Most people are familiar with AR technology for some commonly heard programs like AR glasses. Today, we are going to introduce a similar technology that is easy to confuse – MR (Mixed Reality). So what is Mixed Reality? To answer this question, this article on MiniTool Website will give you a guide.
What Is Mixed Reality?
In this 20th century, Mixed Reality has increasingly gone mainstream, rather than wishful thinking or a scenario in science fiction movies. This kind of technology can free us from screen-bound experiences by offering instinctual interactions with data in our living spaces.
Mixed Reality is a merging of a real-world environment and a computer-generated one.
For example, some of you may have enjoyed the AR filter on some social media where you can create high-fidelity holographic 3-D characters to be your amazing holographic representations and that kinds of characters and even your surroundings will be blended with your real world.
Of course, that is just a little example. We have been devoted to this field for decades with the start of a wild wish. Today, MR has developed to be part of productivity and living.
Unlike Augmented Reality, a semi-digital experience, or Virtual Reality, a fully digital experience, Mixed Reality can highlight the essence of the natural world and promote a digital environment with eye-catching visuals.
How Does Mixed Reality Work?
Mixed Reality technology relies on advancements in computer vision, graphical processing, display technologies, input systems, and cloud computing.
The more equipped a device is, the better the mixed reality experience. You may need to equip yourself with glasses, gloves, and body suits to improve the experience. Meanwhile, Mixed Reality has higher requirements to perform a series of orders:
- Environmental understanding – like spatial mapping and anchors.
- Human recognition – like eye-tracking and speech input.
- Locations and position tracking – register relationships between both physical and virtual environments.
- Real environment perception – create computer-generated replicas.
There are two major types of Mixed Reality devices:
Holographic devices – They can create semi-immersive experiences for the user with interactive virtual holograms.
Immersive devices – They are used to completely replace the user’s surroundings with a virtual environment using a head-mounted display (HMD).
Related article: How to Use Windows Mixed Reality on PC in 7 Easy Steps
The Application of MR in Real Life
Mixed Reality in Entertainment
The most commonly seen in your daily life to use Mixed Reality is in your game playing. To improve the gaming experience, many game developers have averted their attention to Mixed Reality. Some related virtual games are born with this edge-cutting technology and that can seem like a profitable investment.
You can wear some high-tech equipment to improve the game’s reality and make yourself immersed in this virtual environment.
Mixed Reality in Education
Do you remember one video published in 2016 where one whale burst out of the gym floor and surrounding students exclaim in great surprise? The video caused a stir when it was released, giving people more confidence in the technology’s arrival.
It’s not just reminiscent of what can we do for Education with Mixed Reality and this video is the best answer – more direct and vivid lessons that will bring you a stronger visual experience.
Mixed Reality in Healthcare
MR Simulations can be used to create hologram effects of real human body parts, create 3D interactive models of organs to make it easy to understand their functions, and become a powerful tool for training medical professionals, students, and remotely operated field medics.
Mixed reality can be extremely effective to implement during critical surgeries, and can even save lives.
Related article: What Is Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR? How to Use It?
Challenges and Benefits of MR
Then we have concluded some benefits and challenges Mixed Reality faces today.
First of all, Mixed Reality boats a great potential market share and consumer resources. A bunch of tech addicts pursue the latest advances published in the market and the result will attract more fans.
Secondly, tech giants won’t miss the chance to further occupy this new market, such as Facebook, Google, and Apple.
Third, MR combines natural and digital elements in unexpected ways to keep people focused on their experience until the end.
However, until now, this technology still has a long way to go. For example, the cost to create such partially real and partially virtual environments is very high and that needs a more trained workforce. The whole process will be time-consuming and high-demanding.
Bottom Line:
Whether Mixed Reality or Augmented Reality, they symbolize an amazing advance in human technology fields. Even though technology has not gone mature yet, more surprises waiting for us to explore. Hope this article about what Mixed Reality is can help resolve your concerns.