered an increase. However, it is commonly used within a virtual reality environment to make the experience more realistic but tactile.
Virtual reality and augmented reality are excellent examples of experiences and interactions fueled by the desire to immerse yourself in a simulated land for entertainment and gaming or to add a new dimension in the relationship between digital devices and the real world. Alone or mixed, no doubt, they are opening worlds, both real and virtual.
Learn more about how Augment is changing the AR industry.
