What is Mixed Reality & how is it used in different sectors?

Artificial intelligence (AI) has now led to a recent advancement and has now introduced the concept of Mixed Reality (MR). It simply reflects the information through holograms objects made of light and sound, that appear in the space around you. It is a combination of physical and digital reality  that provides a more natural and intrusive experience.  

 

 

What is Mixed Reality?

 

Mixed reality simply refers to the blend of physical and virtual reality in order to produce a new environment and newer visualizations. Mixed reality does not take place in the physical or the virtual words, but is a hybrid of both. 

 

Augmented reality a similar term on the other hand takes place in the physical world, with the information added virtually. MR is a step beyond that, it also enables the users to ineract within themselves. 

 

Researchers Paul Milgram and Fumio Kishino defined  the concept of Mixed reality in an influential 1994 paper, entitled “A Taxonomy of Mixed Reality Visual Displays,” in which they described a “virtuality continuum” that connects the real and the virtual worlds.

 

Mixed reality vs Augmented Reality

 

Mixed reality and Augmented reality are two swappable terms as they both refer to the amalgamation of physical and virtual world, but there is a thin line difference between the two.

 

Augmented reality users can embed the elements of the virtual world into the physical world. The best suited example in the present time is the use of filters on many social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat etc. wherein they add different filters to your face by mapping and sensing your face lines. 

 

Whereas mixed reality is an advanced version of AR as it makes the virtual elements in your life feel more authentic and realistic. Augmented reality is an enhanced reality that generates computer generated images over the user's view of the physical world. 
 

The AR adds various objects, information or details that are not necessarily physically present. Whereas MR is relatively newer technology introduced in the market that includes both physical and virtual reality in a more captivating manner so that the user is able to use and manipulate both physical and virtual elements. MR creates a new space wherein the physical and virtual world can co-exist together 

 

The HoloLens is a recent development made by Microsoft that projects 3-D holograms onto the lens in order to produce a realistic implementation of 3-D images that ends up in increasing the realistic principle of the image. Example of MR is Hololens.

 

(Speaking of Microsoft, check out AI in Microsoft)

 

 

Applications of Mixed Reality

 

Mixed Reality has various applications in different domains :

---

Applications of Mixed Reality

---

With the advancement and development in the field of technology, MR technologies are growing at a rapid rate. Although this technology is not as widely available as virtual reality or augmented reality technologies, it serves as a major need of the hour with the advancing times. 

 

Microsoft Hololens are yet not as widely available although with a rapid growth in number of applicants they could be seen as a vital technology in the coming future. Mixed reality also has some major contributions in various other fields and can be used for further better understanding, growth and development. 

 

Some major other domains where application of mixed reality can be seen are: 

 

• Education

 

Mixed reality technologies are being used in the education sector in order to enhance and smoothen the teaching and learning procedure. It enables better understanding and explanation of topics as visual imagery leads to better understanding. 

 

It also enables the child to personalize the information, grasp and remember the information for a longer period of time. 

 

With the latest 3-D projections students can learn, interact and manipulate virtual objects in a way that is relevant to them and can help in learning the information faster. By using such three- dimensional objects in the classrooms students also get a better understanding of the concept they are studying. 

 

The use of smart-boards and smart-class is one such example of MR technology being used. It provides 3-D videos and representation of diagrams for explanation and learning.

 

(Recommended blog - Virtual Reality in Education)

 

 

• Entertainment

 

Virtual reality has been on the block for decades, it is the most acclimized and widely available medium of technology. AR has gained popularity since the success of the game Pokemon-Go, but MR in entertainment and television is just not restricted to gaming. 

 

With the progress in AR and VR has raised the bar to an extent that it has incorporated its way to the big screen as well. Superhero marvel movies are the most recent evidence of mixed reality. 

 

MR technologies seem to be grabbing greater attention and thus, the upcoming filmmakers, directors are trying to incorporate more and more of these technologies in order to match up to the expectations of the target audiences. 

 

With the rapid increase in likeability of such technology by the audience the entertainment industry has seen a massive shift in the way the movies are being shot. As it also allows the people in the entertainment sector to enhance the viewers experience by using maximum use of MR. 

 

• Healthcare

 

Mixed Reality has a lot of potential uses in the health care domain. The most obvious is for visual enhancement of the concepts studied further leading to greater understanding of the topics like anatomy. MR helps in mapping the different layers of the human body.

 

MR also changes the way in which the medical students learn, with the use of 3-D diagrams and enhanced visuals it breaks the monotonous structure of the 2-D books used and makes the process of learning interesting.

 

It could also be a very effective medium of understanding and explaining the illness and injuries to the doctors as well as the patients. Doctors can also benefit from pre-procedural planning for crucial and critical surgeries. 

 

(Check out the role of Augmented Reality in Healthcare)

 

• Training Military Personnel

 

A battlefield situation can be created using the MR Technologies. The real time experience provided can help the soldiers have a realistic experience and help them plan various strategies to handle extreme situations. 

 

It also provides an experience that can help in strengthening their emotional quotient as well as it provides extreme and harsh situations that a soldier has to face in the time of crisis, experiencing it beforehand can be beneficial as techniques to stay calm and relaxed can be mentored and taught to the soldiers. 

 

The 3-D projections of arms and weapons through the use of MR is also an advantage of the technology as it can help in the demonstration of the weapon better and also points out the shortcomings of the same. 

 

• Political Campaigns

 

Political rallies are one of the most crucial elements of elections and political campaigns, resulting in attracting a massive crowd of people. At times security of such events become a task further leading to stampedes, theft, and violent arguments. MR can be an effective way to strategize such events. 

 

The respective party can use the medium of MR and spread their agendas through the target people in a more efficient manner and also by avoiding such unwanted circumstances. 

 

(Related blog- AI in Politics)

 

Display Technologies

 

There are a number of digital mediums used to incorporated the mixed reality environment some of them are listed below :

 

• Cave Automatic Virtual Environment: It is an environment wherein the user is surrounded by projects displayed above them, below them and around them. There are 3-D glasses and surround sound complement that gives the user a sense of perspective that aims to stimulate the physical world. 

 

CAVE systems have been widely adopted by engineers developing and testing prototypes.they enable the testers to evaluate and test the prototype before actually putting in the resources to develop the prototype.  

 

• Head- up display: As the name suggests. It's a medium that provides the user with the information without mystifying the environment in front of them. A standard HUD comprises 3 main elements: a projector which is in charge of laying the graphics of the HUD. 

 

A combiner which serves as a platform where the graphics are projected onto and a computer that enables the working of the other two elements of the HUD. It's a well known medium used by manufacturers like General Motors, Toyota, Audi, and BMW have since included some form of head-up display in certain models.

 

• Head-mounted display: It is a divide that uses only 2 optics to project the image in front of the users eyes.its application can be seen in domains like medication, aviation, entertainment as it provides a layer of visual immersion that other displays fail to provide. Majorly used in the entertainment market with mainly the tech companies developing  HMD to complement their products. 

 

• Mobile devices: Primarily including smartphones and tablets have continued to increase in portability and computing power. Modern mobile devices come developed with a toolkit that allows developers to overlap computer graphics over videos of the physical world. They are considered as unique display technologies as they are commonly accessible at any given time. 

 

 (Check out - 3D Printing Technology)

 

As seen, Mixed Reality is slowly emerging into various industrial and commercial sectors. With further advancement in Mixed Reality technologies it seems sensible that MR tech would be the new assimilation in our daily lives