AR/VR -Is the future closer than we think?

What if the line between our imagination and the real-world is erased? What if we could dive into an alternate world of infinite possibilities, where there are no limits to imagination and creativity.

With Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, not only is that possible, it’s already here. AR/VR transforms how we work, learn, play, shop, and connect with the world around us. It’s the perfect way to visualize things that would be impossible or impractical to see otherwise.

So what exactly is AR & VR?

Virtual Reality is a computer-generated simulation of one’s environment. For example, you put on a headset that blocks out your worldview and substitutes it with a digital world, designed to fool your senses. So, according to your brain, you are somewhere else, which means you can virtually visit any place in the world without actually being physically present there.

Some popular application of VR :

• Beat saber
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Pistol Whip
• Iron Man VR (PSVR)

Since VR is just an approximation of our reality- that is digital but not reality itself- it has several limitations like lack of sensation and synchronization with the real-world environment and that’s where AR comes to picture.

Augmented reality, also known as mixed reality, is a different beast from VR. That is because its primary purpose isn’t to cut out the real world and transport you to another one. Instead, it aims at providing an enhancement of your real world with a set of magical virtual objects in it. When a person’s actual environment is supplemented or augmented with computer-generated images, usually motion tracked, then that’s augmented reality. If you played Pokemon Go when that was a thing or if you’ve tried Snapchat lens face filters, you’ve already used primitive forms of augmented reality.

Some popular applications of AR:

• Pokemon Go
• Snapchat filters
• Roomle.com

Is AR-VR the new Hype of the IT industry?

Recently the IT industry has noticed a rapid increase in demand for ML/AI and data science professionals, can the AR/VR industry be pushing towards a similar demand?

Over the years various companies such as Nintendo and NEC have tried bringing VR to the consumer market but these efforts were major failures as the technology just wasn’t there and the threshold for building and convincing headset was too high until now VR is quickly becoming extremely relevant to gamers 3d artists architects and real estate agents teachers and students and even astronauts after crying wolf several times VR is finally showing some promise this time around.

Although at present its most prominent usage is limited to gaming and entertainment, In the past few years, major tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple have been investing in virtual reality (VR) and its sibling technology, augmented reality (AR). Google just released a new “Live View” option in its popular Maps app that uses AR tech to superimpose information onto your field of vision as seen through a smartphone camera. We’ve seen similar examples of simple AR use cases, like the Ikea Place app, which works with your smartphone camera so you can see what certain pieces of furniture might look like in your house. Google is also continuing to improve it’s Arcore platform so that almost any phone can do things like measure depth.

Conclusion-

Many people think both AR and VR will fade out like previous hype cycles of the technology from the 80s and 90s. The thing to note here is that the underlying technology is much more powerful this time around, our processing powers and storage capacities are reaching new heights every day. It’s very much feasible to think of it as a time similar to smartphones just before the smartphone was introduced to the Global market, we just need the right blend of cutting edge AR and VR applications products, and the right prices to begin the altered reality spark, at current rates, by 2025, attractive AR and VR experiences will be commonplace if done right. That means this industry is undoubtedly the future of Information Technology. And as we advance in this field, more professionals and developers would soon be in demand.