09 Jul ASK AN EXTENDED REALITY (XR) FUTURIST: WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITY?
Per extended reality (XR) futurists and keynote speakers, this is an umbrella term that includes all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology. It encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) experience. Serving as extended reality (XR) futurists and consultants, let’s talk about possible future directions for the field:
New Devices and Wearables: Thankfully, you can count on improvements in the hardware used for powering XR experiences. We’re talking lighter, more comfortable, and more powerful headsets, as well as advancements in other technologies like haptic feedback devices that can provide tactile experiences, enhancing the immersiveness of virtual offerings.
Growing Adoption in Various Industries: While XR has made inroads in gaming and entertainment, it’s expected to become more widespread in various other industries. For instance, in healthcare, it could be used for medical training or to help patients with rehabilitation. As for real estate, XR solutions could be used for virtual property tours. Other sectors like education, retail, and tourism could also benefit significantly from the technology too.
Greater Hands-On Entertainment: Future XR applications will likely offer more interactive experiences to boot. Think more advanced hand and body tracking, eye tracking, and more sophisticated AI that can make virtual environments react more realistically to user actions.
Networking and Communications: As the technology becomes more mainstream, we could also see the growth of “social XR” and shared virtual experiences, like attending a virtual concert with friends, meeting people in a virtual social space or collaborative work in a virtual office.
Smart Tech: And BTW, types of outings here are likely to become more integrated with artificial intelligence. Such efforts will enable more personalized XR experiences, where the virtual environment adapts to individual users, as well as more realistic virtual characters.
Data Concerns: As progress advances and solutions here become more pervasive, issues related to data privacy and ethics will come to the forefront. Perhaps we’ll see questions about how user data is collected and used in XR environments, or the potential psychological impacts of spending time in virtual realities.
High-Speed Comms: The rollout of 5G and future telecommunications technology will significantly impact the development and use of XR, offering high-speed, low-latency connections that can allow for more complex and immersive XR experiences.
