Developers look to the future with extended reality

Global Business

We’ve heard a lot about virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Now some are starting to bring those all together under the name XR, which stands for Extended Reality. The XR Developer’s Conference in San Francisco brought together industry leaders to discuss the future of the technology. CGTN’s Mark Niu has the details.

At XRDC, the extended reality developer’s conference, the power of the goggle goes beyond fun and games.

The lead engineer at Microsoft’s Mixed Reality Academy is using this technology to brainstorm ideas.

“This allows me to more fluently – just like here you go, here’s an idea, here’s a thought. I don’t have to think about my interactions in order for this to express my creativity,” said Nick Klingensmith, Lead Engineer at Microsoft Mixed Reality Academy.

The startup Lightform is showing what it can do with a $700 Projected Augmented Reality system.

It can use almost any surface for an interactive display. That means signage and advertisements can be transformed into an immersive experience for customers, without special goggles.

“We ultimately envision that there could be projection systems all over a space like this that could cover, could basically turn any surface into a display,” said Phil Reyneri, Design Director at Lifghtform.

The founder of software company Ractive says one of XR technology’s growing markets is training.

“Initially, when I started Ractive was to focus on more of these cinematic game experiences, but a lot of the requests I got were for training,” said Jonathan Perry, Founder & CEO at Ractive. “And that’s what started paying the bills and what motivated me to do more and more of it. So I think VR has really great potential for training because of the ability to fully immerse you in another situation and feel like you are there.”

Perry’s Virtual Reality programs often put users in high-stress situations.

As a certified first aid and CPR instructor, he believes the technology has the potential to revolutionize medical training.

“We’re using a real physical training mannequin you might use in a CPR class,” said Perry. “We’ve got trackers on that, we’ve got trackers on your hand so that when you go to perform CPR on person, you are not seeing that mannequin, you are seeing what looks like a real human being and you are feeling that physical sensation. There’s a lot of panic going on, a lot of people freaking out. It really gets that adrenaline up and really tests to see if you still remember the basics you learned in class when you are under pressure.”

In a new tech age where parents and society worry about over stimulation, some believe if used in the right way, Extended Reality also has the potential to de-stress and set the mind free.