Augmented Reality overlay enhances real-world reality, developed in 1968 by Ivan Sutherland. It requires AI, AR software, processing, lenses, sensors for operation. Key factors for AR success include meaningful content and realistic interaction. Commercial AR apps are used in marketing, fashion, tourism, and retail. AR technology engages customers at events and public spaces, aids exploration of cultural aspects, and supports remote work. For those exploring alternatives to Augmented Reality, options include Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, Extended Reality, 3D, Holograms, Digital Twin, Simulation, Metaverse, and Artificial Intelligence.
Mixed Reality
Introduced in 1994 by Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino, Mixed Reality (MR) is an exciting fusion of the digital and physical worlds, offering an all-encompassing 3D interactive experience. Now being widely used across sectors, MR is powered by advancements in big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
Mixed Reality Top Features
Integration of real and digital worlds for seamless interaction.
Holographic and Immersive VR devices like the Microsoft HoloLens and Samsung HMD Odyssey+.
Applications in varying fields such as healthcare, architecture, gaming, and storytelling.
Capability to fundamentally alter human-computer interaction.
Usage extends to devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart eyeglasses.
Features
Role
Big Data, Cloud Computing, AI
Fuel the functioning and advancements in MR
MRTouch
Microsoft’s cutting-edge technology for tracking and mapping the surroundings.
Enterprise MR
The leading area of research within Mixed Reality.
Mixed Reality Downsides
Current reliance on specialised headsets, although this is expected to change.
May pose ethical, social, and privacy concerns needing careful consideration for responsible development and adoption.
Mixed Reality Pricing
Mixed Reality devices are currently priced between $300 and $3,000. However, it’s expected that camera-equipped smartphones, tablets and smart eyeglasses will soon replace these specialised (and often costly) headsets.
Mixed Reality Use Cases
Use case 1: Healthcare
Surgeons are using Mixed Reality to practice precise medical procedures, enhancing patient safety and surgical outcomes. It has made training for intricate tasks more flexible and accessible.
Use case 2: Architecture
Designers use MR to interact with new products before the manufacturing phase, enabling them to visualize and manipulate designs in real-time 3D space and thus, improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Use case 3: Supply Chain Management
MR provides real-time access to data on various mechanical components, enabling companies to efficiently manage their supply chains. For instance, a supervisor can view a pallet’s shipping history instantly using MR-enabled devices.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) traces its roots back to the 1800s and the era of practical photography. It’s a mature technology that serves as a significant alternative to Augmented Reality, making it possible to immerse oneself in a digitally created, interactive environment.
Virtual Reality Top Features
Stereoscopic 3D visuals: Originating from the invention of the stereoscope in 1838, VR technology features depth-filled, immersive visuals, demonstrated in head-mounted display devices like Heilig’s Telesphere Mask.
Multisensory Stimulation: As shown in the Sensorama machine, VR provides an all-encompassing sensory experience inclusive of wind, vibration, smell, audio, and video.
Device-driven immersion: Innovations like Ivan Sutherland’s “windows into virtual world”, and NASA’s VIEW system have offered new dimensions for VR interaction, with head-mounted displays and gloves.
Feature
Description
DataGlove, EyePhone HMD, Audio Sphere
Products from VPL Research representing a push towards commercialization of VR equipment, further improving user interaction.
Oculus Rift Prototype
This improved VR experience by offering a 90-degree field of vision, becoming a gamechanger post it’s acquisition by Facebook.
Virtual Reality Limitations
Not as interactive: Computer-generated VR may not be as interactive as traditional 3D models, limiting certain applications.
Equipment requirement: Use of VR typically requires specific hardware like headsets and gloves, which might not be readily available or affordable for all users.
Virtual Reality Use Cases
Use Case 1: Military
From the inception of VR, military applications like Philco Corporation’s Headsight allowed for remote viewing in hazardous environments. Furness’ advanced flight simulators furthered this application in training scenarios.
Use Case 2: Gaming
VR has significantly influenced the gaming industry. Virtuality, a VR arcade machine by Jonathan Waldern and Oculus Rift are some initiatives that have revolutionized gaming experiences.
Use Case 3: Simulation and Training
Through applications like NASA’s VIEW system and flight simulators, VR has proven fundamental in imitation of real-world scenarios for training purposes. This approach has been influential in fields such as aerospace and aviation.
Extended Reality
Embracing the realms of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), lies the increasingly influential concept of Extended Reality (XR). Originating from the 1800s idea of binocular vision, modern XR is carving out its path in various sectors, notably the creative economy, healthcare, and education, and its impact is estimated to move mountains with a predicted $18.8 billion spending on XR products and services in 2020.
Extended Reality Top Features
Immersive digital engagement with reality through AR using interactive digital elements over real-world environments.
Complete digital immersion with VR, powered by devices like VR headsets.
Seamless interaction with a virtual environment overlaid on the real world through Mixed Reality.
Tech Giants
Influence on XR
Apple
Entry into XR with Apple Vision Pro speculated to drive the future of XR and develop the metaverse.
Ford, DHL, Boeing
Benefitted from XR technology in areas like production line optimization and process simplification.
Extended Reality Limitations
High costs associated with technology implementation and content development.
Potential user comfort issues due to the immersive nature of the technology.
Concerns around interoperability and privacy may impede widespread adoption.
Ethical considerations associated with data privacy.
Extended Reality Use Cases
Use case 1: Creative Economy
With its potential to blend the virtual and real, XR acts as a catalyst for the creative economy, driving unique experiences and realms of opportunities.
Use case 2: Healthcare
XR is already transforming healthcare, providing an immersive and interactive aid for training surgeons to complex procedure simulations.
Use case 3: Education
Education can be enlivened and made more interactive with XR, offering virtual world engagements that encourage active learning and catering to diverse learning styles.
3D
From the genesis of Sketchpad in the 1960s, 3D modeling has grown exponentially, cognizant of architectural visualizations, product design, and educational applications.
3D Top Features
Interactivity: 3D models offer uncompromised interaction, from rotation to ‘explosion’ of components.
Variety: Options to use wire-frame, surface, or solid models to cater to diverse needs in engineering and architecture.
Precision: Solid 3D models offer data points like material density, weight, and center of gravity.
Allows for building prototypes, toys, and creative designs with ease through integration of 3D printing capabilities.
3D Limitations
Computationally demanding: Solid 3D models may exhaust computational resources.
3D Use Cases
Use case 1: Architecture and Engineering
3D is pivotal in planning projects, providing precise visualizations. Entities like Autodesk Revit offer building information modeling, gaining traction in architecture and engineering.
Use case 2: Product Design
Companies used DAC-1, a collaborative creation from IBM and General Motors, for product design. CAD software has taken a standard position in product design due to cost-effectiveness and precision.
Use case 3: Education
3D models in education field have revolutionized learning by providing hands-on, Iterative experience, leading to better comprehension.
Holograms
An inventive technology that dates back to 1947, holograms are a variant of Augmented Reality that have grown far beyond their initial purpose of improving electron microscope resolution. The word ‘hologram’ ties back to Greek roots, with ‘holos’ signifying ‘whole’ and ‘gramma’ implying ‘message’.
Holograms Top Features
Derived from the seminal work of British scientist Dennis Gabor, developed back in 1947.
Ability to project lifelike, three-dimensional images. Thanks to the white-light reflection hologram, these images can be can be viewed in ordinary light.
Ability to use the pulsed-ruby laser to capture high-speed events and living subjects in a few nanoseconds.
Feature
Benefit
Continuous wave laser
Provides a backbone for developing high-quality holograms.
Optical devices
Permit precise tuning of holographic images.
Embossing technique
Enables mass production of holograms.
Holograms Disadvantages
The need for a coherent light source adds to the complexity and cost of producing holograms.
Despite Gabor’s approach to increasing coherence with a pinhole, it decreases light intensity too drastically to be practical.
Holograms Use Cases
Use case 1: Communication
With its ability to produce lifelike representations, holography is changing the face of communication, bridging continental divides with a mere flick of a switch.
Use case 2: Diagnostics in Medicine
Through the visualization of complex medical data and body structures, holography offers unmatched advantages in diagnostics, enhancing accuracy and improving patient outcomes.
Use case 3: Advertising and Banking
Holographic displays are redefining experiences in advertising and banking, attracting audiences with unprecedented visual allure.
Digital Twin
Recall the movie ‘The Parent Trap’? Digital Twin is a grown-up, high-tech version of that concept. Only instead of creating mischief, it’s creating miraculous digital replicas of physical objects for testing, optimization, and improving our coffee breaks. Originated back in 2002, with a gleam in NASA’s eye.
Digital Twin Top Features
A glance into the past with NASA’s Apollo 13 crisis (but without the heart attack).
It’s cost-effective, thanks to IoT. Like taking a taxi instead of a limo, but still arriving like a boss.
Keeping it real, with real time updates. Only this time, it’s not about updating your Facebook profile.
Not just for the big guns; IoT allows even the little guys to benefit from Digital Twin. Kind of like the Little League playing at the Yankees Stadium.
Can simulate problems, so you can make mistakes in the digital realm rather than tripping on them in real life.
They’re used in all sorts of industries like automotive, healthcare, power generation, and the list keeps growing. It’s the Swiss Army knife of the digital world!
Type
Description
Digital Twin Prototype (DTP)
These digital mirror images are created before the physical product, playing the role of a digital guinea pig.
Digital Twin Instance (DTI)
This twin pops into the picture post-manufacturing, ready to take one for the team in the testing phase.
Digital Twin Aggregate (DTA)
This one congregates the DTI data and assesses capacity, playing the hawk-eyed supervisor in the process.
Digital Twin Disadvantages
The tech may come off as a bit over-enthusiastic, raising issues about cost, security, and privacy. But hey, every superhero has a weakness, right?
Not every business problem needs a digital double to swoop in and save the day. Sometimes, a simple flip of a switch does the trick.
Digital Twin Use Cases
Manufacturing
Factories are no more terrorized by the invisible monster called ‘Machine Downtime’. With Digital Twins waving their hi-tech magic wands, you can ensure smooth and efficient production schedules. Hurray for no awkward waiting!
Retail
In the retail industry, Digital Twin acts like your omniscient assistant who not only predicts trends (not fashion, sadly!) but ensures store optimization, effectively winning the ‘Employee of the Month’ title.
Healthcare
From optimizing workflows to testing patient scenarios before they actually occur, Digital Twin plays an essential role in the healthcare sector. It might not replace your Health Insurance but it sure helps in keeping the checkups in check!
Simulation
Imbibing years of legacy from the WWII era, Simulation is a potent tool, serving various sectors from healthcare to manufacturing. Harnessing computer science advancements, this interactive tool rose from the early IBM mainstays to present-day AR/VR tech, contributing to a current worth of over $15 billion.
Enhanced Production: Potentially elevate production capacity, with historic increases up to 400%.
High-Risk Applications: Suitable for training in potentially dangerous scenarios, such as medical and aviation.
Statistical Modelling: Useful for analysing probabilities and hypothetical events.
Education:
Employed in automation, robotics, electronics, and PLC.
Memorability:
Research indicates VR simulations are more memorable than text and video content.
Industry Growth:
Predicted 5-year growth rate at 39%, driven by AR/VR technology.
Simulation Downsides
Historical barriers included high costs, necessity for experts, and ambiguous results.
Limited industry usage up until the late 20th century.
Simulation Use Cases
Use case 1: Healthcare
Allows for risk-free practice for medical professionals, using software that can replace up to 50% of traditional clinical training. Pioneering instances include the use of training mannequins since the early 20th century.
Use case 2: Manufacturing
The potential to substantially increase production capacity puts simulation tools at the forefront of manufacturing, promising significant output augmentation.
Use case 3: Aviation
Acting as a safe training ground, simulations have been used extensively by pilots-in-training, offering real-world operation of complex aviation systems without risking real-world consequences.
Metaverse
The Metaverse, a concept that’s been decades-old, shot into mass consciousness with Facebook’s rebrand to Meta. Originating from the realms of sci-fi literature, it depicts an immersive 3D internet experience, likely to engage us through VR and AR sensations. Backed heavily by giants like Facebook, Microsoft, and Siemens, it’s expected to bring a dazzling array of 3D worlds catering to consumers and varied industries.
Metaverse Top Features
Immersive 3D Experience: Metaverse provides a virtually real realm, ushering the users into diverse 3D worlds.
Integration of Advanced Technologies: Incorporates VR, AR, blockchain, and NFTs to foster seamless commerce and interoperability.
Diverse Applications: Targets consumers and industries, opening up plethora of usage scenarios.
Historical Milestone
Significance
Sensorama (1962)
Simulated immersive VR environment, setting the building blocks for Metaverse.
Oculus Launch (2012)
Palmer Luckey’s Oculus scaled by Facebook offered unprecedented VR experiences, shaping the Metaverse landscape.
Meta’s Investment (2021)
Facebook’s $10 billion push as Meta sparkled Metaverse’s promise, speeding global adoption.
Metaverse Limitations
Technological Challenges: The interplay of VR, AR, NFTs, etc., can encounter significant technical hurdles.
Usability: Entering and navigating the Metaverse requires specific gear, which might deter some users.
Metaverse Pricing
The commercial aspects of the Metaverse are currently in flux. Several major companies like Meta are investing heavily in its development. Therefore, for now, the ‘pricing’ can be said to be in the form of user involvement, understanding, and adaptation, rather than a traditional monetary cost.
Metaverse Use Cases
Business Promotions and Marketing
Metaverse offers a fertile ground for marketing. From Nike to Tommy Hilfiger to McLaren to Walmart, businesses have started treading the Metaverse path exploring novel retail and marketing avenues.
Virtual Collaboration
Microsoft’s Mesh (2021) has demonstrated the potential of the Metaverse for seamless virtual collaboration, boosting productivity and creativity across borders and time zones.
Entertainment and Gaming
Companies like Epic Games with Fortnite have used the Metaverse for hosting grand virtual concerts, bridging the gap between gaming and real-life experiences.
Artificial Intelligence
As an emerging phenomenon in tech, Artificial Intelligence (AI) stepped onto the stage in the early 20th century and has grown exponentially since then. Amidst periods of both boom and winter, AI has showcased diverse possibilities ranging from voice recognition to cognitive prowess surpassing human intellect, continually adapting and growing.
Artificial Intelligence Top Features
Machine Learning: AI excels in leveraging algorithms to process large volumes of data and adapt accordingly.
Natural Language Processing: AI transcends the limitations of conventional interfaces, enabling systems to understand and interpret human language.
Computer Vision: AI has found prowess in interpreting visual data, helping enhance user experiences and interactions.
Feature
Description
Continuous Learning
AI, especially the likes of Machine Learning, has been designed for continuous learning from any new input data.
High Throughput Data Processing
Historically, AI was expected to transcribe, translate spoken language, and process high volumes of data – an expectation it has indeed lived up to.
Deep Learning
Deep Learning, an exceptionally powerful flavor of Machine Learning, was popularized by leaders in AI research such as John Hopfield and David Rumelhart.
Artificial Intelligence Downsides
Computational Power: AI requires immense computational power, which can be a limiting factor for smaller organizations or certain use-cases.
Data Dependency: Machine Learning, a part of AI, heavily relies on the availability of large sets of data to learn and adapt.
Artificial Intelligence Use Cases
Use Case 1 – Entertainment
With the power of AI, the entertainment industry has achieved impressive feats such as voice recognition and enhanced user interactions, offering new avenues for engagement.
Use Case 2 – Banking
In the banking industry, AI thrives with its ability to process massive data, understand customer behaviours, and offer personalized financial advice.
Use Case 3 – Marketing
In marketing, AI’s data processing capability combined with ML’s continuous learning allows for more accurate targeting and personalized campaigns.
Patrick Daugherty
Content writer @ Aircada. Merging AR expertise with a love for late-night gaming sessions.
