Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and extended reality (XR) are among the latest technical terms, especially in education, which have recently been used and included in classrooms and curricula.
The main objective is to enhance the learning process and stimulate the student's minds to obtain more and more information quickly and deeply, especially in the curriculum of science and scientific materials in general.
Let's identify the differences between AR, VR, MR, and XR.
The Difference between Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality and Extended Reality
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| The difference between AR, VR, MR, and XR |
VR vs. AR vs. MR vs. XR
The extended
reality, virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are among the
latest technical terms, particularly in education, which have recently been
used and incorporated into classrooms and curricula.
However,
many people find it difficult to differentiate between these terms (extended
reality, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality) and some think that
they all fall under one term; in this short article, each term will be
presented separately and defined as follows:
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual
reality is a new, established technology, especially in the field of games, but
today we see this technology in more practical applications, virtual reality
can be done using pure real content (video 360), purely artificial content
(created by computer) and using a device set to generate realistic sounds,
images, and other sensations.
Virtual
reality can occupy all senses (taste, sight,
smell, hearing, and touch), but not all senses can be
combined.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented
reality is a composite display of computer-generated content on the ground to
enhance actual reality with virtual elements.
One
of the best-known examples of augmented reality is Google Translate.
The
latest mobile application - IKEA Place augmented reality app, which uses
augmented reality to greatly influence the way furniture to be purchased or
bought at home; the basic assumption is that shoppers choose one of the images
displayed, then using the camera on their portable devices which can
place the digital furniture anywhere in a particular room.
The
product is automatically adjusted to fit the Place which IKEA considers to be
98% correct) and can be moved or rotated within the display.
However,
the content generated by the computer is linked to the camera's view only; in
the IKEA Place example, if you put the furniture behind a real table for a
better look, it will not disappear behind it; this is what happens in the
“mixed reality."
Mixed Reality (MR)
Mixed
reality is an integration of actual reality with virtual reality to produce new
environments and visuals so that physical and digital objects interact together
simultaneously.
The
mixed reality eliminates the boundaries between real and virtual interaction,
meaning that virtual objects can disappear behind real objects as in the
example of the furniture just before.
Extended Reality (XR)
The term “extended reality" has been added to technical terms recently and refers to both real and virtual environments and to the interaction between human and computer-generated elements; the reality that extends to all realities; augmented reality, virtual reality, and integrated reality comes under one name, the extended reality.
Summary
In
conclusion, virtual reality is a fully virtualized environment; augmented
reality is a composite presentation of a computer-generated content on the
ground, but it cannot interact with the environment; the mixed reality
integrates virtual reality and real reality, which can interact with the
physical environment and the extended reality combines these three terms under
one term.
Also, the
difference between the augmented reality and the mixed reality is that each
mixed reality is an augmented reality, but not every augmented reality is a
mixed reality. The augmented reality is complex, but the mixed reality is
interactive.