VR and AR are technology experts? Have you heard of MR, which is amazing?

AlphaGo won two games in a row, and the strength of artificial intelligence once again shocked the world. We have to admit that the speed of technological development today is so fast that it is hard for people to react. VR and AR have not yet passed their limelight, and MR has begun to be reported by the technology media. So, can it be considered black technology?

Is it black technology? Or is it just a trick?

In fact, this may just be a trick played by the media to create a new thing, especially the new concepts in the field of science and technology always have a strong aura of unknown power - this is also one of the reasons why various non-standard English abbreviations frequently appear in certain occasions. Speaking of which, MR stands for Mixed Reality, which is usually translated as "mixed reality". In fact, MR technology has already appeared in front of the world. Remember the amazing "Minecraft" at the E3 game show last year? Yes, Microsoft's HoloLens is a typical application of MR technology. Strictly speaking, including the previous Google Glass and the later Magic Leap, they all belong to the category of mixed display.

Seeing this, those who have paid some attention to this field may ask: Aren’t these mentioned above augmented reality? Indeed, both foreign and domestic media often report these projects as AR. Are they all wrong?

Of course not. It should be said that the boundary between AR and MR is blurred. Just like AR and VR, we cannot simply attribute the two to an opposing relationship. Baidu Encyclopedia defines augmented reality as "a technology that calculates the position and angle of camera images in real time and adds corresponding images. The goal of this technology is to put the virtual world on the real world on the screen and interact with it." Although it is not very rigorous, it at least reflects the following information: augmented reality itself includes the application of virtual reality technology.

At present, it is still difficult to find an exact definition of mixed reality technology. There is not much difference between the descriptions of MR and AR in relevant materials. Some reports even directly equate the two. Some people literally interpret mixed reality as the superposition of virtual reality and augmented reality, which is not very accurate. Simply put, most opinions believe that MR technology emphasizes the interaction between the virtual world, the real world and the user, and also has a richer way of presenting the digital world. For example, the 3D bear that was popular in WeChat Moments before is augmented reality. If one day, you can chat and play games with the bear, it can be considered mixed reality.

The era of mixed reality has just begun

From the perspective of computer development, interactive technology was listed separately only in the later stage of software and hardware development, and the progress of media and interactive forms has never stopped. If the simultaneous appearance of VR and AR shows the difference between the two technologies, then the comparison between MR and AR is more inclined to the upgrade of technology experience, similar to the transition from Web2.0 to Web3.0, which explains why the image of MR is not clear in the public impression.

However, since VR and AR are both developing in parallel and the situation is very good, is MR coming out at this time just to confuse people? Let's take a look at two animated pictures first.

It is said that this scene took place in the Magic Leap office. Compared with the previously widely circulated video of the whale in the stadium, the most noteworthy thing about these two materials is the participation of people, which is exactly consistent with the "interaction" highlighted by MR. It can be said that when we talk about VR and AR, we may be talking about technology, but when we talk about MR, we must talk about applications. And applications are the ultimate realization of the value of technology.

At the same time, from the pictures, we can infer that Magic Leap may focus on the two scenarios of office and gaming, which is also what Google Glass and HoloLens are doing. The application prospects of mixed reality technology have always been optimistic in the industry. William Rhys Dekle, senior director of Microsoft Game Studios, believes that all virtual reality platforms will be integrated into mixed reality. In the field of gaming, well-known foreign developer Devine once said that this is a technology that can truly create the future for players. It is reported that the newly released HTC Vive can also provide mixed reality experience.

A domestic virtual reality practitioner once said that the greatest significance of VR lies in grasping the entrance to AR. In other words, VR technology itself has certain limitations in terms of application. Judging from the major head-mounted displays currently released, factors that hinder the popularization of VR include obvious dependence on the host, overly bulky equipment, and unnatural interaction with the real world. From the perspective of practical applications, the prospects for augmented reality are undoubtedly greater. Digi-Capital once predicted that by 2020, the market size of AR and VR will reach 150 billion US dollars, of which AR will account for 120 billion US dollars. Profits are always created in scenes, and scenes cannot be separated from interaction. It can be said that when we "use" AR, MR has already been realized.

The evolution of technology is somewhat similar to the evolution of biology, with one stage always following the next. It is unrealistic to pin the formation of new species on a precise time point. It is not surprising that "XR" technology will appear in the future. There is no ultimate technological progress. It is just that what is coming will come sooner or later. The process is insurmountable, but equally exciting.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.