AR, VR & MR
What is Virtual Reality?
• Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that creates a simulated environment,
allowing users to feel like they are in a different place or world. VR puts you
inside a computer-generated world that feels real. It does this by using special
equipment that covers your eyes and sometimes your ears called VR Headset.
Virtual Reality creates a believable, interactive 3D environment that you can
explore and interact with, making you feel like you are really there.
• This is made possible by putting on a head-mounted display that sends a form of
input tracking. The display is split between the eyes and thus creates a
stereoscopic 3D effect with stereo sound to give you a graphic experience.
Types of Virtual Reality (VR)
• Immersive VR
• Augmented Reality
• Mixed Reality
• Collaborative Virtual Reality
• Simulated Reality
• Web VR
Immersive VR
• Immersive virtual reality (immersive VR) is the presentation of an artificial
environment that replaces users' real-world surroundings convincingly enough
that they can suspend disbelief and fully engage with the created environment.
Immersiveness is an important element of VR applications, such as VR
gaming and VR therapy.
Augmented Reality (AR)
• AR enhances the real world with digital information, such as
images, text, or animations. AR is not completely immersive, but
you can interact with the digital elements depending on the
software. Some examples of AR include the mobile game
Pokémon GO and filters on Instagram or Snapchat.
Mixed reality (MR)
• MR combines the real and virtual worlds, allowing the two to
interact in real time. MR is an extension of AR, and it's also
known as merged reality. MR allows users to manipulate both
physical and virtual objects and environments. Some examples
of MR include simulation training for pilots and surgeons, and
retail merchandisers using holograms to visualize store layouts.
Collaborative virtual reality (VR)
• Collaborative virtual reality (VR) is a technology that allows
multiple users to interact in a shared virtual environment in real
time. It's also known as multiuser VR or social VR
Simulated Reality
• Simulated reality refers to a concept where an artificial,
computer-generated environment simulates reality to such a
degree that it becomes indistinguishable from the real world. In
a simulated reality the digital environment is designed to mimic
the physical world with a high degree of accuracy , including the
laws of physics, sensory perceptions and interactions.
Web VR
• Web VR, or Web Virtual Reality, is a set of standards and
technologies that enable creating and delivering virtual reality
experiences through web browsers.
• The goal of Web VR is to make VR content accessible to users
across various devices and platforms directly through web
browsers.
Computing device
• It is a strong, powerful machine that processes and creates the
3-dimensional world. All other input devices pass their data onto
it, it tracks the user movement and renders all the graphics.
Computing devices should have a large amount of RAM, a good
GPU, a powerful CPU, and a sufficient storage device.
Head Mounted Display
• It is a head-mounted display that consists of two screens that
display the virtual world in front of the users. They have motion
sensors that detect the orientation and position of your head
and adjust the picture accordingly. It also usually has built-in
headphones or external audio connectors to output sound.
Moreover, they have a blackout blindfold to ensure the users
are fully disconnected from the outside world.
Sensors
• Sensors are mostly incorporated into the headset of VR. They
track users’ poses and their head position, detect movement
and rotation, and then pass all this data to the VR
processor/computing device. Because of these sensors, the
user can interact with the virtual environment. VR depends upon
several sensors, including accelerometers, gyroscopes,
magnetometers, and 6DoF.
Input devices
• Input devices are used by users in the VR system to interact
with the virtual world in front of them. These devices might be a
tool or a weapon in their artificial world. The input devices
include mice, controllers, joysticks, gloves with sensors, and
body tracking systems.
Audio systems
• Audio systems have a particularly important job in VR, ensuring
a great VR experience in which users’ brain is forced to think
like they are in that artificial world. They are mostly integrated
inside the HMD. VR provides spatial audio, so the users feel
how real the virtual world is.
Software
• Software is a crucial part of VR systems. The software is an
application designed that runs on VR hardware and creates an
artificial world. There are several different types of software
based on what users need. For example, games, simulations,
medical ecosystems, etc.
Content Creation Mechanism for
Virtual Reality
• Concept Development:
• Define the purpose: Clearly identify the goal of your VR experience,
whether it's education, entertainment, marketing, or training.
• Storytelling: Craft a compelling narrative that leverages VR's
immersive capabilities to engage users.
• User persona: Define your target audience and design the experience
accordingly
• Design and Development:
• Environment creation: Model the virtual environment with high-quality
3D assets, considering lighting, textures, and scale.
• Interaction design: Plan intuitive controls and interactions that align
with real-world actions.
• Motion sickness prevention: Implement strategies to minimize
potential nausea, like smooth transitions and avoiding rapid
movements.
• UI/UX design: Create user interfaces for VR, considering hand tracking
and spatial awareness.
• Technical Considerations:
• Platform selection: Choose the appropriate VR platform based on
your target audience and hardware compatibility.
• Development tools: Select a suitable game engine (Unity, Unreal
Engine) with VR development capabilities.
• Asset optimization: Optimize 3D models and textures to ensure
smooth performance on VR headsets
Key Considerations:
• User comfort:
• Prioritize user comfort by minimizing motion sickness triggers, providing clear
visual cues, and allowing for breaks.
• Privacy concerns:
• Be transparent about user data collection and ensure compliance with privacy
regulations.
• Immersion level:
• Strive to create a fully immersive experience by carefully managing visual, audio, and
haptic feedback.
• Cost and resource management:
• Consider the development costs associated with creating VR content and manage
resources efficiently.
Tracking and sensing mechanism in
Virtual Realtiy.
• Tracking and sensing are critical components in virtual reality systems, enabling
the accurate and responsive capture of user movements and interactions within
the virtual environment.
• Degree of Freedom in virtual reality refers to the number of independent ways a
rigid body, such as a VR headset or motion controller, can move in
three-dimensional space.
• 6DoF tracking, which includes not only rotational movements but also positional
movements in three-dimensional space, provides a more immersive experience
compared to 3DoF.
How are tracking and sensing address in
VR?
• Head tracking
• Positional tracking
• Hand and controller tracking
• Room scale tracking
• Eye tracking
• Facial expression tracking
• Haptic feedback
Metaverse
• The metaverse refers to the convergence of physical and virtual space accessed
through computers and enabled by immersive technologies such as virtual
reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Described by proponents as the next
iteration of the internet, this 3D virtual world is envisioned as a persistent,
collective, shared space where digital facsimiles of ourselves, or avatars, move
freely from one experience to another, taking our identities and monetary assets
with us.
Characteristics of Metaverse
• Immersive Environments
• Social Interaction
• Persistent Universe
• User-created content
• Digital Economics
• Cross-platform integrations
• Education and work
• Gaming and Entertainment
Applications of Virtual Reality
• Healthcare
• Tourism
• Entertainment
• Automotive
• Architecture
• Social Interaction
Advantages and Disadvantages of Virtual Reality
Advantages Of Virtual Reality Disadvantages of Virtual Reality
1. Immersive Learning: VR provides an immersive and realistic learning 1. Motion Sickness: Some users may experience motion sickness or
experience, allowing users to interact with virtual environments and objects discomfort due to the sensory disconnect between virtual and physical
as if they were real. movements, leading to nausea and dizziness.
2. Safe Training Environment: VR enables trainees to practice dangerous 2. Cost and Accessibility: VR systems can be expensive to develop and
or high-risk scenarios in a safe environment, reducing the risk of injury and maintain, making them less accessible to organizations with limited
equipment damage. budgets. High-quality hardware and software requirements can also pose
barriers to adoption.
3. Repeatable Scenarios: Trainees can repeat VR scenarios as often as 3. Ethical Concerns: The immersive nature of VR can desensitize users to
needed to refine skills and build muscle memory, ensuring consistent and violence and blur the line between reality and simulation, raising ethical
thorough training outcomes. concerns about its impact on perception and behavior.
4. Customizable Simulations: VR allows training scenarios to be tailored 4. Learning Curve: Some users may struggle with the learning curve
to specific learning objectives and challenges, enabling personalized and associated with using VR equipment and navigating virtual environments,
targeted skill development. potentially affecting the efficiency of training programs.
5. Data Collection and Assessment: VR systems can collect detailed 5. Isolation and Social Disconnect: Prolonged use of VR can lead to
performance data, enabling trainers to assess trainee progress, identify isolation from the real world and reduced face-to-face interaction, potentially
strengths and weaknesses, and adapt training accordingly. impacting social skills and relationships.
