A new reality

The terms “virtual reality” and “augmented reality” usually relate to video games but companies such as Microsoft are realising the potential of applying these technologies in a business environment.

Virtual reality (VR), which lets you experience a digital world in an immersive context using a headset, has proven popular among gamers, with Samsung, Sony and HTC the key players in VR gaming.

Augmented reality came to prominence with the Pokémon Go mobile app. It lays virtual images over the real world: point your phone camera and there’s that little creature waiting to be caught.

Microsoft has combined the two technologies to result in what it calls “mixed reality” (MR), and it foresees some innovative business applications. One of the simpler ideas involves using MR to semi-automate a human workforce. Imagine a warehouse where MR headsets place arrows on the floor to guide workers to the relevant area, highlight the correct packaging and automatically scan product information to a database.

But what’s garnering a lot of interest is the idea of MR enabling co-workers around the world to meet in virtual spaces and collaborate on projects. That’s the vision Microsoft showcased this year at the Computex Taipei expo, where it announced its multi-device MR platform, Windows Holographic.

The future is bright.