Humans are a curious species, and it is part of our nature to ponder the future. We are hardwired to find patterns, so we often use the past to predict what will emerge in the future. Technology is the driving force shaping the future, and the adoption of numerous technologies that are together referred to as digital realities is on the verge of creating a virtual world within the physical world. No one knows how advanced technology will become or how quickly it will evolve, but innovative gadgets that were once only seen in futuristic science fiction movies are already becoming commonplace and moving society toward a virtual world. However, for practitioners, as new technologies emerge, new security and pricy risk also need to be considered.
Types of Digital Realities
One of the challenges of digital realities is understanding its terminology. There are three digital reality terms used to describe the various experiences: virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), which can be used together to create extended reality (XR).
Virtual Reality
VR is a computer-generated simulation that uses 3-dimensional imaging to create a digital virtual environment that can be interreacted with in a seemingly realistic and physical way. A person uses special electronic equipment such as goggles with two screens inside to view the world, and handheld remotes or gloves installed with sensors that allow for virtual interaction with interfaces and objects.1
Augmented Reality
AR is most prevalent with the use of smartphone AR applications. While the user holds their phone in front of them, virtual objects and information overlay real objects, augmenting the physical world. Developers are working to deliver a more holistic AR experience using smart glasses, containing an ultra-low-power processor to run sensors that provide depth perception and tracking.2 This allows for a more comfortable AR experience over longer periods of use.
Mixed Reality
MR is a blend of VR and AR that merges the real and virtual worlds. An example of MR is Pokémon Go, a mobile game that overlays objects into a real-world environment with the use of a smartphone’s camera. Some may consider Pokémon Go an example of AR; however, the game is the epitome of MR—the blend of the real-world environment combined with computer-generated inanimate objects. In addition to Pokémon Go, mobile AR offers the most mainstream MR use cases via social media—using the AR filters on Instagram and Snapchat creates an MR experience for users.3
Extended Reality
XR is the catch-all term for the technology that enhances and replaces the world around the user. Extended reality encompasses VR, AR and MR.4
Digital Realities in Use Today
With an understanding of the types of digital realities, use cases, potential advantages and drawbacks can be explored.
Education
Traditional teaching methods utilizing a whiteboard, lectures and conventional textbooks may cause today’s students to lose focus, get bored and disengage. AR has the potential to greatly improve a student’s learning experience and increase interest in a subject—especially for visual learners. AR creates a virtual but immersive and realistic memorable experience because students can visualize content that might not otherwise be visible in the real world.5 For example, AR enables students to inspect and interact with a 3D hologram in a 360-degree perspective by moving and rotating a virtual object on a screen. This allows for better and more thorough examination when trying to understand complex objects and concepts. This has the potential to revolutionize learning, especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of study such as biology, astrology and anatomy.
AR can also be used to create an innovative learning experience when it comes to professional training in industries such as hospitality, aerospace, aviation and military. Before AR, these industries had no other choice but to invest large amounts of money into equipment and training. The use of AR helps lower costs and still allows for interactive practice. In these instances, AR uses computer graphics to capture real images of objects, place them in the augmented environment and then allow the user to provide queries on that object of interest.
VR can also be used in education. For example, a nursing school student who needs to know about each part of the human body can use VR to get a visual representation of how the body works. Having this initial learning experience can be more beneficial than being put into a hospital environment first and learning on the on the job, possibly risking safety or lives.6
In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic required teachers and parents in many areas of the world to adjust to remote learning due to lockdowns. During this time, the use of VR in schools might have helped significantly. Had they been equipped to do so, teachers could have created virtual classrooms that students could join from home via VR headsets. In the United States, universities will see the adoption of VR sooner than elementary, middle and high schools (K-12) due to funding; however, in the future, it is likely that both US universities and K-12 schools will increasingly utilize digital reality technologies.
There are also other VR use cases outside of schools. For instance, VR is used for crane operation certification such as from Industrial Training International (ITI) VR7 and for aviation pilot training.8 Although initial costs to develop these types of programs are high, it is a high reward lower risk model to attain competency without putting expensive equipment or people at risk before a person develops competency in these highly skilled jobs.
Marketing and Product Information
Digital realities are increasingly being used for product promotion and marketing. In the furnishing and decorating industries, enterprises are making use of AR on their ecommerce webpages or through applications. Using a smartphone camera, a customer can conveniently see an overlay of a product in their own home environment. For instance, if someone has an empty space in their house and they are looking for furnishings, they can select a chair and utilize AR technology to visualize how it would look in their space before buying it. Shopify AR is one tool that allows customers to take advantage of this service. Similarly, in the auto industry, BMW and Accenture designed an AR application that lets a customer view a car from wherever they are and virtually customize it right in front of them.9
The clothing, fashion and personal appearance industry also has examples of AR consumer use cases. When it comes to fashion, most people like to see what something will look like on them before buying it. Some enterprises are now using AR virtual fitting rooms, where users can customize how they look by overlaying a 3D model of the item over themselves via smartphone camera. They can quickly choose outfits and interchangeable accessories in real time. With the use of AR, this same concept can be applied to cosmetology as well. For instance, users can change hair styles and see what each would look like with a realistic view of one’s own hair cut, color and texture. In addition to these technologies using smartphones, some enterprises are making use of AR mirror software to create smart mirrors for consumers to use to shop. An AR smart mirror is a virtual try-on experience that allows the person to try clothes, makeup and accessories on themselves in real time and see what it would look like.
AR can also be used for user instruction and assembly manuals. Paper manuals may soon be a thing of the past as 3D holograms, overlays and visual instructions can be created for almost any product that needs to be assembled.10
Healthcare and Safety
The development of AR lenses, which fit like contact lenses with micro light-emitting diodes (LED), will help people who struggle with poor vision, giving users the ability to zoom in or magnify objects at a distance. AR lenses also have the potential to enhance low-light vision or see useful information such as text messages, health statistics or teleprompting in a user’s periphery.11
In the automotive industry, the use of heads-up display, which is a technology used in cars to project an image onto the vehicle’s windshield right beneath the driver’s line of sight so it is not in the way, has the potential to increase public safety by displaying real-time directions, navigation information and oncoming hazards to drivers. Overall, digital realities can make getting from point A to point B much easier and, hopefully, safer than today’s automotive map software.
Drawbacks
Although there are many potential use cases for digital realities, there are drawbacks and risk scenarios to these technologies when it comes to security and privacy. AR, VR and MR technologies can see what the user is doing in real time and collect a great deal of information on the person who is using the technology, such as who they are and what they are doing, to a greater extent than other already invasive technologies, such as social media. With the adoption of new technologies comes the concern of different attack vectors and ways for hackers to break into these systems because the systems need to store personal data, either in the cloud or on the system itself. This is one of the reasons VR still has not taken off as expected. Another reason is that VR is still early in development and has primarily been aimed at gaming, which traditionally attracts a younger customer base. Although there are other applications of VR headsets, such as watching videos and consuming other content, these devices can make some users feel nauseous and experience eyestrain. This is because VR headsets create a 3D viewing illusion while the user is staring at a fixed distance 2D display.12
The future of a world with digital realities has great potential, but there are also concerns when it comes to security and privacy.
Conclusion
The future of a world with digital realities has great potential, but there are also concerns when it comes to security and privacy. Technology is growing exponentially, and with each new technology that emerges, there is also concern. But there is no turning back at this point and the next evolution of digital realities to come—the metaverse—will connect and combine the physical world with AR and VR to create an open, shared online environment. Currently, users only interact with the Internet on a screen, but the metaverse will be an Internet that humans experience from the inside one day. But more than just AR and VR is needed for the metaverse to become a reality. Artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and extreme Internet speeds with high bandwidth, low latency and microsized device processors will be required to enable the metaverse. Although society is not quite there yet, it is easy to imagine a near future where digital realities will be commonplace and humans will truly live in a virtual world. It is essential to stay up to date with new and evolving technologies as it is the future.
Endnotes
1 Hayes, A.; “Augmented Reality,” Investopedia, 2 December 2020
2 Ibid.
3 Microsoft, “What Is Mixed Reality?” 7 March 2022
4 Hooker, J.; “xR, AR, VR, MR: What’s the Different in Reality?” Arm Blueprint, 17 June 2021
5 Afiq, H.; S. N. Junaini; A. H. Fauzi; “Mobile Augmented Reality for Biology Learning: Review and Design Recommendations,” Journal of Critical Reviews, vol. 7, iss. 12, June 2020
6 Visible Body
7 Industrial Training International VR
8 VRPilot
9 Moldrich, C.; “This BMW Augmented-Reality App Turns Any Space Into A Car Showroom,” Alphr, 5 January 2017
10 Plapper, P.; M. Minoufekr; S. S. V. K. Kolla; A. Sanchez; “Augmented Reality in Manual Assembly Processes,” 9th International Conference on Mass Customization and Personalization—Community of Europe, Serbia, September 2020
11 Sullivan, M.; “The Making of Mojo, AR Contact Lenses That Give Your Eyes Superpowers,” Fast Company, 16 January 2020
12 Ackerman, D.; “Using Artificial Intelligence to Generate 3D Holograms in Real-Time,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA,10 March 2021
Collin Beder, CSX-P, Security+
Is a performance-based training engineer in ISACA's content development and services department. He is responsible for the development and maintenance of cybersecurity product platform environments and performance exams. Beder has more than 5 years of experience and is passionate about innovative technologies and the risk and opportunities they offer. Prior to joining ISACA®, he held multiple information security analyst and incident response positions.