Digital Transformation

CHAPTER 11Virtual Reality

This chapter provides an overview of the virtual and augmented reality technology and its ability to create a computer‐generated immersive experience for a user or augment new layers of information to the real world. It also discusses the architecture and technology components required, commonly used platforms, and some of the typical processes across industries that are potential candidates for AR/VR use cases to make the enterprise intelligent.

Augmented and Virtual Reality Overview

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two closely linked technologies that combine an array of sensors, speakers, and visual display elements to create and perpetuate the illusion of a virtual or augmented world. While virtual reality is able to transport the user to a completely new place within the virtual environment, augmented reality does not move the user to a new world, it just augments the current state of existence.

Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, and Google Cardboard are some of the examples of VR that provide a fully immersive experience. Monitorless AR glasses provide a real‐world experience with computer‐generated overlays which provide an improvement over the location where the user is currently present.

In both VR and AR, digital content is presented to the user that informs and interacts with the senses that depicts a new experience of that place to achieve an immersive experience. Thus, these technologies are also referred to as immersive ...