Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
You will probably never be able to go to the Moon, run with the cheetahs, witness all the Seven Wonders of the World etc. What if I told you that you shall be able to do all these things plus visit some impossible places without leaving your home! Surprised? That’s the beauty of Virtual Reality or simply VR. VR is a way to immerse users in an entirely virtual world. The new technology in VR uses closed visors or googles to block out the room and put your presence somewhere else, either in a place in the real world or some imaginary computer-created world. Putting a VR headset over your eyes will leave you blind to the current world, but will expand your senses with experiences within. The immersion is actually quite dramatic, with some users reporting feelings of movement as they ascend a staircase or ride a rollercoaster within the virtual environment. Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, Google cardboard etc. are some of the examples of VR these days.
So what is Augmented Reality then?
Augmented Reality or simple AR is a live, direct view of your own physical environment with elements augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. A real life example is a table being developed by IKEA that would suggest recipes based on the ingredients kept on the table. Augmented reality takes our current reality and adds something to it. It does not move us elsewhere. It simply “augments” our current state of presence, often with clear visors.
Augmented and virtual reality have one big thing in common. They both have the remarkable ability to alter our perception of the world. Where they differ, is the perception of our presence. For example, with VR you can swim with the sharks. And with AR, you can watch a shark pop out of your business card.
This post was also published in the “Tech Jargon of the Week” column in The Campbell Express and on my blog.
