What is extended reality or XR?

Have you ever heard this term? It is actually something new, I could fearlessly indicate that this term was coined in 2016, when virtual reality became ‘mainstream’. We are now before the extended reality, extended reality or XR.

We never stop learning and with the moves of the industries that venture us to new platforms, more complex processors and categories, especially video games, we are really in a decisive stage for the innovation market.

The importance of extended reality is of vital importance in both business and recreational activities. Of course, technological advancement and the massification of equipment will help normalize its use, promote more experiences and projects.

Extended Reality

The extended reality is the fusion of real and virtual environments, in addition to the interactions that the user can face in this immersive ‘digital’ environment. All through devices such as wereables, lenses, smartphone.

This new reality includes augmented reality, virtual reality for obvious reasons in the previous paragraph. It is not a totally ‘augmented’ job or a totally ‘virtual’ project. This XR agglomerates and powers them both visually, audibly, olfactory and is what all the aforementioned technologies aim to be.

There are many terms that are becoming recurring in terms of virtual technological development. In this post I am going to focus on Extended Reality and the three realities that it encompasses: Virtual Reality –VR-, Augmented Reality –AR– and Mixed Reality –MR-. Do you want to know these terms in depth? Let’s go there.

EXTENDED REALITY, WHAT IS IT?

On Wikipedia, Extended Reality is defined as a combination of all real and virtual environments together with human-machine interactions generated by computers and wearable devices.

Broadly speaking, Extended Reality is a concept that brings together Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality in a single term: that is, the sum of VR, AR and MR. Thus, it complements the ability to create and add information developed virtually with the knowledge and control of a real environment.

This concept seeks to publicize these realities, their differences, virtues and capabilities. A good example of the latter is its expansion, and it is that in recent years all realities are growing and developing exponentially: virtual, augmented and mixed.

WHAT IS VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual Reality is the best known within Extended Reality. It aims to achieve a completely immersive experience recreated in its entirety thanks to computer technology or IT.

Thus, it helps with accessories such as helmets or VR glasses that allow the user to be isolated from the environment and immerse himself fully in this simulation.

But this reality that began with an end to entertainment, has spread to all work and professional sectors, such as architecture and construction. With Virtual Reality it is possible to tour a modeled and furnished home, interact with it, propose modifications and much more.

WHAT IS AUGMENTED REALITY

Augmented Reality is the most accessible of the realities included in Extended Reality today.

You only need a mobile phone to enjoy it, while both Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality require the use of glasses or helmets.

Thus, Augmented Reality aims to capture a real environment and add technologically developed information. And all this is possible from the comfort of your smartphone.

As you can see in the image, there are applications such as Place with which thanks to your phone’s camera, you can view the rooms and spaces on the screen, and add virtual elements. In this case, for example, you can furnish entire rooms from the app’s catalog.

If you want to continue delving into Augmented Reality, I propose this post in which I tell you…

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and much more.

WHAT IS MIXED REALITY

Mixed Reality or MR is undoubtedly the most unknown and novel of those encompassed in Extended Reality or XR.

In this case, look for a new way of interacting with the real and technological environment, merging the best of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Thus, with the help of MR helmets, it offers you an immersive experience in which you can virtually visualize, design and model while having awareness and perception of the real environment. Thus allowing a development of the virtual experience according to existing space conditions.