How mixed reality is changing our daily lives

Experts and consumers were electrified when Apple announced its first mixed reality glasses last summer. Apple's entry into the segment is seen as a clear signal of the technology's suitability for the masses. The Vision Pro, which is due to be delivered in the USA from February 2024, could therefore be a game changer for mixed reality. Luisa-Marie Schmolke, Innovation Manager at the ERGO Innovation Lab, took a closer look at the topic.

It is 1968 and computer graphics pioneer Ivan Sutherland has invented a pair of glasses at the University of Utah that can be used to project computer-generated virtual objects into physical reality. The three-dimensional, geometric shapes appear in the user's field of vision and move in synchronisation with their head movements. It is the first augmented reality (AR) or head-mounted display and has a refresh rate of 30 hertz. However, due to its weight, nobody was able to put the device on yet. It was still so heavy that it had to be attached to the ceiling above the wearer and was therefore called the "Sword of Damocles".   

A lot has happened since then. The hardware of today's augmented reality or virtual reality (VR) glasses has become much lighter and the software significantly more powerful. In current VR glasses, the resolution is now so high that not a single pixel can be recognised. Latency, weight and energy consumption have also decreased significantly over the years. We are therefore on the threshold of an age in which reality can be fully merged with computer-generated objects - perfect immersion. The transition between the digital and analogue world will be seamless.

Full-body multimedia experiences

To make this experience even more realistic, there are already many projects and products to make the virtual world truly tangible, for example through haptic feedback, so-called "force feedback" or "tactile feedback". Haptic peripherals are intended to provide users with perfect multi-sensory immersion. This can be through motors or vibration mechanisms in controllers, gloves or touchscreens. There are so-called "haptic suits", i.e. full-body suits or waistcoats, with haptic feedback. There are also haptic floors or chairs that provide direct feedback on surfaces. Researchers from Malmö and Oslo want to integrate odours into the virtual world.

All these innovations and developments will bring us closer to what we are promised with the Metaverse. In which we can not only see and hear the three-dimensional internet via glasses (or spatial computing), but really feel it. As a full body experience.