People tend to think that reality through computers is limited to only one kind: Virtual Reality. But it is not and such a reality can be categorized in two manners: Augmented and Virtual Reality. Both these realities are very different and tend to be used differently, but one of them is better than the other. The better reality is the future of computing and it will replace PCs in the near future: not only at homes but in hospitals, garages, schools, etc. This I’ll tell you about later in the end, but first let’s look into what augmented and virtual reality really is. Let’s start with Augmented Reality. This reality is very different from Virtual Reality because the things that are viewed through this reality are viewed in the actual environment while in Virtual Reality, the things that are to be viewed are viewed in a world created by the reality without the knowledge of the surrounding environment. For example, a game is a virtual world and when playing that game using Virtual Reality in your living room, you are completely inside the game and you cannot see anything of your living room: the couch, table, etc. But when the same game is played using Augmented Reality, the game’s virtual world enters your living room (not you entering the game’s virtual world). You will find your castle (assuming the game has one) on your table and your soldiers (assuming the games has them too) on the couch. This visibility is what makes augmented and virtual reality very different from each other.
Image courtesy: Wikipedia
Image courtesy: Wikipedia.
Virtual Reality is just the opposite and it just takes you to a different world rather than bringing the world to you. That limits this reality in doing many things and taking those limitations in mind, Augmented Reality is much better than Virtual Reality (from now on wards, I am going to use AR and VR). How, you ask? First, since AR brings the world to you, therefore, the world is not limited just to you. It is visible to everyone around you and everyone can be “inside” the world together. This make the applications available for augmented reality much broader and much more useful. For example, if your computer has stopped working and know the fault but do not know how to fix it, then a technician can send you a video made using AR of fixing that fault and then you can view that video as an actual demonstration. That means that while you have your computer in front of you, you can actually look at that video and at the same time fix your computer. If this same thing had been done using VR, then you would have to enter into a completely different world and watch the video without being able to fix your computer simultaneously. Same goes when we talk about educational institutions. Here if a student uses AR to build on of his/her projects than he/she will still be in the classroom while in case of VR, the student will not know anything about the classroom and stay in that virtual world.
Secondly, AR is more realistic than VR. It is based more on images, facts and such rather than on animations (which VR is) and hence, feels more real. As it takes place in your actual environment, therefore, you feel more real-like while using it. VR is just animations created using some math and geometry. This particular fact is very important because at the end that’s the main aim of these things: to give users a digital real-like experience-and AR just does that way more better. Thirdly, AR already has more hardware available for its adoption. The technology behind AR involves the need of a processor, camera and sensors-smartphones, heard of them, right?-and these are already integrated into many systems. What it needs is just betterment of this technology and then someday, every smartphone will be AR capable. This particular use is not possible in VR. How smartphone and VR work together is completely different. You need a smartphone and a head-gear (see featured image) to actually experience VR with a smartphone. The smartphone attaches to the headgear (it attaches in front of it) and then you can view whatever you want to view, but this view is generated by the smartphone’s screen. An image (or a video, or whatever) is displayed on the smartphone’s display and that particular image is then converted into VR. Who wants all this hassle when in AR you can use your smartphone camera without any other requirement?
Image courtesy: Slashgear.
Apart from this hardware possibility, AR can be used using head-gears too and the featured image above is a Microsoft AR head-gear called HoloLens (cool name). These head-gears are relatively easier to make. Why? Because VR head-sets need to include controllers with them as well to interact with the virtual world, whereas ARs can do away with these because the world comes to you. Much more simpler. Fourthly and lastly, AR is much more safe. You don’t have the threat of bumping to a wall while walking around the virtual world while in virtual reality, you might as well fall of cliff while enjoying the virtual game. Who wants to fall off a cliff? Not me, for sure. Therefore, AR is just much more safe and can be used by anyone. A child can be given an AR headset and he will be in for no harm. Give a child a VR headset and you will have to run after him/ her to ensure that he/she dos not bump into a wall. One place where VR is better than Ar is gaming because I too, would love to be just completely immersed in the world of GTA V without the visibility of my surrounding environment, but this one advantage does not make it any better than AR. Therefore, due to availability of more hardware possibilities, insurance of more safety and being more realistic, AR is much better than VR. But, you are welcome to think otherwise. Uncredited images: Bing Images. Know more: Wikipedia.
Technically Agarwal 