Lesson 1.1: What is Extended Reality (XR)?
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Unit 1: Introduction to Extended Reality (XR)
The Virtuality Continuum!
Extended Reality or XR is the umbrella term used for immersive technologies that merge – to various degrees- the real world with the virtual/digital world. Milgram and Kishino (1994) came up with the concept of the "virtuality continuum" (Figure 1) where real environments, are shown at one end of the continuum, and virtual environments, at the opposite extremum merge together to various degrees.
The Virtuality Continuum by Milgram and Kishino (1994)
On the left end of the continuum is the purely real environment and one that includes digital content such as a video, text or audio designed for viewing only and the consumer plays no role in it.
On the other end is the environment which consists solely of virtual objects such as a computer graphic simulation or a simulated reality space in which the user can interact with her/his environment in the same way as a real physical space.
The XR technologies in brief
Let’s dig a little deeper into the VR and MR technologies and see some examples of current real life applications to get a better grasp of what they are. You might find that you have experienced something similar even if you haven't put on the VR glasses!
Virtual Reality
A Virtual Reality (VR) environment is one in which the participant is totally immersed in and able to interact with a totally made-up world which may have the same properties as a real-world environment- whether real or fictional. In addition, since this world is a “made-up”, it is not bound by the same laws of physical reality such as gravity, time, space, material properties etc. More and more classrooms are using AR/VR for virtual field trips, science experiments, immersive simulations, and more.
We can even simulate multiple senses such as touch, vision, hearing, and smell, making the experience truly authentic! Watch this video to see a "haptic skin" designed to get the feel of real skin.
Example 1: Flight simulation training: If you have been to an amusement park recently, chances are that you have stepped into a locked room with others, with headsets and a screen, and battled some impossible terrain or skilled opponent as you navigate a plane or car or space shuttle. It felt real, didn’t it. Maybe you didn’t know it, but you just experience VR.
On a more serious note, VR based flight simulations are used widely to train pilots and flight crew, fighter pilots, soldiers, astronauts and other such high-risk activities in which creating the real environments for training purposes is either too expensive, too impractical, too risky or all of the above. Watch this video to see the flight simulator using the Meta Oculus Quest 2 on SteamVR.
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Example 2: Fantasy games and experiences: With fantasy creatures and lands and un-wordly character capabilities to create an escape from the real world. These applications are mostly for entertainment but can certainly help to develop creative problem solving, group work, math, physics, and other subjects as well as soft skills. Check out this website:https://www.arcticsunvirtualreality.com/vr-fantasy-games
Example 3: Bringing archaeological digs to the classroom: An increasingly popular way to bring the experience of archaeological exploration and analysis to the classroom, is the use of Virtual Reality, which allows students to conduct digs and other activities in virtual sites that mimic the actual sites in far off lands, without the costs and risks of conducting a real dig.
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Have you ever experienced VR? How real was the experience for you? Did you feel as though you had actually experienced "reality"? Why or why not? |
Augmented Reality (AR)
In an Augmented Reality (AR) environment, some real-world context is dynamically overlaid with virtual information that is location or context dependent. This virtual multimedia information -which is usually videos, audio, text- is overlaid using some mobile device, smart glasses such as Google Glass or Oculus, or the computer, thus "augmenting" the real environment by means of virtual (computer graphic) objects. Think you have never come across AR in real life? Think again!
Example 1: Pokeman Go: You may have heard of the highly successful video game Pokémon GO; this game is based on AR; players from all over the world use the app to discover digital Pokémons attached to specific points of interest as they explore the world around them.
Example 2: Trying it on: For those of us who wear glasses and can never figure out what looks good on our face, this is a god-send! Watch the demo and try it on for yourself. It will only take 2 mins (Note: you will have to allow access to your camera) Click here to try on eye-glasses or sunglasses in real time!
Click here to try on eye-glasses or sunglasses in real time!
Example 3: Translations using AR: Have you ever tried the camera feature in Google Translate to translate text in real time?
I bet you didn’t realize that this feature employs AR technology! Here is a video demonstrating the feature.
You can download the Google translate app from Google Play or the Apple storeout!
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What makes these experiences Augmented Reality? What is the real content and what is the digital augmentation? |
Comparison of Key Features of AR and VR Technology
NEXT: Lesson 1.2: Why should we care about XR in education?
References and Resources
Beyond AR vs. VR: What is the Difference between AR vs. MR vs. VR vs. XR?
Milgram, P., & Kishino, F. (1994). A taxonomy of mixed reality visual displays. IEICE TRANSACTIONS on Information and Systems, 77(12), 1321–1329.
“Extended Reality (XR) Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026).” GlobeNewswire News Room, 15 June 2022