How are Virtual, Augmented and Extended Reality different?

It is time to understand what all the new technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Extended Reality. That will be used in the professional and educational field. As the one that is working on three types of realities can be confusing. Today we are going to explain the differences between them to avoid confusing them. Since they have enough similarities between them.

• Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Extended Reality are not the same and are used for different things. Although they do share many tools.

• We summarize what each of these technologies consists of so that you learn to differentiate them.

• Virtual Reality is the most veteran technology, but it has advanced qualitatively, allowing new uses.

Kinds & Concepts

There are so many new concepts and acronyms that are emerging technologies with the advancement of technology that it is normal, from time to time, we will review all the news, understand what they consist of. What they apply for and, mainly, know the potential that they can have for our academic and professional field.

If previously the attention was monopolized by Artificial Intelligence, robotics and intelligent machines. Today it is the turn of technologies that emulate realities and transport the user to an immersive experience.

It is about the technologies that are arousing a wide interest in the world of education. For the possible openings in experiential and practical learning and the stimulation that it entails for students.

On the other hand, it is proposed as a facilitating tool for inclusive education, skills development or overcoming barriers related to cognitive or social limitations.

The Virtual Reality or VR is, of them all, the kind of technology that we are most familiar. But has made a qualitative change, beyond the use made in the leisure and entertainment.

As a summary we could say that virtual reality generates totally non-existent worlds, augmented reality combines non-existent elements with others that are there. And the mixed is a mixture between them. However, we are going to go explain in detail how each one works.

Virtual reality

The virtual real or VR differs from the rest by being that you completely immerse yourself in a virtual world. This means that it allows you to simulate a complete sensory experience in an artificial environment without you seeing anything outside. To “get into” this virtual world you usually need both best headset like oculus quest 1 & rift s prescription lenses.

It is the technology that allows an immersive experience, simulated by a computer device.

They immerse the viewer in a real or imaginary scenario that can be completely enveloping. Including all the senses, not only the sight and sound, but also the smell or the tit.

It is a tool that has been used for a long time in leisure and top video games, but that has made a leap with new advances. Especially expanding its uses and its presence in other areas, especially training or therapeutic.

Augmented reality

Augmented reality or AR differs from the rest because it complements the real environment with digital objects. Come on, you see everything you have around you. But the computer on the computer that you have in front of your eyes can reproduce objects, animations or data that are not really there.

It is a live view of a real physical environment, in which certain traits are being recreated through graphics, sounds and other sensory components.

They make use of mobile cameras and tablets to superimpose content to the viewfinder capture, which we see through the device screen.

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Mixed Reality

Mixed reality or MR is a mix between virtual and augmented reality. It is therefore an environment that mixes the best aspects of both. Unifying the experience so that you only need a single helmet or glasses to use one or the other.

On the one hand, virtual reality allows you to immerse yourself in completely digital worlds. While the augmented one lets you print digital objects in real environments. Therefore, what mixed reality does is to unite both concepts to allow you to interact with real objects within a virtual world. Be totally immersed in a completely virtual world, or reproduce virtual elements in your real environment.

Although the mixed reality has been almost the last to arrive, the push of companies like Microsoft are betting everything on it and taking it to Windows 10, which would democratize it so that almost anyone can use it.

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