Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have been buzz words for some time now and we are starting to see some real world applications of these applications.
When the Metaverse first got introduced to us, it was a marvel of where the technology was going. The fact that one was able to build a virtual world (either as a business, a game, art gallery, etc.) and be able to interact with it has changed how we view sectors like E-Commerce. Refilwe Mahlanyana outlined a few of the benefits of Augmented Reality (AR) in E-Commerce on a LinkedIn post as follows:
- Improved Sales: Having a product properly displayed in an AR/VR space allows the potential buyer to interact with the product in the convenience of their home and increase consumers’ confidence to purchase.
- Reduced Product Return Rate: This is achieved by letting customers virtually place their items in the real world, giving them a better sense of how they’ll function and feel in the space also give you a 3D view of the product.
- Personalised Shopping Experience: Consumers can try on products like accessories, makeup, and clothing to see how it looks and feels before finally making an order. AR enables customers to virtually add features to a bespoke product to suit their preferences.
Keeping in mind the applications of AR and VR in E-Commerce, companies like Meta introduced VR products such as the Meta Quest and Apple with the Vision Pro to give people fully immersive experiences in virtual worlds such as the Metaverse.
This brought a thought to my mind thinking back to the year 2018 when the movie Ready Player One was released and it showcased just how far the applications of virtual reality can go. Are we truly ready for a Ready Player One like experience? Is the current technology with Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro at that level?
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology so far…
Devices like the Meta Quest and the Apple Vision Pro are mixed-reality headsets that delivers high-fidelity views of your surroundings while you see virtual objects appear in your physical space. It has accurate depth projection and room mapping that gives you freedom to move throughout your space and interact with virtual characters or objects in the room around you.
What this means is you are able to hear, feel and see with both the real world and the virtual reality world at the same time, engaging with virtual elements to virtually do whatever you want, setup an entire virtual office workspace, retail store setting and build virtual reality elements that can be super imposed onto the real world.
Companies like Samsung are also exploring this technology with their new project codenamed Moohan, to fully develop and integrate into the virtual space.
At the same time, Meta, announced Orion AI Glasses, which is an Augmented Reality Headset. Although it is still a prototype, and they also mentioned that it may probably never be released to the public, it basically felt like it is a combination of the Apple Vision Pro with the lens technology, Rayban Meta Glasses and perhaps the Quest as well, all that in a small form factor.
Meta customed designed the display for these glasses which also includes Micro LED projectors inside the frame that beam graphics in front of your eyes via waveguides in the lenses. It is said that Orion will also have the same generative AI capabilities that already exist in the Rayban Meta glasses as well and and adds a visual element over what you’re looking at. With Orion, you can also interact with a hologram of another person using the AR glasses to play games and other things.
Definitely a huge leap forward in the AR and VR space.
The drawbacks and Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
As with any kind of technology being explored, you get the good and the bad; let’s explore some of the drawbacks of AR and VR:
1. The Price
Although the development of AR and VR is slowly picking up, the biggest factor that remains is still the cost of development which is require for research & development (R&D). This is then make an increasing development cost reduce the widespread adoption of AR and VR devices by the general public, I mean as it stands the Apple Vision Pro retails for over R100 000 in South Africa.
2. Health & Safety
Some research has also shown that on-going use of AR and VR devices may have health issues ranging from eye strain due to continued exposure to the lenses, and ear problem. Mental issues may also occur, leading to a person being too dependent or lost inside virtual reality worlds, which brings me to my last point, social isolation.
3. Social Isolation
Social isolation occurs when people eventually become isolated because they are so involved in virtual reality that they are losing touch with the real world, leading them to a state where they can’t distinguish between what’s real or fake, something I wrote about in my article about AI Social Media Personas.
There comes a situation when people become so used to spending time in the virtual world than with people in the real world that it becomes difficult for them to form actual human connections and prefer the company of virtual reality personas and environments as a result.
Looking at all these factors and advancements in technology, the question still remains; is the world ready for a Ready Player One like experience? Or do we still need to put better safeguards in place to ensure that the cost doesn’t outweigh the benefit that we get from AR and VR devices?
