Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality

As technology continues to advance, augmented reality and virtual reality education will become more commonplace. This industry has been exponentially growing over the last several years, and since companies such as Google, Apple, and Facebook are investing, it’s only expected to keep growing.

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality

While these two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there are differences between them, and it’s important to understand each.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality makes use of technology to superimpose elements such as sound, text, or images into the actual world around you. So, rather than creating a virtual environment, it adds features to your natural surroundings.

Virtual Reality

Alternatively, virtual reality uses technology to simulate a completely new environment by using devices such as headsets. In other words, VR immerses the user in a computer-generated environment by wearing a device.

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality Education

Now that we’ve learned the difference between these two technologies, let’s discuss augmented reality and virtual reality in education. When you hear the word education, your mind may immediately think of children in school, but both augmented and virtual reality are used in other applications as well. For example, companies such as Ford use VR headsets to train assembly workers before allowing them to work alone. This results in a shorter learning curve and fewer injuries.

Virtual reality headsets are also used in commercial real estate to offer immersive property tours, making it to where agents don’t even have to leave their offices. Augmented reality is used for learning purposes by many large companies as well. One example is the car manufacturer BMW. They use AR capabilities to allow customers a closer look at their available models. Furthermore, medical technology companies are using AR to create operating rooms for surgery centers and hospitals. In the end, augmented reality and virtual reality in education will become more prevalent as the industry continues to grow. So far, it’s proven to provide many benefits; therefore, it only makes sense for companies and schools to begin using it more and more.