Extended reality, XR, real-and-virtual combined environments

Extended reality (XR) is a term referring to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology and wearables, where the ‘X’ represents a variable for any current or future spatial computing technologies. It includes representative forms such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR) and the areas interpolated among them. The levels of virtuality range from partially sensory inputs to immersive virtuality, also called VR.

These technologies have been advancing at exponential rates, setting the stage for an endless range of interactive and immersive experiences. XR can pull you in multi-dimensional directions with endless opportunity to create unique and innovative experiences. To help illustrate this we will explore these technologies as they relate to our five basic senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste, and the potential for a “sixth sense.”

Extended reality and what are its powerful real-world applications

Picture yourself diving into crystal-clear Grecian waters or taking a walk on the moon, all the while sitting in the comfort of your home.  As fantastical as this may seem now, Extended Reality is making this possible as we speak.

Powerful Real-World Applications

  1. Entertainment and Gaming:-
    • XR will change the definition of entertainment. Video game industry will be benefited most by applying XR. According to the report of Statista, this industry will have 34% of the future share of XR application. XR will not only give a live experience of gaming but also of other entertainment events such as concerts, exhibitions, cricket, and football matches. For example, the Denver Museum of nature and science already uses this technology for better visitor experience.
    • XR will be blessing for Training and skill development industry. It will enable the workers to be trained in the complete field like environment without actually going into the field. The better visualization will make better understanding, which will ultimately lead to efficient human capital. Such as mining industry and manufacturing industry, etc.
  2. Employees and Consumers:-
    • More training – XR enables more employees to have more practice time in low-risk, virtual environments. Applications span everything from Walmart preparing its employees for the once-a-year, but critical, Black Friday to surgeons mastering surgical procedures.
    • Information in the moment and in context- AR works well as a replacement for physical manuals, helping technicians focus on their tasks but still with the information they need available. It also works for in-person contexts, letting an employee onsite remotely connect with an expert to share, draw on and solve what they are seeing in real time.
    • Building empathy for customers and colleague – The immersive quality of XR helps employees see the perspective of others, from colleagues to customers, more vividly. For example, Embodied labs created VR empathy training for caregivers and doctors that shows the perspectives of people with specific diseases or impairments
  3. Healthcare:-
    • XR will drive a realignment of the current convictions about where healthcare happens, who gives the care, and who profits all the while. As healthcare reaches out of the hospital and the doctor’s office and into individuals’ homes, the outskirts of businesses will be broken down as entertainment, wellness, med-tech, social media, and hardware organizations all vying for a piece of the healthcare pie.
    • With better XR, practicing physicians will adapt new strategies without taking a chance with the lives of patients. XR reforms how doctors are trained, empowering them to practice and limit mistakes in a risk-free simulation.
    • XR enables medicinal experts to picture organs in 3D and 100% scale. In May 2017, Virtual Reality (VR) helped Daniel Saltzman, the chief of paediatric medical surgery at the University of Minnesota’s children’s hospital, separate conjoined twins.
    • XR is a learning tool that promotes active learning. Medical students regularly practice on dead bodies, bodies can be costly. XR helps train medicinal experts by boosting their comprehension of life structures, thusly diminishing potential confusions and expenses.
  4. Real Estate:-
    • Virtual property tours- realtors can offer virtual property tours that include a virtual guide who takes interested buyers through different rooms and narrates crucial information about various features of the property.
    • Visualisation of unfinished projects- at early stage of any project, architect and builder can showcase their final projects to potential investors using a virtual walkthrough tour
    • Home Hunting- with AR- enabled apps, potential investors can simply point their phone towards a street and receive important information such as estimated property values, rental numbers of bedroom, and many more.
    • Commercial space- business owners can receive crucial information such as office spaces, tenancy situations, and amenities using AR- powered apps on their Smartphone.
  5. Marketing:-
    • Launch a mixed reality (MR) popup- This is particularly relevant to B2C service industries such as hospitality and F&B. We have all heard of AR and VR, but MR is probably less common. In MR scenarios, consumers can interact with physical elements and digital representations at the same time. The hologram is a good example, as it superimposes a digital graphic onto a physical setup. You can use MR to create popup where customers can experience your products in ways that are impossible in a purely physical world.
    • Let customers experience remote and exciting terrain- This one applies to hospitality brands, tourism companies, and even e-commerce stores selling outdoor equipment. VR allows customers to explore remote surroundings that they might want to visit – or can only dream of! You can create VR stores where visitors walk on the polar icecaps or explore the depths of the Grand Canyon. This puts a whole new spin on infotainment, as visitors can gain a hands-on understanding of unfamiliar terrain.
    • Insert your product in a surprising virtual location- XR gives you the opportunity to place your product in surprising and memorable contexts. This is almost like science fiction – imagine if a futuristic pair of sneakers sold by a luxury brand appears when a consumer is playing a video game set in space. With the latest AR/VR technologies, innovations like this are already possible.