THERE’S A NEW KID IN TOWN VR glasses take you to a whole other dimension VR, AR, SR, MR, huh? So many applications, so many names. VR, AR and MR all belong to Reality technologies, but there are quite some differences when we compare the many different features of them all though... Virtual Reality (VR): we all know it. You put on VR-glasses and suddenly you are in a totally different dimension. You are watching a movie in which you can walk around through a specifi c scene. Only up to a certain level though, while the playing fi eld is not infi nite. Moreover, the space is mostly limited to a few square meters. Augmented Reality (AR): Augmented Reality is extremely useful for marketing purposes or to educate children. A smartphone scans a QR code that belongs to a custom developed AR app. Your company’s AR app for example. The user does not just see the reality through the camera of his smartphone, he also receives extra information. This can be textual, or a (moving) graphic. It can be anything, as it is a layer on top of reality. Sensory Reality (SR): this technology combines Virtual Reality with a scent and orientation experience. VR-glasses take you to a whole other dimension. The cabin you are sitting in spreads a scent and warmth that reminds you of a tropical island for example. This might be the next step in going on a vacation. Too bad this technology is not quite ready to be applied in the real world. Mixed Reality (MR): Mixed Reality seems to combine AR and VR, but it goes a lot further than that. The user (usually) puts an MR-kit on and looks through the glasses. (You stay in the real reality, just like AR). However, you can fully adapt this world to your liking. That means you can make a virtual world of your own real world and make real-time adjustments. Let’s take a closer look at that: What are the advantages of MR? Mixed Reality belongs to one of the possibilities we can implement in our business life. These are a few practical examples in which Mixed Reality could function perfectly: • Suppose your leg is broken and you are unable to go to work, but you would like to join a meeting with your colleagues face to face. If everyone puts on their MR glasses, they can virtually take a seat on your sofa. You can look each other in the eye, even though you are not actually in the same room together. • What if you wish to decorate a new store, but you have no clue if ten wooden shelves would look better than ten metal ones. Put your MR goggles on while you are in the building and you can get the images of the wooden shelves off the internet real-time in the store. Place them against the wall and decide what suits you best. Not satisfi ed? No problem, you can easily remove them and mix it up. • Another excellent example of Mixed Reality is the APP of paint brand Flexa that allows you to visualise colours in your home directly using the APP and the camera of your smartphone. • The last example: a customer walks past your store while wearing his MR glasses. How amazing would it be if he could see which products you have on offer on the inside from the outside? Without having to visit your website, it can be visualised in a hologram that pops up in the MR glasses. Soon more and more (small) businesses will make use of the power that MR brings. It is the ideal way of looking at products and testing them before starting an expensive production line. And when consumers are fi nally ready for a Google Glass-like product, there are many great opportunities of advertisement in the glasses based on geocaching. Mixed Reality, here we come! CONTINEW -23
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