Definition: AR overlays digital content onto the real-world environment, enhancing or augmenting the user's perception of reality.
Technical Components:
Display Technology: AR relies on various display technologies such as smartphones, smart glasses, or heads-up displays.
Sensors: AR devices use sensors like cameras, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and GPS to understand the user's surroundings and movements.
Computer Vision: Computer vision algorithms analyze and interpret the real-world environment captured by the cameras to identify objects and surfaces.
Processing Power: AR devices require sufficient processing power to run complex algorithms in real-time.
Virtual Reality (VR):
Definition: VR creates a completely immersive, computer-generated environment that replaces the real world.
Technical Components:
Head-Mounted Display (HMD): VR is primarily experienced through HMDs, which include screens for each eye to create a stereoscopic 3D effect.
Motion Tracking: VR systems use sensors, accelerometers, and gyroscopes to track the user's head and body movements for a realistic experience.
Input Devices: VR often involves controllers or gloves that allow users to interact with the virtual environment.
Rendering: VR requires powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) to render high-quality, low-latency graphics.
Mixed Reality (MR):
Definition: MR combines elements of both AR and VR, allowing digital and physical objects to coexist and interact in real-time.
Technical Components:
Spatial Mapping: MR devices map the physical environment, creating a spatial understanding that allows virtual objects to interact with real-world surfaces.
Sensors: Similar to AR, MR devices use a combination of sensors to understand the user's surroundings.
Display Technology: MR headsets often have transparent or semi-transparent displays, enabling users to see both virtual and real-world content simultaneously.
Depth Sensing: MR devices may use depth-sensing cameras to accurately place virtual objects in the real environment.
Extended Reality (XR):
Definition: XR is an umbrella term that encompasses AR, VR, and MR, referring to all immersive technologies that extend or alter our reality.
Technical Integration: XR involves a seamless integration of AR, VR, and MR technologies, often leveraging common components such as sensors, displays, and processing units.
Interoperability: XR systems aim to provide a unified experience, allowing users to seamlessly transition between augmented, virtual, and mixed realities.
