Artificial Reality vs. Virtual Reality: What’s the Difference?

Key takeaways

Artificial reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are immersive technologies that interact with the physical world. 

• AR uses special glasses or smartphones to enhance the real world by blending digital elements with physical surroundings. Benefits include creating realistic simulations, enhancing physical interactions, and integrating real-time data for engaging experiences.

• VR replaces the physical world with an entirely simulated experience accessed through special headsets. It offers various advantages, including enhancing motivation, reducing feelings of social isolation, and delivering innovative entertainment experiences. 

• You can see AR in action across various industries, including in training programs for health care professionals, immersive learning experiences in educational institutions, and interactive navigational maps. You can also find examples of VR in health care settings, gaming, and architectural design. 

Explore the differences between artificial reality and virtual reality, their applications, and how they can benefit you. Then, consider enrolling in the University of London’s Virtual Reality Specialization to continue learning about the technology. This five-course series can help you better understand VR, including its hardware, applications, and challenges. You'll have an opportunity to learn more about 3D graphics, VR interactions, and design. You'll also have a chance to create your own VR project and earn a shareable certificate to boost your LinkedIn profile and your resume. 

Artificial reality vs. virtual reality: What is the difference between AR and VR?

Artificial reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are immersive technologies, but they interact with the real world differently. AR enhances your physical environment by overlaying digital elements, while VR replaces it entirely with a fully simulated experience.

You can access AR through AR glasses or smartphones, which blend digital content with real-world surroundings. In contrast, VR requires headsets and controllers to transport users into a completely digital space.

Artificial reality

Artificial reality, also known as , is an enhanced version of the real world with digital elements such as images, sounds, and other sensory elements perceived through the use of technology.

AR works in real-time to add digital elements to your field of view by tracking the physical objects around you. AR software scans and processes your environment, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to connect the physical object to a digital object in a database. Using this process, the tool can identify and augment objects and environments. 

After gathering information about your physical environment, the AR software displays images on your AR-enabled device. You can then follow instructions from the AR device to interact with the digital elements. Snapchat filters are a great example of AR: They can overlay images and digital elements onto an environment or person in real-time. 

What is artificial reality used for?

AR has various use cases. Some applications include health care, education, and navigation. 

• Health care: Health care professionals are leveraging AR for medical training and surgical planning. Surgeons can overlay patient data, anatomy models, and surgical guidance onto patients and their work environment during procedures, improving accuracy and recovery results. 

• Educational institutions: This industry uses AR to create interactive learning experiences, allowing learners to engage with 3D models and scientific simulations integrated into their physical environment.

• Navigation: AR enhances navigation apps by overlaying directions and contextual information onto the screen to help users navigate their environment. 

Advantages of artificial reality

AR can enhance interactions with the physical environment for those with disabilities, create accurate training and simulations, and enable real-time data integration. 

• Enhanced interactions: While AR can enhance everyone's interactions with the physical environment, it can also benefit those with disabilities. AR can increase disabled individuals' independence by helping them navigate a building, identify objects, and more. 

• Precise training and simulations: AR creates realistic simulations of workplace conditions, enabling workers to develop and refine practical skills required for their position. This could apply to teachers, soldiers, police officers, and others who want to practice and perfect new skills before using them in real situations. 

• Real-time data integration: AR can add visual elements to your physical environment in real-time, creating a more engaging experience. The medical industry has used AR to overlay digital elements onto medical imaging studies to help physicians with patient diagnosis and treatment.

Disadvantages of artificial reality

While AR has many advantages, it also has a variety of disadvantages, including the potential for data leakage, and scalability and latency issues. 

• Data leakage: AR can face challenges with data when trying to ensure its protection from unauthorized access.

• Scalability: Organizations must keep up with technological advancements within AR and consistently update the technology, which can be costly. 

• Latency issues: Gathering information from tracking and imaging devices may be delayed due to slower processing times, which can be detrimental to your experience. 

Virtual reality

Virtual reality (VR) is a fully immersive computer-generated simulation of a digital world. VR utilizes headsets, computers, and sensors to interact with this environment. VR engages multiple senses, such as vision, hearing, and touch, to create an immersive experience that allows you to interact with virtual worlds. 

What is virtual reality used for?

Various companies utilize virtual reality for subjects such as therapy, gaming, and designing architecture. 

The health care industry is beginning to use VR for therapy and meditation. Therapists are incorporating VR into treatment to assist people who have PTSD. VR can simulate scenarios that enable patients to confront their triggers in a safe environment, facilitating trauma recovery. 

VR gaming systems generate realistic simulations that immerse the user in a virtual world. VR games utilize headsets that wrap around the user’s head, including a screen around the eyes. 

Architects are beginning to utilize VR technologies when designing houses or buildings. VR enables architects to enhance collaboration, identify potential errors, and better understand spaces. 

Advantages of virtual reality

Some advantages of VR include increased motivation, reduced social isolation, and the development of innovative entertainment experiences. 

• Increased productivity and engagement: VR is beneficial for education because it can increase productivity and engagement in learners. Implementing VR in lessons can make subjects such as history and geography more exciting by immersing learners and teachers in the location they are learning about.

• Reduced social isolation: VR reduces social isolation for senior citizens in retirement homes by allowing them to connect with friends and family in distant locations. 

• Development of innovative experiences: VR is helping to develop innovative experiences within the entertainment industry, including in gaming, movies, and other types of media. VR gaming provides unique interactivity and immersion. Users can watch movies in a virtual cinema from their own home. 

Disadvantages of virtual reality

Disadvantages of VR include high expenses, potential for motion sickness, and isolation from the real world. 

• High expenses: VR systems are expensive to buy, making them inaccessible to most people.

• Motion sickness: Motion sickness is an undesirable side effect that may occur after prolonged use of VR. This “cybersickness” results from extended exposure to a virtual environment. It can manifest as headaches, vomiting, sweating, and fatigue. 

• Real-world isolation: VR can isolate users from the real world. For example, using VR as a substitute for real-world work environments may result in a lack of communication within the workplace, which could negatively impact workers' mental health. Social relationships with coworkers can combat workplace struggles, and studies have shown that workers may not communicate with each other as often as they would in person if their office were to move to a fully virtual environment. 

Read more: Extended reality vs. Virtual Reality: What’s the Difference?

Artificial reality vs. virtual reality vs. mixed reality

Mixed reality (MR) merges elements of AR and VR, allowing you to interact with digital content while remaining aware of your physical surroundings. Unlike AR, which overlays virtual objects onto the real world, or VR, which creates a fully immersive digital space, MR lets you manipulate and respond to digital and real-world elements in real-time.

In health care, MR is advancing medical imaging and surgical precision. For example, MR-powered X-ray technology can enable surgeons to view blood vessels and bones beneath a patient’s skin during surgery. This technology enhances diagnostics by transforming traditional scans into interactive models that provide more detailed insights.

If you work in manufacturing, education, or engineering, MR can enhance your interaction with digital and physical elements. Hands-free interfaces powered by MR have given frontline workers access to real-time data and interactive 3D overlays, improving efficiency and safety in industrial environments. In auto mechanics training simulations, learners can use MR to practice identifying issues and deciding how to fix them. Engineers and designers are integrating MR into prototyping and product development, using immersive digital modeling to refine products before the team begins physical production.

Explore our free tech resources

Keep up with emerging technologies like artificial reality and virtual reality, gain industry insights, and get tips you can use along your career path with a subscription to Career Chat. Then, consider checking out additional resources:

• Watch on YouTube: Frontier Technology: The Future Is Now—Are You Ready?

• Hear from an expert: AI Creativity Unleashed: Expert Insights from Vanderbilt’s Dr. Jules White

• Find your path: Career Aptitude Quiz

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