Extended reality (XR): Augmented, mixed, and virtual

Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term for immersive technologies that merge the physical and virtual worlds, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). VR creates fully virtual environments using headsets and hand controllers, AR layers digital content onto the real world through devices like smartphones or AR glasses, and MR combines the two, allowing interaction between real and digital objects. XR technologies are used in gaming, education, AECO, health care, and manufacturing, offering innovative ways for users to interact with digital content and enhancing various aspects of daily life and professional activities.

Virtual reality (VR) technology immerses users in a completely virtual environment through VR headsets like the Meta Quest or HTC Vive, setting them free to create and explore. These headsets provide a 360-degree view and track head movements, creating a sense of presence within the virtual space. Enhanced by hand controllers and body tracking systems, VR allows for natural interaction with the environment. Widely used in gaming for immersive experiences, VR also has applications in education, health care, enterprise companies, and other industries, offering simulations, training, and virtual tours to enhance learning, rehabilitation, and practical skills.

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital content onto the real world, enhancing the user’s perception of their environment through devices like smartphones, tablets, or AR glasses. Using cameras and sensors, AR superimposes information, images, or animations onto the physical world so users can interact with digital elements while remaining engaged with their surroundings. AR applications include immersive onsite training, real-time data overlays during construction and design, and interactive 3D visualizations for project reviews. AR enhances collaboration, helps streamline inspections, and improves decision-making with practical, engaging tools that boost project efficiency.

Mixed reality (MR) is a technology that combines elements of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), allowing digital and physical objects to coexist and interact in real time. Using devices like Microsoft HoloLens, MR projects holograms into the user’s environment, enabling interaction with virtual objects as if they were part of the real world. MR applications include placing digital models in physical spaces, facilitating remote collaboration with interactive data, and enhancing education, health care, manufacturing, and real estate with advanced simulations and interactive experiences. This integration of digital and physical worlds enhances productivity, creativity, and collaboration across industries.

Extended reality—encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality—is important because it provides spatial awareness, enhancing a user’s ability to interact with 3D environments in a more precise and intuitive way. XR revolutionizes education and training by providing immersive learning environments and boosts productivity through more streamlined processes and remote collaboration. It transforms entertainment with immersive gaming experiences, enables innovation through creative visualizations and interactions, and expands accessibility by bridging education and health care gaps. XR drives innovation, improves quality of life, and offers new ways to learn, work, and interact with the world.

The purpose of extended reality (XR) is to merge the physical and digital worlds, enhancing interaction with information, environments, and each other. XR aims to revolutionize education and training with immersive learning environments, improve health care through advanced diagnostic tools and simulations, and boost productivity in various industries via more streamlined processes and remote collaboration. It transforms entertainment with interactive experiences, enhances customer satisfaction by enabling realistic product visualizations, fosters innovation and creativity by providing new ways to interact with digital content, and expands accessibility to education and health care, promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities.

An example of extended reality (XR) is the Meta Quest 3, a next-generation mixed reality headset that seamlessly integrates virtual reality and augmented reality. The Quest 3 allows users to experience immersive digital environments, blending virtual objects with the real world. In professional settings, it provides engineers and architects with digital overlays of 3D models for real-time project reviews, improving accuracy and decision making. In the media and entertainment industry, it allows creators to build interactive virtual worlds, enabling immersive gaming experiences and dynamic storytelling that captivate audiences.