VR and AR apps: Bridging the gap between real and virtual By James Tredwell on October 21, 2019 Now that there’s rapid growth, more and more questions are being asked about AR and VR. The line differentiating between these two reality-mimicking technological fronts is vague. Some novel users who had never come across any VR or AR app or a device assumed every altered reality as VR. Since there are a number of applications available on the play and app store now, the crowd is getting accustomed to the key differences between the augmented and the virtual reality. VR and AR share a lot of commonalities, and there is little that could draw a line between the two. Because VR has had more coverage than the latter, our understating of augmented reality is still fuzzy, given the various ways in which it is deployed. As VR and AR are not the same, they require different business strategies and demand disparate skillset to lead operations. AR vs. VR Virtual reality device mimics a different state of an environment by creating an entirely virtual world altogether. It does so by shutting the real world and cutting off real-world contacts. VR is, thus, only an instance of reality and not an actual world. Augmented reality lets the user experience the real world by digitally augmenting or enhancing unreal objects with it. An AR is a convergence of the real and digital world, whereas VR is only a simulation of reality in a different realm. With the above explanation, it will become easier to perceive why the following popular apps are categorized as AR or VR, contrary to the belief that every altered reality is a VR. AR vs. VR: Key Applications Pokémon Go This application was all the hype a few months back. What users liked the most is it allowed them to step outside, to stroll around hunting Pokémon’s, much like the cartoon character Ash Ketchum did. If you dabbled with this gaming application, you would know how it overlays Pokémon on your screen as though they were present before you. YouTube VR This one is seriously worth the try. There is a whole arsenal of VR videos on YouTube for you to watch. The video shifts it point of view as you move and incline your head. With reference to the aforesaid examples, the former does not cut you off from the reality and only relays some digital alteration to the dimension you are living in. The latter, however, only creates a real-like instance, and though the world appears to be actual, it is not so. AR and VR, is that all? So much heed is being paid to VR nowadays that AR has comparatively been sidelined and has left us with an ambiguous image of augmented reality. There’s another term associated in close reference to the altered-reality models. Mixed reality, cousin to AR, superimposes digital world over the real and also concurrently allows the two to interact with each other. The MR, brief for mixed reality, goes a step beyond the augmented and fits the future spectrum. Being the youngest immersive technology, MR is not very well acquainted with. But, we have had some glimpse of MR from the companies that pioneered into the technology with some early investments, and the idea seems worthwhile for now. The concept is still nascent and will take some time to blend with the ongoing technology. AR, VR, and MR- use case scenarios Users more easily relate to VR because it is the most popular entry in our glossary nowadays. AR – augmented reality applications are best suited where the user needs to be connected and stay in touch with the real world. Examples of AR solutions for an enterprise includes on-job-training. Augmentation is apt for industrial implementation wherein it helps digitally capture the skillset of retiring workforce, sharing and training the less-experienced workforce. VR apps are helpful where a complete immersion or simulation is required, and the contact with real-world has little or no effect on the immersed environment. Examples include training soldiers in a new, inaccessible, remote terrain without moving troops to that location. MR – is a more practical augmentation and a leap ahead of AR; it unlocks the interaction of digitally augmented objects with the real world. The terms AR and MR are often confused and used interchangeably, but there’s some difference between the two – as evident from the excerpt above – that we believe was worth addressing. How AR, VR, and MR differ from reality? In the way it is implemented AR and MR are not very different from the reality and only superimpose a slightly modified version of it, so to speak. A VR immerses the user in a state that is entirely different and coincident with the real world. The advent of Virtual Reality has allowed the two worlds – the real and virtualized- digital world – to coexist. The events from world A does not impact world B and vice versa. What’s in future with AR, VR, and MR? Though at its infancy, AR and MR – majorly MR – will become the face of virtualization in future. VR would continue to feast on a share of virtualization, but its deployment would narrow down to scenarios where the creation of a different world-environment will be the problem statement. Moreover, the way we have envisioned the future with interconnected devices interacting with each other can only be achieved by a conjunction of mixed reality and cloud hosting. Some popular applications/tools to imitate real world For a moment, we would keep our Pokémon obsession aside and explore other popular applications you can install to experience virtual/augmented reality. The concept of virtual reality is more focused on consoles and PCs; as imitating an entirely new world requires enormous processing power. AR and MR are more native to smartphones and are able to efficiently converge realism with virtualization. Ingress From the same developer as that of Pokémon Go, Ingress imagines a world that has discovered dark energy; leaving you the choice to join hands with the Enlightened – who wish controlling humanity with this energy- or Resistance – that aims at protecting mankind. dARK A short adventure AR game that takes you to a parallel world to connect dots, uncover all the secrets and find the missing person. dARK is exciting and brings out the Sherlock inside you. Sharks in the Park Sharks in the Park is a more advanced AR immersion application. It lets you convert your field into a fun, adventure terrain with jaw-dropping sceneries. The sensors placed in your smartphone adds to the charm and sense movements in real-time to create a highly addictive gaming experience. Upshot These altered realities will become more mainstream in coming 5 to 10 years. If the world continues to grow its craze for AR/VR based wearables at a pace it is growing now, these gadgets will become central to a comfortable lifestyle. We might be more near to converging various capabilities with AR than we think. Author bio: Nishant is a content writer by hobby and fortunately also by his profession. A state level tennis player, Nishant has written short stories, poems, and snippets for a number of blogs (including his own). Cloud Computing, Server Hosting and Cyber Security are Nishant’s forte. When he is not writing he is either sleeping or playing tennis.
Best Things You Should Know Before Developing a VR Experience By James Tredwell on July 3, 2019 Virtual Reality becomes the headline in the past few years. With its numerous utilization, it seems less like a digital medium and increasingly like its very own brain, assuming control over the world; Firefighters use it to prepare for an emergency, Game developers use it to sell more games, and Brands use it to promote their new products. If you are one of the advertisers, keen on entering a Promotional VR Application Development Process, here are five things you have to know: Development is Rewarding A Promotional VR Experience Development is a genuinely long and convoluted process, but the prizes are what makes it beneficial. As per a YuMe examine, Virtual Reality elicits 27% higher user commitment than traditional 2d content. It likewise keeps the user concentrated on the item 34% longer than conventional video promoting. Those numbers alone give Virtual Reality a complete edge in the showcasing space, but the advantages of an Interactive VR Experience continue coming. It draws in live event visitors to the corner, improves Brand acknowledgment, and builds client dedication. It can likewise enhance the business numbers and strengthen your Brand image. Know thy Audience Virtual Reality is a new and energizing medium, but by the day’s end, it is only that — a medium. Showcasing has not changed medium-term because Virtual Reality has entered the game. Likewise, with different projects, the development of a Promotional VR Experience begins with an arrangement. What’s more, at the core of this arrangement should be users. Your users. Your intended interest group. The more you think about your intended interest group, the more you can personalize the VR Experience to them. What’s more, customized content performs superior to conventional content, 80% of advertisers state. What are you Trying to Achieve ? Learning about your intended interest group proves to be useful when pondering the objectives of a Promotional VR Experience too. To get your message successfully through to your potential clients, you need an unmistakable thought regarding what you are attempting to accomplish. Individuals are bound to purchase from Brands that promote their products with a VR Experience, an investigation by Adweek says. What’s more, that is fine if you are hoping to expand your deals, but maybe you have another objective. It is safe to say that you are hoping to promote your item inside a specific target crowd? Is it true that you are hoping to improve the acknowledgment of your Brand? Or then again would you say you are hoping to draw in more visitors to your stall and make a remarkable experience at a live event? Promotional VR Experience at a live Event Live events — such as expos and exchange shows — are the consummates setting for a Promotional VR Experience. Because the users all need to attempt the experience for themselves, it makes publicity around your corner that is difficult to repeat with other promotional endeavors. You can peruse progressively about it in 5 Key Takeaways from Feel the Future Expo. What you do need to think about utilizing a Promotional VR Experience at a live event, is that it can’t supplant the real sales rep at the corner. The VR Experience goes about as a consideration grabber, and customers report 29–33% more leads produced from public exhibitions and expos. But you do require somebody at the corner that strolls the user through the experience and converses with the user after the lesson is finished. Creative Solutions utilizes a few strategies that cut off the work required by the salesmen and improve the general execution of a VR Experience at a live event. For instance, we suggest utilizing a new large flat screen television that is associated with the VR system and shows what the user is encountering in the virtual world continuously. This enables users to perceive what is in the experience, how to utilize the controls, and what would they be able to anticipate. It additionally makes a dynamic promotional video for visitors going by and draws in their consideration. That way, the VR Experience works with your group and gives the sales rep a chance to concentrate on what they specialize in. Development Takes Time If you are currently thinking: YES! I need to utilize a Promotional VR Experience at our next public expo; you will require a touch of tolerance. The development of a Promotional VR Experience takes one and three months, contingent upon the multifaceted nature and quality. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to speed the development up. For instance, contemplate the future and begin scanning for a development studio three months before the live event you are focusing on. Something else is to meet the development group with an unmistakable thought of what you are attempting to accomplish and whom you are focusing on. During the development of a Promotional VR Experience, you can ensure you answer the inquiries from the development group conveniently and remain in contact with them to course address the development if required. However, even though the development of a Promotional VR Experience may take a touch of your time, the prizes toward the end more than compensate for it. This article is contributed by Alex jone , Marketing Manager at AIS Technolabs –VR Application Development Company Have an interesting article or blog to share with our readers? Let’s get it published
AR and VR Technology in Healthcare Industry By James Tredwell on May 31, 2019 In the past technologies like augmented reality and virtual realitywere usually only associated with the gaming industry, which would enable users to experience multi-projected environments using their devices. However, more recently the introduction of these immersive technologies in healthcare has been revolutionary for the global healthcare industry. Most of us have used one or another version of a healthcare app, either its fitness apps or virtual visits and stay-home check-ups with the doctor. Even though these technologies have been in the market for a while, people’s attitude about virtual care is still changing. According to research, 23 percent of patients have had a virtual visit with a doctor or nurse, and 57 percent of people who haven’t had a virtual visit are willing to try them. However, AR and VR in the healthcare industry have gone far beyond the user-facing apps. In this blog, we will talk about how AR and VR technologies are transforming the healthcare industry. What are AR and VR technologies? Augmented Reality manipulates the real-world setting by adding digital elements to it, often using the smartphone camera. Few mainstream examples of AR would include Snapchat lenses and the Pokemon Go mobile game, as it makes changes to users actually environment. On the other hand, Virtual Reality offers a completely immersive experience that has nothing to do with the user’s physical world. A VR headset would actually transport users into a new reality either imagined or from the real world. However, another emerging technology in healthcare is the mixed reality, MR, which basically joins both and it’s most commonly associated with Microsoft HoloLens goggles. Medical training The delicate nature of surgeries requires surgeons to be meticulous and very keen while their patients are on the operating table. For obvious reasons, over the years, surgical procedures have tended to become more time-consuming. However, a crucial part of their training is to shadow the surgeons at work, but as usually only two or three students are allowed inside an operating theatre at any given point, this leads to a big logistic problem. Hence, the virtual reality technology makes a big impact in speeding up the training process. It enables the surgeons in training to increase their hours of practice, as now more of them can be part of the actual surgeries. This was an inspiration for the digital healthcare startup, Medical Realities, their solution to this problem was to introduce VR in surgical training. They installed a number of cameras at different angles of the operating theatre to build a 360-degree view of the area. The medical students will only be required to wear a VR headset to join the high-pressure environment of the surgery and gain vital experience. VR in pain relief A while back the use of VR technology in healthcare was only limited to being a clinical tool for pain management. In the year 1996, researchers Hunter Hoffman and David Patterson from the University of Washington came with the idea to use this immersive technology in healthcare by helping to relieve pain through distraction. This use of VR proves to be very effective in situations where patients have experienced extreme pain such as cancer, open wounds, burns, and broken limbs. At some point, there is a need for a distraction in the brain. An exhilarating diversion by VR can help in confusing the pain pathways that go into the brain and minimize the agonizing experience. Moreover, the university’s HITLab and Harborview Burn Center in Seattle, has come up with SnowWorld, the first virtual world created with the purpose to help reduce pain. It’s particularly designed for burn patients. They become engrossed in the computer-generated icy adventure where all they need to do is throw endless amounts of snowballs at penguins and often it helps to distraction them from the pain. Treatment of PTSD Soldiers who have been through combat are likely to suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. However, PTSD is not just limited to soldiers, this mental disorder can affect anyone who may have been through some petrifying experience like road accidents, physical or mental abuse or sexual assault. AR and VR technology in healthcare can help recreate the specific scenes that trigger fear in a patient and before they are assisted in coping with their painful experience, they relive the memories to be able to gain control of their emotions. Many medical professionals use seemingly realistic scenes to treat PTSD and anxiety patients while ensuring them that they are now in a safer environment. Furthermore, virtual reality can also offer a way for doctors to provide exposure therapy to patients suffering from paranoia by being fully in control of the environment they are exposing the patient to. HoloLens brings AR in healthcare Microsoft HoloLens is the first AR headset that helps build holograms of digital content in the real world. Even though the consumer take-up is quite slow, with a price of $3,000, but it has already been adopted in the healthcare industry. The option of bringing a realistic image of brain or heart in the classroom, have it passed around, and examined in-depth, can make a big difference for medical students. On the other hand, surgeons can also use a hologram to prepare for long and complex operations. This practice can really help improve the confidence of students in learning anatomy and give them a chance to make mistakes, which is the best way to learn but this is a privilege that is not often offered in medical field. Therapy for differently-abled AR and VR in the healthcare industry have made it a possibility for differently-abled people to experience the thrills of the world despite their physical conditions. These advanced technologies strive to improve their quality of life by enabling them to experience different environments that appear and feel real. For example, a person who is bound to a wheelchair can experience the joy of walking on a beach through VR. Conclusion As time passes, the need for quality medical professionals is only going to grow, luckily with technologies like AR and VR in the healthcare industry, have proven to be completely transformational. Moreover, as these technologies become more developed and widespread, it’s expected that AR and VR are well underway in disrupting the medical industry. This article is contributed by Jane Collen, creative content writer and digital marketer at TekRevol Have an interesting article or blog to share with our readers? 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