Written By
Michael A
Tech & Design Leader & Educator, Rita Lab Founder & Instructor
Mixed reality, a term used to describe the integration of the digital and physical world, has been rapidly advancing in recent years and is poised to change the way we live and interact with technology. As a tech and design beginner, it's important to understand the different types of mixed realities and their applications. In this blog post, we'll explore the three main categories of mixed realities: augmented, virtual, and extended realities.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented Reality refers to the real-world view that is enhanced or augmented by the addition of computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a completely immersive artificial environment, AR allows you to see the real world while adding digital elements to it. This technology has been widely used in many industries such as retail, gaming, and education. For example, IKEA's AR app allows customers to place virtual furniture in their real-world spaces to see how it would look.
To learn AR, you can start by taking online courses or attending workshops and seminars. You can also get hands-on experience by working on AR projects or building AR apps. Familiarity with programming languages such as Unity, C#, and ARKit can also help you build a strong foundation in AR development.
Below are some helpful resources that go into more detail on Augmented Reality:
https://dynamics.microsoft.com/en-us/mixed-reality/guides/what-is-augmented-reality-ar/
https://www.sap.com/products/scm/industry-4-0/what-is-augmented-reality.html
You can also enroll in a course to learn all about AR with Coursera here:
https://www.coursera.org/learn/ar
Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual Reality, on the other hand, is a completely artificial environment that is created to simulate a real-world experience. This technology is widely used for gaming, training simulations, and even therapy. With VR, users can experience a completely immersive and interactive world that is separate from the real world.
To learn VR, you can start by taking online courses and attending workshops and seminars that focus on VR development. You can also get hands-on experience by working on VR projects or building VR apps using programming languages such as Unity and Unreal Engine.
Below are some helpful resources that go into more detail on Virtual Reality:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9MwaH6oGEY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Zt3JZejbg
You can also enroll in a course to learn all about VR with Coursera here:
