A Career in Augmented and Virtual Reality

The technological advancements the world is experiencing with each passing year is something that the philosophers back in the old ages just used to ponder about. There have been unimaginable developments in all fields and spheres of work and research, be it science, manufacturing, entertainment, and more. In today’s inter-connected, modern world, a software developer can be considered as nothing less than God, since they create systems and applications that literally schedule and define our day-to-day lives.

The daily life of a software developer would include getting assignments from his/her boss and meeting their needs by developing program. This job role leaves very little scope for creativity and individualism. That’s where one can see the difference between software developers and AR/VR creators, who are given their assignments too, nonetheless, still have the autonomy to build programs and create environments according to their own free will. Virtual and augmented reality app development is one of the fastest and most sought-after job in the world of development, and it’s a job role where the creator gets to build anything and everything that the users would utilise and share.

Augmented and Virtual Reality: A Fine Line

Although belonging to the same spheres, AR and VR have a characteristic difference between each other. AR is based on basically “augmenting” the user’s surroundings or his/her environment, and focuses on adding digital images and objects to a camera’s live feed. This can be observed most commonly on social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram. A general mistake that the common man makes is that he/she calls these effects filters. They are actually lenses, built on platforms such as Lens Studio and Spark AR, and allow the developer to add various objects to a user’s existing frame.

VR on the other hand, is a fully immersive experience. It’s like being in another world inside the physical world the users live in. VR creators aim at creating a completely digital world that can be accessed using devices such as VR glasses, bodysuits, etc. When connected, these devices allow the user to enter the developer’s world and hence, lets them enter an interactive experience that exists only in the digital form. An example would be the highly awaited game, Grand Theft Auto: VI, which has rumours of it being a VR-based game where the user can walk around an open world as his/her own character, and control all actions and interact with the surroundings.

Around the World with VR

On a more recent note, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, tourism all over the planet came to a halt. This encouraged developers and shareholders to create cyber-physical systems utilising IoT, cloud computing, and basically, big data. With technological developments due to Industry 4.0, there have been extraordinary upgrades in the fields of communication, transportation, etc. One of the most alluring subjects in the recent years comes down to Augmented and Virtual Reality. By creating a common ecosystem by involving the local zone, like tourists, authorities, government, etc., one can successfully create and stabilize an enriched tourism experience both in the physical as well as digital world.

• Open-world games in the recent years have picked up this exciting discussion on how developers can create a digital world with no limitations. This concept is adopted when it comes to virtual tourism.
• Discussions on how virtual tourism can become more prominent in the coming years with respect to real-life tourism are based on how one can travel fearlessly without any additional expenses from the comfort of his/her own house, while being able to control factors like temperature, weather forecasts, etc.
• With a VR headset and a pair of virtual movement controllers, the world’s most exotic locations are literally at our doorstep, whenever and wherever we want.

Education just got a bit more Fun

How would the students react if they got to see the 7 wonders of the world from the comfort of their classrooms? With the professor sharing notes and students preparing for their exams, the whole procedure becomes a monotonous chore. With the integration of AR and VR, all educational institutions can incorporate real-time assignments in a digital landscape where the students can interact with their surroundings and take part in critical thinking scenarios and utilise classroom teachings in a simulated environment. Furthermore, studies have always shown that the integration of audio-visual learning has led to better results at all times. Kicking it up a notch with AI-based environments can make the whole process more fun and valuable.

A Step Further towards the Future

Mixed reality is another concept which is in the stage of development and has shown promising results. Think like this: You’re in a VR-based first-person shooter game and you run out of bullets. Would you like to pick your steel water bottle and smack the enemy? That’s exactly what this is. Mixed reality is based on the integration of the physical and the digital world, and incorporates real-life objects into the digital setup to create an even more immersive and interactive experience.

Hence, it can be seen how AR and VR-based simulated environments are the real-time proof of what the world has achieved since Industry 4.0 began. This shows promise, and tells us how at some point of time people might start accessing the digital world for their day-to-day progress more than the physical world. No matter how far-sighted this vision might be, can you see it too?