Virtual and Augmented Reality
:-A Reality away from Reality
There are a lot of realities out there.
No, this isn’t about the multiverse, time travel, or other dimensions. This is about the many ways we have been using technology to add additional aspects to the reality we all know — or, with virtual reality, to create a brand-new one.
Overview:
Have you seen people controlling the games or watching movies by wearing a cool gadget over their heads and getting completely lost in it? What if I tell you it creates a whole new reality? Yeah!!, you heard it right.
Virtual Reality (VR) is a computer-generated experience featuring realistic-looking images and objects that immerses the viewer in their surroundings. This experience can be similar to the real world or completely different. People view this world using a VR headset or helmet.
While in contrast to this augmented reality uses a real-life environment where we can add and simulate virtual objects. Here the user has control over the physical environment and no special gear is needed to experience it. It integrates the virtual and real-world into one space as opposed to VR which simulates a fictitious reality.
About Technology:
So how do we build it?
The components necessary for building and experiencing VR can be divided into nine categories:-
Hardware:
- Sensory Displays — For monitoring the position and orientation of the user.
- Computer — To track the artificial environment created.
- Process Acceleration Cards — Improves the performance of a desktop computer and server.
- Tracking System — To keep the user’s position in check
- Input Device
Software:
- 3D Modelling
- 2D Graphics
- Digital Sound Editing
- VR Simulation.
Now let’s move on to the component required for AR.
There are mainly three components, which are:
Hardware:
The core components of any AR-based tool are the processor, sensors, input devices, and mainly the display.
1. Processor — For using data acquired from sensors and incorporating that for suitable actions in a simulated environment.
2. Sensors (gyroscope and accelerometer)
3. Input devices (camera or webcam)
4. Display (could be a smartphone, handheld device, smart glass, or head-mounted display(HMD))
Software:
Special pieces of software like D’Fusion are integrated into AR-based applications.
Remote Servers:
Cloud servers or a dedicated hosting platform is required to render and store the data. (As per the request obtained from the AR source, virtual images and projections are downloaded from the web or cloud server and shown via a smartphone. As the data generated in the process can be large, using a hosted service or cloud is preferred. )
Details:
1. VR
1: Viewing System
The best virtual reality experience is possible only if it runs on a good viewing system. Irrespective of the number of users, the viewing system is what connects the last mile.
2: Tracking System
Virtual reality headsets need a sensor camera to recognize movement and provide the best 3D world experience.
Most of the high-end headsets have this by now.
3: Interactivity Element
One of the main attractions of a virtual reality experience is that you can interact with the content as if it is real. Earlier, the technology needed to be better to build a realistic experience but all that has changed.
The elements of interaction depend on the range, speed, and mapping. The power to move from one place to another inside a virtual world and the ability to change the environment are the best interactivity elements that VR can provide.
4. Artistic Inclination
The virtual environment should provide users with an environment in which they are completely immersed.
The VR artist should focus on the atmosphere, engaging factor, and entertaining factor so that the experience is immersive and users should feel that they are a part of the game or environment they are in.
5: Sensory Management System
If there is a slight variation in the virtual environment like the vibration, movement, or direction, then users should be able to feel it. This is now available in the most sophisticated virtual reality headsets.
2. AR
The complete AR process comprises of majorly four steps. Let’s have a sneak peek into the AR process and understand what the key checkpoints are:
1. 3D Concept of App:
The very first thing which comes in the process is the core concept of the application. What are the main functionalities of the application, how will the application look, and how the user will interact with the interface decided in this phase? 3d prototypes and blueprints are prepared based on the idea used in the designing phase.
2. 3D Designing phase:
By leveraging the 2d blueprints and 3d prototypes as a reference, the engineer can design the complete flow of the application. The application screens, color combinations, and animation effects are implemented in this step. Once this step is complete, it gives a pretty clear idea of the app’s functionalities.
3. Integration into AR APP:
Once the complete design is ready, it’s time for integrating the whole concept into an AR app. The development phase of the app begins here, and the functionalities are integrated into the AR application. This process gives a powerful backend to the beautiful frontend of the app.
4. Augmented Reality Product Design:
This is an advanced process in which the app can be made compatible with the available AR and VR devices to enhance user interaction. Once the app is integrated with the product, you can offer an unforgettable viewing experience.
Have you noticed, this requires a lot of components and technicalities? So why should we invest in it? Let’s move to the application section to know all the wonders possible due to it.
Futuristic application of VR and AR:
1.Virtual Reality:
i. VR in Entertainment
●Virtual reality is being used in the entertainment industry even today, although not many users have access to it. VR enables users to do some basic gaming, and watch movies, providing the experience of a museum while sitting at home.
● Gaming and movies are the two main sectors that come up when VR is in question. Today’s date, gaming accounts for over 50% of the VR software market.
● VR would provide a great opportunity to present movies to a huge audience without them having to be physically present.
ii. VR in Health care
●VR can also be used to demonstrate complex medical procedures such as heart surgery, brain surgery, etc.
●Much planning can also be done with the use of VR in healthcare. The layout of a hospital can be decided, how the flow of patients would be, where would the waiting room be, etc.
2. Augmented Reality:
i. AR in Simulation :
● In the future, this technology could be used to better hybridize virtual meetings. If one person on your team is using a VR headset to attend a meeting and you’re attending without a VR headset, an AR avatar of the person could represent them at your meeting.
ii. AR in Manufacturing:
● AR allows fast prototyping in manufacturing and allows remote assistance in maintenance. For instance, Boeing equipped its wire production technicians with AR glasses that guide them while they were aircraft. The company claims that this cuts its wiring production time by 25% and reduces the error rates to nearly zero.
iii. AR in Education:
● AR applications can be used to make learning material more accessible and help students better engage with the subject. Teachers can get help from visual representation while explaining a subject. For example, the Photomath app allows students to scan a math problem and virtually guide them through the solution.
Summary:
●We can create a virtually generated Reality or an environment space that is independent or semi-independent of actual Reality.
●VR is based on the creation of a completely fictional space whereas AR is semi-dependent on the surrounding environment.
● Mostly these realities are simulated using various sensors and emerging optical technologies.
● Wide application in education, entertainment, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.
● Though this technology is lot hyped in today’s world and has wide utility, it still requires a lot of technological improvement to be used with complete reliability.
