Unlocking Digital Wellness: Thriving in the AR/VR Universe

Worldwide Developers Conference, better known as WWDC, in its 23rd edition held in the month of June earlier this year had us all talking about Apple Vision Pro. For the uninformed, It is a Mixed Reality (XR)🎧headset with lots of cool features. Before we delve into the topic let’s first take a moment to understand what XR  is. It is an amalgam of two distinct technologies namely: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR).

Augmented Reality : As per SAP, it is an interactive experience that enhances the real world with computer-generated perceptual information. Pokemon Go is the most basic and famous example of AR, Measure app available on iOS, etc.

Virtual Reality: Virtual reality is a simulated 3D environment that enables users👨🏽‍💻 to explore and interact with a virtual surrounding that approximates reality. The best examples would be VR games which transport you virtually to the world of the game you are playing in.

Now that we know what AR/VR is let’s jump into what devices can we use to explore the world of AR/VR -

👉Smartphones/ Tablets/Web

👉Smart Glasses and Headsets

👉Kiosk Systems/AR- Installations - These are regular kiosks with AR systems installed which can be used for advertisements/showcasing products.

AR Glasses are really interesting and the following list explores the ones available with the most market share:

👉Oculus Quest 2

👉Microsoft HoloLens

👉Raptor AR

Apple Vision Pro leverages Spatial Computing technology, elevating the user experience to an entirely new dimension. Spatial Computing is defined as the interaction between humans and machines where the machine retains and manipulates information related to actual objects and physical space. In simpler terms, the applications you access on your device incorporate real-world references and respond as they would in the physical realm.

To illustrate this concept, consider watching a video on a tablet. When you place the tablet on a table and continue watching through an AR headset, Spatial Computing enables the application to mimic the action of resting the tablet on the table. This creates a remarkably futuristic and immersive experience, seamlessly bridging the virtual and real worlds.

AR/VR and spatial Computing brings together the next wave in computing - Mixed Reality. According to Microsoft, mixed reality liberates us from screen-bound experiences by offering instinctual interactions with data in our living spaces and with our friends. The real-world benefits are endless.

👉Teamwork and collaboration will reach new heights. Language🤟 will not be a barrier anymore.

👉This heralds a new era in the education industry. Teaching🧑‍🏫 can get very immersive and very inclusive

👉Training ⛑️health professionals

👉Training for aircraft🛩️ pilots

👉Military training and simulations

👉Real estate 🏡agencies can use them to give virtual tours of flats/estates

👉Video games 🎮

As interesting as AR/VR sounds, if not used properly the long-term implications on health and wellness are going to be detrimental. Department of Communication Science, University 🏫 of Amsterdam, Netherlands conducted an online survey among frequent VR users(750 users). The survey found that feeling immersed in VR positively predicts addiction. Another study conducted by HTC found that VR gaming addiction is 44% bigger than the one related to PC gaming🕹️.

Let’s look at what can make AR/VR more addictive:

👉The rich and interactive virtual environment can make us forget the real world 🌎. One of many reasons can be the change that we can bring about in the virtual when we don’t like something which in the real world often takes time and effort. Often leading to restlessness.

👉VR environments are made keeping dopamine rush in mind. If anything attracts our attention, chances are we may want to spend more and more time there.

👉In computer games🕹️ the interactions are 2-D. But with AR/VR we can be in the centre of the gameverse and affect changes making it more addictive than regular computer games.

AR/VR has been the center of many Hollywood blockbuster movies 🎥 showing us what the future could look like. Some of them are

👉Total Recall

👉Ready Player One

👉Minority Report

👉Upload

Excessive use of these devices like any device can have its own set of risks. Let’s see the risks involved with AR/VR tech:

👉VR sickness - The symptoms of VR sickness are very similar to motion sickness. For motion sickness to set in, a body has to be in real self-motion. Whereas VR sickness occurs due to oculomotor disturbances meaning you see movements and motions through your eyes which tricks your brain into thinking that your body is in motion. Nausea🤢, dizziness😵, sweating😅, pallor, loss of balance, etc., are grouped together to call the term “VR Sickness”.

👉AR/VR devices use LED screens 💻, which have a high blue light content. LEDs and smartphone screens are major emitters of blue light. Most blue light reaches the back of our retinas directly. Some studies show that this blue light from LEDs can cause retinal👁️ damage.

👉Continued overuse of any device has some effects on health. These effects are still being learned as these are still very new and haven’t been adopted widely across the globe🌍.

👉 Sexual harassment is rampant online and VR spaces are no exception. According to a report by Pluto VR and the VR research and strategy agency The Extended Mind, 49% of female users and 36% of male users had experienced sexual harassment in VR.

Look at the marketing insights into AR-VR worldwide(source: Statista):

👉Revenue in the market is projected to reach US$31.12bn in 2023📈.

👉Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 13.27%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$52.05bn.

👉The number of users is expected to amount to 2,593.00m 📈users by 2027.

It is quite clear, that the use and users of AR/VR are only going to rise📈 and this will see new and innovative apps dominate the market. Digital Wellness in the age of AR/VR is taking in the benefits of the tech and avoiding associated harms. In all this chatter the onus lies on us to take care of our wellness and I hope this article inspires a few. 

-Apurba Kumar and Rijul Arora