If you’ve put on a headset and played an immersive video game that took you into another world, you’ve experienced virtual reality. When you played Pokemon Go, which overlaid imaginary creatures into the actual landscape you were in, you saw augmented reality.
Next up: mixed reality.
In mixed reality, things go further: users can interact with a virtual object, which responds to them as if it exists in real life. Think of a holographic piano, for example, that can play actual notes.
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The technology is still evolving, but companies are already finding uses for it. Ford has used it to prototype vehicles in a virtual environment. Microsoft, Lenovo, Acer, and Samsung all have mixed reality products.
Mixed reality uses gesture/gaze/voice recognition technology through a pair of motion controllers or through an MR headset, according to an article by Bernard Marr & Co. Companies are expected to use mixed reality technology to help with engineering and design modeling, sales, employee training and education, and more.
