Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are two of the most fascinating and exciting technology areas that are getting lots of kudos. Though both AR and VR look identical and go hand in hand there are some clear differentiations among the two.

In AR real world scenarios/objects/things are supplemented by computer generated inputs like graphics, sounds and images to allow users to have better understanding of the reality or real world.

Example of Augmented Reality

VR on the other hand uses computer generated stimulation like realistic images, sounds and sensations to re-create the real life scenarios/environments in a way that users experience their physical presence in that environment. In one line AR supplements reality by adding a layer on top of it for users to better interact with reality and VR creates on own reality by stimulations. Motion Activated Commands, Voice Activated Commands, Haptic feedback in smart phones are examples of AR. 3D games and movies, head mounted displays as you are seeing in the image below, flight simulators are examples of VR.

Example of Virtual Reality

As mentioned above there is vast range of heterogeneous applications in Augmented and Virtual reality these days. VR bring all technocrats together who are trying to pull graphic display motions from smart devices such as television displays, mobile phone screens etc. and collating them into realistic driven environments. AR has on the other hand blurred the common interface between real world and smart displays by enriching what we perceive through our senses.

The popularity of AR/VR based applications is rapidly increasing. In 2016 major companies have done huge investments in AR/VR related applications. A few examples are Facebook owned ‘Oculus Rift’, Microsoft ‘HoloLens’, Sony ‘Play Station 4’ etc. Recent marketing trends are also revolving around selling AR/VR as a product USP for example Samsung promoted its high end smart phone ‘S7 Edge’ with free VR gear to boost sales. Now gears based on virtual and augmented reality are available at low cost of few dollars to may be $ 100 USD. One such example is Google ‘Cardboard’ which are sold in millions since release.

By - Payal Mittal, Assistant Pofessor CSE, Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh