More and more software and digitalization solutions are betting on augmented reality, virtual reality or mixed reality to meet the needs of highly demanding sectors. Aviation, industry 4.0, professional training or occupational risk prevention are just some examples of markets that demand innovation in this area and comprehensive solutions such as our remote assistance and training tool Skylife Infinity. However, there are still occasions in which its application and the differences between the different types of digital realities end up mixing.

Differences between virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality

Broadly speaking, the main difference between them lies in the degree of integration between the virtual and real worlds. That is to say, while virtual reality immerses us integrally in a world created from scratch, without any connection to the physical plane, augmented reality incorporates virtual elements into a real environment, thus complementing its impact and scope. On the other hand, mixed reality, as its name suggests, introduces us to a hybrid environment, where both planes are combined, obtaining maximum performance.

Virtual reality (VR) and its applications

As mentioned above, virtual reality is a technology that inserts the user in a completely virtual and fictitious environment, enabling interaction with equally digital elements through the detection of movements. With this technology, the immersion experience is total and we rely on a complete and exhaustive simulation of the environment so that its resemblance to reality is as close as possible. For this, closed glasses or helmets are required, which incorporate a screen that serves as access to the artificial world and prevents vision beyond the Virtual Reality (VR) shown by the screen. This device also has a series of sensors that recognize the movement of the head to reproduce it virtually.

The main applications of virtual reality in the industrial and vocational training field are:

-Training and professional training in risky environments or situations.

-Training and simulation of complex environments

-Reduction of the learning curve and increase of retention in professional training thanks to total immersion.

The main example of Virtual Reality that you can find in Skylife is Infinity Training, an immersive training solution using simulators that allows to rehearse complex technical procedures or risk situations in a safe, inexpensive and space-saving environment.

Augmented Reality (AR) and its applications

In this technology, we start from the real world and add directly to this environment a series of virtual elements that contribute to generate an enriched experience. These elements can be objects, animations, data or virtual interfaces with which to interact. Augmented reality can be used with specially designed glasses or even with the cell phone or tablet, whose camera records the real environment and displays it on the screen with the digital elements overprinted.

The main applications of augmented reality in the industrial sector are:

-Remote assistance service, allowing the expert technician to interact in the field with the field technician without displacements.

-Receiving remote technical indications directly in the field.

-Infinity Mentor is Skylife's solution that uses augmented reality for remote assistance, allowing qualified personnel to be available from anywhere and at any time to assist operators, avoiding occasional production stoppages or downtime caused by travel.

Mixed reality (MR) and its applications

As its name implies, mixed reality combines the best aspects of virtual reality and augmented reality to achieve an experience that adapts to the needs of the action. In other words, with mixed reality we can interact with real objects within a virtual world, or reproduce virtual elements in the real environment. Generally, this technology generates a 3D model of reality and overlays virtually created information on it, thus achieving enriched content of value for the user. 

The main applications of mixed reality in industrial environments:

-Interactive guidance to the technician in complex operations.

-Reduction of the learning curve in technical training

-Reducing the cost and error rate in maintenance operations.

Skylife, innovation through Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality.

In all three cases, the applications are endless. At Skylife we are committed to innovation in the three technologies according to the needs of each situation, thus maximizing the possibilities and characteristics of each one and applying them to highly demanding sectors such as aviation, industry 4.0, professional training or occupational risk prevention. Along these lines, we have launched the Skylife Infinity suite of digitization solutions, which allows us to use the latest technological trends applied to real solutions and needs.

Virtual reality (VR) immerses us completely in a digitally created world disconnected from the physical plane, while augmented reality (AR) incorporates virtual elements into the real world. Both are versatile technologies with a multitude of uses. They have been commonly applied in the entertainment industry, video games, and marketing for commercial purposes. However, there is a lesser-known aspect based on engineering that has the potential to make industries more profitable and safer.

Commercial Uses of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Entertainment Industry

Simulation has been developed for many years in the field of entertainment and video games, where it has gained greater fame due to its widespread use and its ability to reach all kinds of audiences easily. In fact, video games have also served as an entry point for many potential developers of these technologies to experiment with them and use them as a source of inspiration for new functionalities.

Furthermore, virtual reality and augmented reality pave the way for new forms of socializing that are still being consolidated, such as the metaverse, an immersive virtual world where users can interact with each other.

Marketing and Sales: Showrooms and Virtual Catalogs

Virtual reality and augmented reality are also great allies in marketing and online sales, especially for sophisticated and expensive goods. This is because remote selling still generates mistrust since we cannot see or try the object we want to buy. However, these technologies change this by allowing us to visualize, experience, and have a much clearer idea of what we are going to buy. With VR and AR, products can be displayed in a virtualized catalog or in an environment created in a metaverse. For example, it is possible to take a 360-degree virtual tour of a potential home or a gallery of products through a virtual showroom.

Industrial Uses of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

To fully leverage virtual reality and augmented reality in current industrial processes, technical expertise beyond 3D modeling and virtual reality is necessary. It requires teams of highly specialized and qualified experts with engineering knowledge who can develop innovative solutions using multiple technologies in an integrated manner.

Industry 4.0, Digital Twins, and Testing

The transition to digitalized industrial production that operates with new intelligent technologies involves the use of simulation tools that help reduce costs and time while increasing safety and employee professionalism.

One of the terms used in Industry 4.0 is that of a digital twin, which refers to a detailed digital representation of a physical object, process, or even a system. Operators can simulate and test the performance of machinery before or after its construction or implementation in the real world. With this concept, a virtual counterpart of a physical object can be created, and one can navigate, for example, through an entire digitally produced scenario without any risk.

The technology also allows for various tests on how electronic components or machinery function by connecting them to a virtual simulation instead of installing them in a real production process or larger object. This helps refine decision-making while saving time and money.

Augmented Reality and IoT

Another element in the more technological industry is the Internet of Things (IoT), the interconnection of electronic devices, sensors, and information systems that are also connected to the Internet or local networks for sharing and collecting information. This concept allows for monitoring numerous production processes, and augmented reality, along with other elements of Industry 4.0, takes it a step further by creating powerful next-generation digital assistants that enable remote operation and facilitate interaction between personnel and technology. By receiving data from real electronic equipment and visualizing it digitally through augmented reality, a complete immersion based on data is achieved. This enhances the experience and facilitates decision-making.

Remote Technical Assistance: Connecting Experts and Operators at a Distance

Additionally, augmented reality offers the opportunity to add elements such as data, graphs, virtual interfaces, or animations to reality with which we can interact. It enables remote assistance services, as it allows experts to interact in the field with technicians without the need to travel. Through augmented reality, the technician receives visual instructions overlaid directly onto reality using a tablet or special glasses, while providing the expert with a complete immersion on-site without the need for physical travel.

Digital assistance enables the technician to process a higher flow of information, anticipate potential issues, and have real-time guidance, without worrying about making mistakes.

Industrial Training: Risk-free without the need to halt production

Moreover, technicians and engineers can learn to use these new tools safely and in a controlled environment, substantially increasing the human capital of high-tech companies.

The utility of virtual reality and augmented reality in acquiring experience and knowledge is enormous, as it allows for immersive, comprehensive, and detailed simulation of specific scenarios. Therefore, one of the main applications is training and professional development in risky environments or situations, as well as training in complex environments.

This learning model is completely safe, does not require interrupting any production processes, and can significantly reduce the learning curve while increasing retention of training due to total immersion. Likewise, it enhances productivity within companies.

Skylife Infinity: A Virtual and Augmented Reality Tool for Industrial Use

The possibilities offered by virtual reality and augmented reality are countless. Advancements in industrial technology are rapidly evolving and providing innovative solutions that facilitate complex processes. In this context, Skylife has developed Infinity, a comprehensive assistance tool that encompasses three major areas of action: virtual training, interactive operation guidance, and remote assistance to solve problems at a distance. In other words, it is a virtual guide that possesses all the necessary qualities to save working time, reduce travel, and act immediately in unforeseen situations.

The application of new technologies in the industrial sector has been closely linked to its own development. However, an area as vital as the training of its employees is not usually directly linked to innovation, despite the fact that it is a practice that would improve processes and save time and cost. Immersive technologies, such as virtual reality or mixed reality, stand as an exceptional opportunity to train, train and train operators and workers in complex or dangerous operations, allowing them to adopt a first-person point of view of different real situations, interact with virtual machinery that otherwise could not access or practice in real environments but with the support of a step-by-step guide in augmented reality that accompanies the process.

First person immersive training

A first-person experience. This is how the immersive technology in which virtual or mixed reality takes us is best defined. The user, through virtual or augmented reality glasses (discover the difference here), has access to a series of virtual resources that recreate facilities, processes and machinery, so that they can practice all those activities in a completely safe and monitorable environment. actions or protocols that you need to achieve the training objectives of the company, and as many times as required.

Likewise, as it is an immersive technology, the user has an easier time focusing on the training, avoiding distractions that could alter the results or the responsiveness of the training.

Through this process of repetition and practical acquisition of skills, a rapid internalization of the processes and knowledge imparted in the training is guaranteed, shortening the learning curve and increasing the retention of information. In the same way, the results of the training are measurable, recording the progress achieved, detecting comprehension problems or drawing a learning path for the operator that can be easily analyzed or exported digitally.

Applications of immersive training in the industrial sector

Let's imagine a company that needs to train employees with industrial machinery that is permanently in operation or that does not support test mode. Or companies in which the training centers are in a different location than the work centers. How to train operators without assuming interruption costs, possible errors produced by the person's own inexperience or without assuming travel costs? With virtual reality technology it is possible to act directly on a simulation of said machinery, increasing the efficiency of the learning process and avoiding associated problems. And in companies that need training supervised by an expert who is miles away from the student? Thanks to augmented reality, experts and students can be put in direct contact, allowing both to work immersively on the same reality, exchanging messages or indications in real time.

These are just two examples of the multitude of uses in which immersive technologies can play a privileged role in optimizing the training of industrial employees. We leave you some more:

• Security processes in sectors of special sensitivity, such as aeronautics. With virtual reality, the operator can detect failures or simply repeat and internalize protocols to apply in real situations.
• Emergency situations. You are never fully prepared for an extreme situation in which an immediate response is required. However, the fact that the person has practiced the procedures to be followed in a virtual environment can be a value that makes a difference.
• Works in extreme conditions. Facing a hostile or challenging environment is easier when it has been experienced before, even if it is through virtual reality. Workers who must perform, for example, at great heights or in confined spaces, will gain confidence by practicing in simulated environments.
• Assembly and disassembly processes. The opportunity to carry out complex operations with advanced machinery through 3D models is a key element for the effective training of operators who will need to repeat these procedures quickly and efficiently.

Virtual and augmented reality, affordable and scalable

Thanks to digital training and assistance platforms with immersive technologies such as Skylife Infinity, training and training solutions in virtual and augmented reality are much closer to all kinds of industries. Once the training has been set up, it can be used as many times as desired, and with as many people as necessary. The constant presence and in person of an instructor or person responsible for the training will not be necessary either. It is, therefore, an extremely profitable tool that optimizes resources, time and money, improving the competitiveness of the company, the return on investment and the safety of its employees.