The combined forces of AR, VR and MR can transform the way companies in every industry innovate, collaborate and train their people.
Virtual reality (VR) uses computer modelling and simulation to create a fully immersive digital environment.
Augmented reality (AR) overlays the real world with digital elements that enhance your perception of the environment, creating a composite view that combines both.
Mixed reality (MR) seamlessly brings together the virtual and physical worlds and, more importantly, allows both to interact with each other.
And then there's extended reality, or XR, an umbrella term that includes VR, AR and MR and is used to describe any technology that alters reality by adding digital elements.
Uniting a hybrid workforce is a priority for many organisations today. According to McKinsey, 56% of the world's workforce split their work between the office and remote locations. Meta's own research shows that of those employees who have moved from 100% office-based to hybrid working, 59% feel a loss of community at work.
How do you engage people who feel isolated, out of the loop or at a disadvantage compared to their office-based peers? Virtual reality can help, with headsets playing a pivotal role in solving the meeting challenges created by a distributed workforce. Bringing teams together in a 3D metaverse enhances the power of community.
Immersed in a shared, purpose-built virtual space, employees can brainstorm, design, develop, learn and build relationships in real time without distractions. Avatar to avatar, with conversation that feels more natural than video calls, communication becomes the focus, not the technology.
This allows teams in different departments and across the world to input freely into every stage of a project life cycle. It also reduces the risk of miscommunications and costly mistakes that can take your project back to the drawing board.
AR, VR and MR are also time-savers, enabling multidisciplinary teams to work simultaneously on the same project using 3D tools that bring ideas to life. VR alone addresses some of the most significant creative challenges we face today.
Employees around the world can be trained by experts in their fields and achieve game-changing results for your business as a result. VR learners are four times more focused than their e-learning peers in soft skills training, the foundation of organisational success.
Your clients will benefit too. With the help of 3D modelling and walkthroughs, they'll find it easier to understand conceptual thinking, get on board with work in progress and raise potential issues much sooner in the development process.
To bring VR, AR or MR into your business successfully, understanding how they differ is key. They each have distinct applications, but are easily confused, and the acronyms are often used interchangeably. Here, broadly speaking, is how to make sense of them.
VR gives you access to a 360-degree simulated world which you enter fully as a 3D representation of yourself: An avatar. You can move through the space, interacting with it, picking up and moving objects, and talking to anyone else you meet there.
Take the virtual meeting room as one example of VR. It can mirror the physical workspace to make it feel familiar and gives employees the chance to gather for regular status updates, remote town halls or special events, just like they would in real life.
An AR scenario involves blended reality. Rather than a full digital immersion, you remain grounded in the real world. Virtual elements such as graphics, text, video or audio, are superimposed onto the physical environment.
Examples of AR include giving customers access to additional product information or the chance to see an object in situ in their own home. According to Deloitte, 61% of shoppers say they'd choose stores using AR over those that don't and 71% said they'd shop more often with AR apps.
AR overlays don't interact with the real world, though you may be able to interact with them depending on the software in use. MR is another matter. It overlays the real world with digital elements and the physical and digital objects co-exist and react to each other in real time.
One example of MR in action is specialist simulation training which teaches a pilot how to land a plane or a surgeon to make a life-saving incision, without the real-world risks.
VR relies on specialist hardware, which usually includes a headset and accompanying apps to make it business ready. Motion sensors in these headsets pick up your movements and adjust the environment around you in real time, changing what you see and simulating the sense of 'actually being there'. Although some headsets require tethering with powerful PCs, Meta Quest devices work completely wirelessly.
Leading builder and developer, Mortenson, created a digital twin of its new data centre in Illinois, providing clients with a virtual walkthrough of the creative concept with just a few minutes training. It allowed collaboration on a much larger scale and led to the resolution of 600+ issues before they could throw the project off track.
AR is enabled through a camera-equipped device such as a smartphone, tablet or smart glasses. Loaded with AR software, this device can detect specific objects and download text, graphics, audio and any other sensory enhancements that go with them. These are superimposed on the user's view.
Swedish furniture brand IKEA offers their customers a chance to superimpose products into their real-world living space through its IKEA Kreativ app. The AR technology even allows users to 'delete' existing furniture on-screen to create blank canvas.
Personalised shopping experiences are enhanced by AR-powered 'try before you buy' opportunities. Beauty brand Sephora allows customers to try different make-up products virtually using a scan of their own faces: a hygienic alternative to in-store testers and a simple way to support decision making.
An MR headset merges the virtual and physical worlds. In the case of the Meta Quest Pro, this wireless headset comes with Touch Controllers which use self-tracking sensors to locate your hands in VR.
For more natural conversations, it also supports 3D avatars with realistic facial expressions thanks to advanced eye and facial tracking. To meet specific business challenges, there's a rich ecosystem of apps that go with it.
Car manufacturer Porsche uses mixed reality for product demonstrations. The German organisation uses Meta Quest 3 headsets to share designs with the media and believes the virtual models are significantly more meaningful to the viewer, using exploded model views to reveal parts that were previously hidden.
Aviation experts SITA have reimagined airport management with a product called Control Bridge. A 3D representation of airports, complete with dynamic dashboards and powered by rich data, replaces multiple heavyweight screens for a more portable and practical solution. The software maps vehicle and passenger movement in real time to make better-informed decisions.
MR also sidesteps tedious presentations and lengthy manuals, instead offering personalised training to address any skills gaps. Employees can start contributing to the business more quickly and feeling like they belong from day one.
