Extended reality (XR)
Extended reality (XR) is an emerging umbrella term for all immersive technologies.
These technologies extend the reality we experience by either combining real-life experiences with virtual, computer-generated experiences or by creating a fully immersive experience.
They include representative forms such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR), and the areas interpolated among them.
The degree to which virtual experience is involved in an experience determines the type involved; augmented reality is the closest to real; mixed reality is a good combination of both real and virtual experiences; and virtual reality (also known as immersive reality) is largely virtual.
XR is a collective name for these technologies.
XR is a rapidly growing field that is being applied in a wide range of ways.
The XR technology has garnered adoption in various industries such as marketing, real estate, training, gaming, entertainment, education, remote work, etc.
The XR market is projected to grow from $42.55 billion in 2020 to $333.16 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 50.9%, from 2020 to 2025.
The use of XR is seeing a growing trend in the medical industry.
The healthcare industry is one of the crucial and essential industries in which extended reality is currently being deployed, especially in the training of health personnel.
What is reality?
Humans construct the concept of reality from the information we receive from our senses, commonly visual (what we see), auditory (what we hear), tactile (what we touch), and olfactory (sense of smell).
This is why, even when we are aware that we are in a fully virtual experience when exposed to a virtual environment, usually with a VR headset on, our bodies respond in the same way they would in the real world, generating true emotional responses.
The XR devices available currently commonly take advantage of the visual and auditory senses, and with advanced devices designed to incorporate tactile inputs, immersion in the virtual world is more intense.
Reality exists at every point on the spectrum of extended reality, from the completely real to the completely virtual.
The difference among subsets of XR is the environment in which the user experiences reality.
The closest to real life, AR is a view of the real-world environment with an overlay of virtual elements, followed by MR, which is a view of the real world with an overlay of virtual elements where the physical and digital elements can interact, and then VR, a fully immersive digital experience in a virtual environment.
AR, VR, and MR
Augmented reality involves the use of AR glasses, smartphones, tablets, etc. to place virtual information and objects as overlays in the real world.
This enhances the real world with virtual images, text, and animation.
This experience is in the real world, and users can see and interact with the real world around them.
The contrast is the virtual reality experience, where users are fully immersed in a simulated virtual environment, isolated from the real world.
This is achieved with the use of a VR headset or head-mounted display to get a 360-degree view of the virtual world.
Mixed reality, as the name implies, combines experiences in both the real and virtual worlds.
Also known as hybrid reality, objects co-exist and interact with one another in real-time, and unlike both AR and VR, it requires a lot more processing power.
Reality-virtuality continuum
A term introduced by Paul Milgram and Kishino in 1994, the reality-virtuality continuum is a continuous scale ranging between the completely virtual and the completely real and all possible variations and compositions of the real and virtual environments.
The area between the two extremes, where both the real and the virtual are mixed, is called mixed reality, which consists of augmented reality (where the virtual augments the real) and augmented virtuality (where the real augments the virtual).
This spectrum of realities is referred to as the mixed reality spectrum.
On one end of the spectrum, we have the physical reality that humans exist; on the other end, we have the digital reality.
Challenges of XR adoption
1. Cybersecurity
As with every technology in the world, XR would attract hackers who would introduce malware that interrupts these experiences.
This can be life-threatening, especially in healthcare applications.
2. User data privacy
Those developing XR technologies are battling with some of the challenges to mainstream adoption.
the XR technology collects very detailed user data to provide a robust experience for users, including the things they see, hear, do, touch, etc
All these are intimate pieces of information that must be kept safe from breaches.
3. High cost
Achieving an XR experience is rather costly right now, as there are expensive gadgets to procure, and sometimes a whole dedicated room with custom walls is needed.
Individuals, including companies around the world, cannot yet invest in the technology.
4. Cyberbullying
Spending more time in the virtual world and interacting with people would increase exposure to cyberbullying.
Many people do not have the nerve to be rude to others while being physically present but can thread this path in a virtual world.
Social media is a good example of how users bully others.
5. Fake experiences
The ease with which these technologies can be used to realistically represent an individual can be misused to incite others to do harm or cause havoc, especially as regards politics.
