In recent years, virtual reality (VR) has become more common. What are the 3 types of VR
In this article, we will discuss the concept of virtual reality (VR), which is expected to become more prevalent in the future, its mechanism, advantages and disadvantages, and use examples to illustrate.
Additionally, we discuss the differences between AR and MR and their relationship with the Metaverse.
What is VR (Virtual Reality)?
VR stands for “Virtual Reality” and describes a technology that allows you to experience an artificially created virtual space.
It is also known as “virtual reality” or “artificial reality.”
VR goggles and head-mounted displays generally provide tactile, auditory, and visual information in real-time in an omnidirectional virtual space, giving the user the feeling of being in the real world. The surface is similar to that.
Virtual is probably what most people think of when they hear the word “virtual.”
However, the actual English word has a different meaning. The term “virtual” is sometimes viewed as the opposite of “reality,” but it means “essentially real.”
Thus, even though VR is called “virtual reality,” it can be said that it is a technology that attempts to achieve the same quality as “essentially reality.”
You can experience a virtual space with realistic behavior, such as the image moving in response to your head movements when you wear an HMD or VR goggles that cover 360° of your field of vision.
Displaying 3DCG images on flat displays has become common in games and other applications.
VR, however, has improved the sense of reality and immersion compared to previous games thanks to the spread of 3DCG video technology throughout the field of view.
VR has been standing out primarily for its utilization in gaming, yet its extraordinary attributes will empower VR to be utilized in different fields from now on.
A 3DCG is a shortening for 3D PC designs, which is a strategy for communicating 3D items with “vertical,” “horizontal,” and “depth.”
What are the 3 types of VR
- AR
- VR
- MR
What is AR (Augmented Reality)?
The abbreviation for “Augmented Reality” is a technology used to enhance or supplement the natural world and is also known as augmented reality.
 The real world can be expanded and expressed using a device such as a smartphone or tablet to overlay information such as 3D digital images on top of authentic photos captured by a camera.
Reference Article : What is AR (Augmented Reality)? Explanation of Augmented Reality Scope
What is MR (Mixed Reality)?
A term that refers to technology that combines the real world with virtual space, otherwise known as mixed reality. It is also called mixed reality.
The real world and virtual space work together in MR, allowing natural objects to be manipulated and virtual objects to be reflected in the real world.
MR is similar to AR, but AR allows objects to be viewed only from a fixed angle.
An MR system, on the other hand, can display target CG objects in 360° rotation using smart glasses or headsets. CG can also directly interfere with the CG projected in reality, which makes it different from AR.
History of Virtual Reality
VR feels like a new technology, but the concept was already developed over 50 years ago.
In 1968, American computer scientist Ivan Sutherland developed the Sword of Damocles, the forerunner of VR.
As you moved your head, the screen moved along with you. Authentic images and computer images overlapped in the goggles.
As a result, technology for perceiving 3D images with both eyes was developed, as well as ideas for the head-tracking technology of today.
Due to its lack of general use or widespread acceptance at the time, it wasn’t widely embraced.
The game industry began to expect VR’s use in the 1990s and 2000s.
Sony and Nintendo have developed and sold VR devices.
Even in this era, VR will not be widely adopted.
Since it was only used for games, many technical issues were still to overcome to provide users with realistic reproducibility.
After such ups and downs, VR finally arrived in 2016, called the “first year of VR.”
Numerous VR technologies and products were developed in 2016, and the availability of low-cost, high-performance HMDs made them widely known to the general public.
This year, the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR were two typical VR devices released by American companies.
The VR industry became so popular that it was called the “first year of VR” because it attracted attention in the gaming and entertainment industries.
VR services (VR Chat)
VRChat is one of the current representative VR services operated by the American company VRChat.
“Social VR” is a virtual world stage where you can communicate with different clients in an open climate. This game has no objective or reason, and clients can invest their energy however they wish.
A feature of “VRChat” is that users can create spaces and avatars freely.
The fact that VRChat is a 3DCG virtual space developed on the Internet has also attracted attention as a metaverse in recent months.
Advantages of VR
Reproducibility is comparable
A significant advantage of VR is that you can have a realistic experience with a high reproducibility of information.
Video technology advances and faster internet speeds have made this possible.
The concept of VR has finally caught up with the times, with these things that were not possible with the previous generation.
Virtual worlds do not exist in reality.
You can also experience a world that does not exist in reality by using VR.
Experience past worlds, lost ruins, or fantasy worlds, for example.
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VR allows users to communicate in the same space, even if they are far away. You can interact with users worldwide in real-time without time or location restrictions. Businesses will also benefit from this point.
Construction time and cost are reduced.
Businesses currently use VR to create virtual exhibition halls and live events.
When you construct a virtual space first, you can reuse it quickly to expect excellent long-term cost-effectiveness.
Furthermore, the construction of actual housing exhibition halls takes a long time. The construction period for a virtual exhibition hall will be significantly shorter than that of an actual housing exhibition hall.
Disadvantages of VR
Special device required
It would help to enjoy VR if you had specialized equipment, such as a head-mounted display and VR goggles. Even though the prices of VR devices are decreasing, many people still consider them expensive.
VR devices are also hindered in some ways by the perception that “VR = game.”
Whether VR devices are widely used in fields other than games will determine the future spread of VR devices.
High-speed data communication and large capacity are required.
High-speed, high-capacity data communication is required to experience VR comfortably. Data communication is more complex for high-resolution 3DCG than for 4K video. Since VR involves the transfer of large amounts of video data, a high-speed internet connection is also necessary.
VR sickness is possible.
A high-quality VR experience requires both high internet speed and low latency. VR experiences will not be smooth if there is a lot of lag, which may cause nausea and dizziness.
VR requires a high-speed internet connection with low latency.
Uses of VR for business
Real estate
A virtual reality preview service has been launched for prospective residents in the real estate industry. Despite being shown the size and layout of a room in square meters, it may be difficult for many people to visualize it.
Using this VR preview, it is possible to see the size and layout of the rooms virtually without visiting the actual house.
This service is excellent for prospective tenants because it saves them the trouble, time, and transportation costs of viewing the property.
Construction and architecture
In architecture, a system has been developed that generates 3D CG of a house from its design data. For example, we would like to introduce.
Research in computer systems.
This VR solution lets you easily present a 3D and VR image of a completed house to your customers.
This service allows you to create an original housing exhibition space on your homepage by adding housing data from when the ALTA Revolution began.
Medical care
Virtual reality can perform “simulation surgery” in the medical field.
VR can improve the success rate of complicated surgeries where mistakes are not allowed.
In addition to helping doctors improve their skills, it allows them to share details of the surgery with doctors worldwide in real-time.
Using VR for rehabilitation training was also attempted at Duke University in the United States.
The brain waves generated by viewing a virtual walking screen in VR help a patient who is unable to walk independently.
As a result of this VR rehabilitation training, all patients reported feeling sensations in their toes and improving their motor skills.
Education
Virtual reality allows students to experience a foreign space in real-time while remaining in the classroom.
In the past, textbook photos and old videos were the only sources of information about world culture and history.
VR allows you to experience world heritage sites and past cultures without leaving the classroom.
A “VR disaster prevention training” is also being offered.
By introducing VR, disasters and accidents can be experienced more realistically. In earthquake disaster prevention drills, images in virtual space are shaken to simulate earthquake shaking.
It allows participants to learn evacuation actions in response to various disasters and accidents in a realistic manner, which increases the sense of crisis among participants and improves disaster prevention awareness.
Sports
With VR sports viewing, users can watch the game from any 360° perspective.
A new service allows you to experience the actual match from the athlete’s perspective, not just the audience’s.
In addition to sports training, it allows you to conduct more practical training than ever before.
Flexible simulations are available, such as reproducing a specific situation during a match and conducting repeated training sessions.
Summary
The entertainment industry is expected to demand more realistic and immersive VR content than ever before.
Shortly, users will be able to experience futuristic virtual experiences like never before.
Business efficiency will also be improved by VR technology.
The shift to new working methods, such as remote work in VR spaces and virtual offices, may also accelerate.
Medical VR technology is improving medical technology and allowing virtual medical examinations to treat patients who live far away and have difficulty receiving medical treatment.
It is expected that the spread of this virtual consultation will improve the healthcare of individual users.
The widespread use of VR devices will be resolved if VR devices are used in areas directly related to users’ lives.
For VR to spread and establish, it is crucial to make the technology commonplace.
VR is expected to be used in various fields due to its high reproducibility, which was previously considered impossible with VR technology.
As the Internet and smartphones have spread, our lives have become more affluent. The VR technology introduced this time will also improve our quality of life.
VR technology is also transforming business applications. Besides leading to the growth of a wide variety of industries, VR technology has the potential to generate new businesses.
Large companies and small and medium-sized businesses may benefit from VR in the future.
VR exhibition halls and VR stores are expected to attract customers from diverse fields. The use of advanced technology also enhances an organization’s brand image.
As few companies have introduced VR technology, it also effectively differentiates them from their competitors.
