Industrial manufacturers have long led the way in adopting augmented reality (AR) solutions, with engineers and service technicians leveraging wearables to access information hands-free. But extended reality (XR), the catch-all phrase for augmented reality (AR), virtual reality and mixed reality (MR), is emerging in retail, consumer packaged goods and other sectors as a tool to freshen up the customer experience and train employees.
AR and VR both leverage digital information, but use different interfaces. AR solutions include software on smartphones or heads-up displays, such as smartglasses, to overlay digital information, including images and text, atop physical objects in the real world.
