Differences between augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality

Different software and hardware companies are betting on augmented reality, virtual reality or mixed reality solutions. Since working on three types of realities can be confusing, today we are going to explain the differences between them to prevent you from confusing them, since they have quite a few similarities between them.

As a summary, we could say that virtual reality generates completely non-existent worlds, augmented reality combines non-existent elements with others that are there, and mixed reality is a mixture between the two . However, we are going to go deeper by explaining in detail how each of them works.

What is virtual reality

Virtual reality or VR differs from the rest by being the one in which you completely immerse yourself in a virtual world . This means that it allows you to simulate a complete sensory experience within an artificial environment without seeing anything outside. To "get inside" this virtual world you usually need both special glasses and headphones.

These glasses have to be specially designed for this reality, and have a screen that is mounted right in front of your eyes . There are two types of glasses, those that have their own built-in screen such as the Oculus Rift or those that require you to incorporate a smartphone to act as a screen, such as Samsung's Gear VR .

Generally, when you have glasses in which the screen is the mobile application development services phone itself, the smartphone also acts as a computer, managing everything you see. The rest of the models usually connect to a laptop or desktop computer so that they are responsible for loading and moving the virtual environment.

Virtual reality glasses cover your eyes so that you can only see what is on the screen. They have sensors that recognize the movement of your head , so that when you turn it to one side you make the same movement within the virtual world or menu in which you are. In addition to glasses, it is also recommended to have headphones to achieve a more immersive experience.

However, when you are using virtual reality glasses, the headset will help you orient yourself by knowing which direction the sounds are coming from, while by moving your head you can also move within the virtual world. Some models include a controller with which you can interact by pointing within the virtual environment or activate objects or menus.

What is augmented reality

Augmented reality or AR differs from the rest because it complements the real environment with digital objects . Come on, you see everything around you, but the computer of the equipment that you have in front of your eyes will be able to reproduce objects, animations or data on this environment that are not really there.

This allows, for example, to see how a piece of furniture would look in your room, something that some companies are already using. If you like games, it also allows you to roam the streets of your city capturing Pokémon that aren't really there with your phone.

To create this type of half-real and half-digital reality, glasses specially designed for this, helmets or the lenses of your mobile phone can be used . In the case of glasses, think about Google Glass , which has a transparent glass so you can see what is around you, but can superimpose information on any object.

Both in the case of glasses and helmets, therefore, there will need to be a CPU that manages the virtual reality that is printed on top of the real one. This may be included in the device, but it could also be enough to connect to an external computer to take care of the job. In any case, the common point between glasses or helmets is that they will have to have lenses that are transparent enough to see your surroundings through them.

On the other hand, you can also use augmented reality on mobile app development services devices such as smartphones . These use their cameras to show you on the screen the real physical elements that you are seeing, but they also manage with their processors digital elements that are reproduced in a way that makes it appear that they are interacting with the real environment. A good example of this type of application is the Pokémon Go game , which popularized augmented reality a few months ago.

Since digital images are interacting with a real environment, in this type of technology it is not so important to have stereo headphones. Controls or control methods are not strictly necessary either, although this will depend on each application and how you have to use it.

What is mixed reality

Mixed reality or MR is a mix between virtual and augmented reality . It is therefore an environment that mixes the best aspects of both, unifying the experience so that you only need a single helmet or glasses to be able to use one or the other.

On the one hand, virtual reality allows you to immerse yourself in completely digital worlds, while augmented reality allows you to print digital objects in real environments. Therefore, what mixed reality does is bring both concepts together to allow you to interact with real objects within a virtual world, be totally immersed in a completely virtual world, or reproduce virtual elements in your real environment.

To use augmented reality you need closed helmets. These will have a camera, so that on the screen over your eyes you will be able to see either your real environment through the camera or a totally virtual environment . The headsets, as in the previous cases, may have an internal CPU or may have to be connected to an external computer.