VR（Virtual Reality）
Virtual reality is a completely virtual digital world, which separates us from the real world. Virtual reality can completely "transfer" users, in other words, it can bring us to a completely different world. Through fully enclosed virtual reality equipment or glasses, we can feel the charm of the virtual reality world in our own room.
We can see that the effect brought by virtual reality is quite amazing. It can make us feel the 3D performance of Cirque du Soleil, attend a concert or sports competition, ride a roller coaster, play games or even create art. In some cases, you can even play with friends in the virtual world. Recently, virtual reality technology has been used to help sick hospitalized children simulate the discharge environment and make them feel more happy. If you ask what is the relationship between virtual reality and mixed reality, in fact, the former uses more and more advanced technologies than the latter.
AR（Augmented Reality）
Augmented Reality (AR) technology simulates the digital content in our surroundings. This technology based on "AR" can bring additional relevant information experience to users by adding 2D or 3D elements to real environments and targets, and transform the surrounding world into digital media and interface content.
At present, augmented reality can do many things, including playing games, watching videos, surfing the Internet, listening to music and even betting on horses.
At present, most augmented reality technologies are based on mobile devices, including applications on smartphones and tablets, but this situation is also changing rapidly. As a form of augmented reality, mixed reality looks more complicated and is more realistic to use.
Mixed Reality: The Next Great Change
Mixed reality is a more advanced technology based on augmented reality and virtual reality, which combines several different types of technologies, including the use of sensors, more advanced optical equipment and the most advanced computer. All these technologies will be integrated into a single device to provide users with enhanced holographic real-time digital content and add it to virtual space, bringing incredible reality and virtual scenes.
How to work
Mixed reality will first scan the physical environment around you, then create a 3D model around you and start adding digital content to this space. It also allows us to interact through gesture control. Different from virtual reality, users are immersed in a completely different world, and digital content is added to the real environment of 3D re-modeling through mixed reality for deeper interaction.
Through the use of headphones, the space, sound and physical environment allow us to integrate the real environment around us into the virtual world and make various changes and interactions. For example, robots like this can break through walls and even fire weapons at us. This game experience is definitely more magical.
What can mixed reality do?
Mixed reality can not only be used to play more interesting games, but also bring a new form of interaction. Whether it is an application or a game, it can provide an imagination space that we have never had before. The world around us will help us study, work, communicate or interact in a new way.
Here are a few examples:
Communication: Holoportation will allow users to communicate in the same space in different cities or countries, no matter how far away;
Education: in the medical field, we can achieve more realistic anatomical effects and fully understand the structure of the human body;
Entertainment: Microsoft HoloLens has cooperated with NFL Alliance, and players can interact with players in real time, including advertisers and sponsors;
This technology has unlimited application prospects in many fields, such as sports, music, television, art, fashion, commerce, education, medicine, interior design, retail, architecture and real estate. Almost everything around us can be influenced by mixed reality. And mixed reality will gradually replace your mobile device and TV, notebook and tablet in your life. The content on all other devices will soon be replaced by a pair of mixed reality glasses.
When will it reach ordinary consumers?
How the mixed reality platform will come to ordinary consumers depends on the price and portability of the equipment. For example, at present, Microsoft's HoloLens is the only high-end product on the market, which costs $3,000. But it is only built for enterprises and design engineers, and has not been accepted by ordinary users. Meta 2 is priced at $949 and will be shipped soon. Besides, Magic Leap still has nothing to do.
Mixed reality devices are not only smaller and more portable, but also need networks to ensure unlimited data transmission. Therefore, the 5G network will play a very important role here. In addition, cloud computing capabilities will also release a lot of demand on the device itself. In the end, mixed reality devices will become seamless and affordable devices, and we will see great progress in 20 17.
What "people-friendly" products are currently on the market?
Zapbox: $30 mixed reality board
An augmented reality technology company called Zappar recently announced the launch of the world's first cardboard mixed reality headset, which is equipped with a complete controller and a special wide-angle lens. At present, crowdfunding has started on Kickstarter, and the price of early birds is 30 US dollars (about 207 yuan).
Zappar's task is to greatly reduce the price of mixed reality devices in the form of Google Cardboard, and give up Zappar's outside-in method, which allows us to have cool-looking interactive entertainment in the existing physical space.
Bridge MR/VR: the price is 399 US dollars (about 2760 yuan).
Occipital also introduced a cool-looking mixed reality headset Bridge, but currently only supports the iOS platform. This helmet is equipped with a 120-degree wide-angle lens and a more complex "structural depth sensor". At present, the research and development of Bridge has been carried out for several years, and it adopts the tracking method from the inside out. Therefore, Wuxi relies on external sensors to make augmented reality targets appear in the surrounding environment quickly and accurately, which looks quite real.
20 17 Microsoft's mixed reality plan
Microsoft's HoloLens headset has established a leading position in the market, which can be regarded as the best product on the market, and there is no one. However, the price of $3,000 also keeps HoloLens out of the door of most ordinary users.
Microsoft seems to have recognized this problem, made some extensions at WinHEC conference in June+February last year, 5438, and announced the official hardware standard supporting Windows VR platform, and released the headset prototype that can also be used for some virtual reality data processing.
In addition, Microsoft confirmed that HP, Acer, Lenovo and ASUS will all launch their own Windows 10 VR platform devices in 20 17, starting at 299 US dollars (about 2070 yuan). Unlike HoloLens, the new Windows VR device is cheaper and oriented to the mass consumer market, but it needs to be used in conjunction with a PC and cannot perform independent data operations.
What does apple think?
Obviously, from Apple's standpoint, if it really enters the mixed reality equipment market, it will undoubtedly change the rules of the industry and even make the industry develop rapidly overnight. Before, the whole world saw CEO Cook's statement that the prospect of augmented reality technology is far broader than virtual reality. At the same time, it is also reported that the iPhone 8 released by Apple in September 20 17 may be a product supporting the augmented reality platform.
Robert Scoble first reported that Apple will build a completely transparent organic light-emitting diode mobile display device, which supports wireless charging and built-in 3D sensor. At the same time, the report also said that Apple has invested 600 engineers in the research and development of sensors in Israel, and all computing devices will be hidden on the edge of this device, and headphones can also be connected. Set Apple to use the implementation of Eyefluence to track the sensor on iPhone 8.
In fact, for many people, a completely transparent electronic device seems to be a "wild imagination", but as early as 20 13, Taiwan Province company Polytron developed such a prototype product.
Recently, as an OEM partner of Apple, Foxconn also confirmed that it started to produce wireless charging and organic light-emitting diode display components, and Apple's related patents also surfaced. In addition, Apple will build the 10th anniversary version of iPhone 8 in 20 17, so we won't be surprised if Apple equips iPhone 8 with augmented reality or mixed reality function.
Application of mixed reality in advertising field
Mixed reality will be presented to consumers in a brand-new interactive way in the promotion of brands and advertisements. This will undoubtedly further enhance the brand loyalty of products.
For example, Coca-Cola now offers a 3D game to help users interact virtually, and many companies have made similar attempts.
And such technology will be further welcomed by consumers and enhance the value of the brand in the eyes of users. However, if more advertisements take the form of mixed reality in the future, the competition between products will be more intense and the impact on consumers will be greater.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Due to the emergence of new technologies and new equipment, not only the life of ordinary consumers will be greatly changed, but also for brands, it not only represents more opportunities to display advertisements, but also can learn and acquire users' preferences and consumption habits.
In the end, this means that there will be more objects around us in a mixed reality environment, which will guide consumers' consumption. Using advanced vision system, augmented reality company Blippar can directly use the deep learning engine in the learning and recognition of daily objects, including fruits, vegetables, flowers, plants and animals, and then establish digital targets and databases of these objects.
This technology is likely to be used in mixed reality devices in the future. The signals of the objects we see will be quickly sent to sensors, which will directly help us solve various problems in daily life without the help of input or voice command engine.
China Augmented Reality Industry Alliance (hereinafter referred to as AR Alliance or ARA) thinks that 20 17 will be the new beginning of this fun-filled technology, which will let us see some scenes that we have never experienced before. Through mixed reality technology, we can share and experience a new world, and there will be more magical effects constantly impacting our eyes.