In short, AR enhances, expands, or adds to the user’s experience. AR is “reality plus.” The user maintains control and perception of what is real and what is augmented.
VR changes the user’s experience, immersing them into a completely different environment. The visual experience, and on some systems the aural and other senses, are under control of the system. VR is an altered, different reality.
In most cases, a real-world visual scene in an AR display is captured by video and viewed directly on a screen. In medicine, AR displays are designed using see-through HMDs allowing the observer to view the real world directly though their eyes. In telemedicine, AR makes remote surgery a reality. This opens the door for robot-assisted surgery.
Manufacturing and training, similar to medicine, are rife with opportunity for AR. For mechanical maintenance and repair, mechanics wearing HMDs will be assisted, guided by the AR system while examining and repairing complex machinery. The AR software can provide a world of information to the mechanic. Real time data can identify the parts, describe their function, or offer updates on maintenance or manufacturing records. AR can guide the mechanic through a specific task by highlighting the proper sequence of parts to be removed and depicting the path of extraction. Essential safety information can be provided during processes. Hot or electrical parts can be highlighted to alert the mechanic of the dangers of contact. Modernizing the old walkie-talkie method, the mechanic can be assisted by a remote expert who controls the displays that appear on the mechanic’s AR screen.
Virtual Real Estate tours use AR to show properties, with the added extras of development or decoration possibilities. This expands to Urban Planning, where energy, utility management, water management, environmental management, safety and emergency response, architecture, construction and engineering are plotted as AR overlays on maps or other planning graphics. GPS devices and apps will grow even stronger and more useful with AR map-assisted navigation.
Seating charts with stadium arena or auditorium views are already in use by many venues. As the entertainment side of the business matures,