Augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality technologies are used to display virtual objects and environments. Whilst in this regard they are similar, there are a few key differences that differentiate these two emerging technologies from one another.
Virtual reality has a much more immersive experience than augmented reality. In VR the user is completely transported to a different virtual environment, essentially blacking out the physical environment in which the user operates. In AR the digital content is instead overlayed on the user’s physical environment, allowing the user to interact with their surroundings simultaneously. Because of this difference the mechanics behind how they work will differ. AR utilises computer vision, mapping, and depth sensing to gather, analyse and transmit data to display to the user. VR operates with two lenses positioned between the user and a screen with eye tracking, visual and sound stimuli and in some cases haptic feedback to create an immersive experience.
Additionally, AR and VR operate off different hardware. VR relies on either a ‘stand-alone’ or ‘tethered’ headset whereas AR is typically used on phones or tablets. A ‘tethered ‘ headset is simply a headset connected to another device (typically a PC) and a ‘stand-alone’ headset is what it sounds like, a headset that operates on its own. Devices such as the Meta Quest 2 can operate as either with the ‘stand-alone’ headsets usually weaker in terms of performance when compared to the ‘tethered’ headsets. This is due to the fact that the ‘standalone’ headsets have limited processing power as ideally the headset needs to be as light as possible. This is much less of a problem for the ‘tethered’ headsets as the processing is done on the second device (usually a PC) and the headset acts as a display.
The type of problem that requires solving will determine which technology is more suitable. With each use case containing varying levels of complexity and requirements there is no real ‘blanket’ term for when to use one or another. Therefore, each case is different, and the two technologies can overlap. For example, medical training is a problem that either an AR or VR solution would adequately cover, it just depends on what the functional requirements and initial goals are. VR offers access to a wide range of training scenarios that would ordinarily be inaccessible, but AR offers the authenticity of being in the physical environment that VR cannot. A topic for another time is mixed reality which is the combination of AR and VR, offering the best of both worlds and is the next step in the evolution of virtual technology with Apple and Meta soon to be releasing their respective solutions sometime in the near future.
