Mixed Reality, introduced by Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino in 1994, blends physical and digital worlds for intuitive 3D interactions. Mainstream solutions, such as Microsoft HoloLens and Samsung HMD Odyssey+, are transforming human-computer interactions.
For seekers of alternatives to Mixed Reality, consider Augmented Reality, Extended Reality, Virtual Reality, Holograms, 3D, Artificial Intelligence, and the upcoming Metaverse.
Augmented Reality
Rising as a groundbreaking paradigm shift in the tech industry, Augmented Reality (AR) is a technology that doesn’t displace the real world but rather enhances it by overlaying digital elements. It dates back to 1968 when it was first developed by Ivan Sutherland, a Harvard scientist.
Augmented Reality Top Features
- Integration: MARks the perfect blend of virtual elements and the real world.
- Real-time interaction: Possesses ability to interact with real-world settings.
- 3D recognition: Hosts advanced object recognition in real-time and accurate 3D representation of virtual items.
- Compatibility: Works efficiently with mobile devices powerful enough for AR software support.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| SLAM technology | Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) is indispensable for accurate projection and image tracking. |
| Marker-based AR | Employs image recognition technology for accurate object identifications. |
| AR projectors | Maps interactive digital elements onto physical surfaces. |
Augmented Reality Limitations
- Reliance on robust AI support and hardware such as AR software, lenses, and sensors.
- Marker-less AR’s capability for object detection in view might not always be effective.
Augmented Reality Use Cases
Use case 1: Retail
AR holds massive potential in the retail sector. The interactive ‘try-on’ concept where digital products are projected onto the consumer has witnessed marked success with makeup companies.
Use case 2: Entertainment
The entertainment sector has seen an influx of AR apps and games, powered by the expanded 5G network, immersing users in unique, captivating experiences.
Use case 3: Tourism
AR revolutionizes the tourism industry, enabling rich exploration of the cultural, historical, and geographic aspects of environments, promising robust support for cultural institutions in the future.
Extended Reality
Extended Reality, often referred to as XR, serves as an umbrella term that encompasses Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). With origins dating back to the 1800s, XR has evolved to find applications across a variety of sectors and is projected to grow further in the future.
Extended Reality Top Features
- Blending of interactive digital elements over real-world environments.
- Complete immersion in a simulated environment with VR headsets.
- Interaction with a virtual environment overlaid onto the real world, enabling a truly immersive experience.
| Impactful in | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Creative Economy | Facilitates increased collaboration and inclusive decision-making |
| Military & Healthcare | Simplicity in handling complex processes, leading to efficiency |
Extended Reality Limitations
- High costs associated with the development, implementation, and maintenance of these technologies.
- Issues concerning user comfort due to heavy headsets and potential sensory overload.
- Data privacy and ethical considerations.
Extended Reality Use Cases
Use case 1 – Gaming
XR creates an immersive gaming experience by allowing users to interact with a completely virtual environment overlaid onto the real world, taking gaming to a whole new level.
Use case 2 – Education
By enabling a blend of interactive digital elements over real-world environments, XR augments educational experiences, making learning more engaging and effective.
Use case 3 – Healthcare
XR technology simplifies complex processes in the healthcare field, making procedures more efficient and manageable, thus potentially saving lives and resources.
Virtual Reality
Delving into Virtual Reality (VR), we connect back to its 1800s roots. VR, as we comprehend it today, yearns back to the era of practical photography, engaging the idea of a telesphere mask, and guiding our plunge into a regulated ‘virtual’ world. The inception of the term ‘Virtual Reality’ happened in the mid-1980s, coined by Jaron Lanier.
Virtual Reality Top Features
- Ivan Sutherland’s conceptualization of devices as ‘windows into the virtual world’.
- Heilig’s pioneering contribution of the Sensorama for real-world environment simulation.
- Dimension International’s VR-software developed in 1987 enabling 3D world creation on PC.
- VPL Research’s commercialized VR equipment that includes notable pieces like DataGlove and EyePhone HMD.
| Stanley Weinbaum’s ‘Pygmalion’s Spectacles’ | Conceptualizes VR in a science fiction narrative. |
| Myron Krueger’s ‘Artificial Reality’ | Spearheaded interactive, computer-generated environments. |
| Edward Link’s “Link trainer” | Represents the first commercial flight simulator, completely electromechanical. |
Virtual Reality Limitations
- VR fails to be interactive like traditional 3D models.
- Requires sophisticated hardware and software.
- Create sensory overload causing discomfort and health issues.
Virtual Reality Pricing
Virtual Reality solutions vary in price range, dependent on complexity and quality. However, no specific pricing was disclosed in the company rundown.
Virtual Reality Use Cases
Use Case 1: Military
The technology is extensively used for remote viewing of perilous military situations through VR tools such as Headsight. The hazardous situation is relayed safely to military personnel, aiding in strategy planning and threat management.
Use Case 2: Gaming
VR’s immersive experience radically revolutionizes gaming. Players steer through 3D visuals and multisensory stimulation, leading to a gaming experience that transcends reality. The Oculus Rift prototype, with a 90-degree field of vision, strengthens this sector.
Use Case 3: Education
VR integrates itself in education, making learning more engaging and interactive. It serves as an immersive tool for subjects like geography, architecture, or history, offering students an in-person like experience from the comfort of their classroom.
Holograms
Harnessed from the pioneering efforts of British scientist Dennis Gabor in 1947, the term “hologram” refers to messages composed in their entirety. This technology was developed to sharpen the resolution of electron microscopes, and it reached a new milestone with the invention of the laser in 1960. Holography technology quickly evolved, from the pulsed-ruby laser to white-light reflection holograms, up to the embossing technique for mass production.
Holograms Top Features
- Highly detailed: With the aid of a coherent (monochromatic, single-point, single-wavelength) light source, holograms deliver messages with high resolution and realistic depth.
- High-speed and dynamic: The pulsed-ruby laser development allows holograms to capture high-speed events and living subjects, effectively “freezing” motion for detailed observation.
- White-light reflection: This innovation by Dr Yuri Denisyuk merges holography with Gabriel Lippmann’s approach to natural color photography, allowing holograms to be viewed in ordinary light.
- Mass production possibility: Dr Stephen Benton’s breakthrough made it possible to mass-produce holograms by employing an embossing technique.
| Year | Significant Development |
| 1947 | Invention of holography by British scientist Dennis Gabor to improve electron microscope resolution |
| 1967 | First person hologram was created |
Holograms Limitations
- Dependence on light coherence: Holograms need coherent light sources for formation, a characteristic not present in ordinary light.
- Complex processing: The twin images formed when a hologram is used can complicate the imaging process.
Holograms Use Cases
Use case 1: Communicating
Emerging from their initial scientific applications, holograms today serve various urban uses. From communicating intricate details in an easily comprehendible form to fostering connectivity.
Use case 2: Advertising
Advertisers now utilize holography to create appealing and engaging presentations that can captivate the audience’s attention.
Use case 3: Medical Diagnostics
In the world of medicine, holograms bring a revolutionary approach to diagnostics, making complex internal structures accessible in a non-invasive way.
3D
Enter the captivating world of 3D, a concept in computer graphics, which first came to light in the 1960s via Sketchpad, the brainchild of Ivan Sutherland. Today, it is key in various industries including engineering and architecture.
3D Top Features
- Interactivity: 3D models can be manipulated on-screen; rotated, flipped, exploded, enabling comprehensive views from various angles.
- Variety: 3D modeling offers diverse types: wire-frame models, consisting of lines and arcs; surface models, with definitive textures; and solid models, made from data points like weight, material density, and gravity center.
- Real-world visualization: 3D modeling facilitates accurate, error-free planning and real-world visualization; it bolsters design speed and precision.
- Prototyping: Coupled with 3D printing, it aids in creating prototypes, toys, household items, and creative designs.
| Years | Significance |
| 1964 | General Motors and IBM launch DAC-1, setting CAD systems in motion. |
| 1983 | AutoCAD, a 2D system, is released, broadening the use of CAD. |
| 1990s | 3D modeling takes off, Autodesk’s 3Ds Max and Cinema 4D emerge, transforming the industry. |
3D Limitations
- Solid 3D models are the most demanding, computationally taxing within the range.
- Knowledge and usage can be complex, requiring extensive learning and adaptation.
3D Use Cases
Use case 1: Architecture
3D modeling enables architects to create precise, visually striking representations, facilitates error-free planning, and speeds up design processes.
Use case 2: Education
Utilized extensively in educational arenas, it makes complex concepts more digestible and interactive.
Use case 3: Consumer Products
In the realm of consumer goods, 3D modeling aids in designing, visualizing, and prototyping products with unprecedented accuracy and speed.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI), a groundbreaking concept introduced in early 20th century, represents an expansive field of technologies like Machine learning (ML), Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, and Robotic Process Automation. Enabled by advancements such as Moore’s Law, it’s become an indispensable tool in industries like tech, banking, marketing, and entertainment.
Artificial Intelligence Top Features
- Continuous learning: AI leverages ML algorithms for progressive learning from new input data.
- Expert systems: Contributions like Edward Feigenbaum’s expert systems distinctly position AI.
- Data processing: AI’s ability to handle vast data reserves, coupled with its prowess in processing, is unparalleled.
| Feature | Usage |
|---|---|
| Deep Learning | Popularized by John Hopfield and David Rumelhart, it uses large data volumes for learning |
| Speech Recognition | Commercialized as early as 1990s, AI can recognize and interpret human speech |
Artificial Intelligence Limitations
- Initial high computing costs and inability to store commands were among the first hurdles
- Periods of fragmented funding and dwindling enthusiasm, infamously referred to as ‘AI winters’
Artificial Intelligence Pricing
Pricing details of AI spans a wide spectrum depending on application, usage, and customizations.
Artificial Intelligence Use Cases
Use case 1
Financial Services: AI algorithms have been massively utilized for processing the ever-growing data generated in this industry.
Use case 2
Entertainment: AI has found traction in entertainment for tasks like player modelling, NPC behavior and procedural content generation.
Use case 3
Automotive industry: Advancements in AI promise a future of driverless cars by outperforming human cognitive abilities.
Metaverse
The Metaverse, a high-tech phenomenon born from decades of innovation and imagination, since Antonin Artaud’s visionary essays in 1938, is an immersive 3D internet concept poised to revolutionize our experiences in the digital realm. The concept took shape with Facebook’s rebrand to Meta, stimulating a vibrant buzz in the tech universe. The Metaverse is expected to incorporate VR and AR experiences, enriching it with interactive and augmented realities, and harnessing the power of blockchain and NFTs to ensure seamless and secure transactions within its expanse.
Metaverse Top|Best Features
- Immersive 3D worlds designed for consumers and varied industries.
- Integration of VR and AR technologies for enhanced user experiences.
- Blockchain and NFTs facilitating secure, decentralized commerce.
- Robust support and investment from tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
| Key Pioneer | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Ivan Sutherland | First head-mounted display – “The Sword of Damocles” |
| VPL Research | Development of first commercial VR gears including Dataglove, EyePhone 1 and EyePhone HRX. |
| Meta | $10 billion investment in Metaverse development. |
Metaverse Limitations|Disadvantages|Downsides
- Lack of universal standards and protocols, potentially leading to fragmented experiences.
- Privacy and security concerns due to the digital nature of transactions.
- Access issues related to expensive VR/AR hardware and high-speed internet requirements.
Metaverse Use Cases
Use case 1: Retail and Marketing
Companies like Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, McLaren, and Walmart are exploring novel ways to engage with their customers via the Metaverse. Virtual stores, immersive product experiences and unique marketing opportunities shape a whole new commerce environment.
Use case 2: Virtual Collaboration
Microsoft’s Mesh is an example of how the Metaverse can revolutionize workplace collaboration, offering virtual meeting spaces with 3D interaction capabilities.
Use case 3: Entertainment
Virtual concerts as seen with Fortnite’s Travis Scott event, open a world of possibilities for creators to connect with audiences in novel, interactive, and immersive ways within the Metaverse.
