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Activity 8: Mixed Reality

Objectives:

  • Identify aspects of mixed reality
  • Explain the advantages of mixed reality
  • Compare and contrast mixed reality to virtual reality

This activity will have you take turns putting on the VR headset and reporting your findings to the rest of your team. The rest of the team will ask questions and guide you through the activity.

Team Members:

Getting Started

Have one person wear the headset and hold the controllers. Make sure you recenter the view by holding the Oculus () button on the right controller (the one that looks like a horizontal oval).

Tip

Every time someone else puts on the headset, you should reset the view by holding the Oculus () button.

Important: You will need to set up a room boundary for today's apps.

Cast the headset view

Follow the instructions from the streaming activity to cast the headset view.

Read the instructions to the person wearing the headset and answer the questions:

Part 1: Interaction Demo

Open the app menu, then at the top, click the dropdown next to the search bar and find "Unknown Sources". Launch the MRTK-Passthrough app. If you don't see it, it may be installed under "Work Apps" or a similar menu.

Take a look around.

  • What is different about the environment compared to other VR apps?

You should see a grayscale version of the real world instead of a virtual world! This is called "passthrough", since it is like your vision "passes through" the headset. The virtual objects are superimposed onto your view of the real world.

Turn off the controllers by tapping them together and then placing them on the table.

Start with the "Hand Interaction Examples". Now, try interacting with the various objects and menus.

  • Why do you think they used hand interaction for mixed reality?

  • Is there anything strange you notice about your hands or the world around you?

Since the headset doesn't have two cameras directly where your eyes are, it is using the four tracking cameras to estimate what you would see from your perspective. This means that the depth may appear off, or there may be artifacts/distortion (especially for close objects).

In addition, you may have noticed that your hand appears behind the virtual content. This is because it does not properly occlude objects in the virtual world.

Now, have your teammates try out the different demos and experience mixed reality for themselves.

  • Any other comments about this demo?

Part 2: Mixed Reality Games

Open the universal menu by pressing the Oculus () button or looking at your right hand and making an "OK" sign.

Open the app menu, navigate back to "All" apps and launch Meadow.

Important: First, the game will ask you to map out the room. Use the controllers to denote the corners of the room. Optionally, map out one of the tables in the room too. When you are done, the game will ask you to put the controllers down.

Play around with this game for a bit. The goal is to combine plants and grow a meadow in the room.

  • Anything different about the interactions in this app?

  • How well integrated are the virtual objects with the real world?

Now open the universal menu by pressing the Oculus () button or looking at your right hand and making an "OK" sign.

Open the app menu, navigate back to "All" apps and launch Bewilderness.

  • Do you think this app needs to be in mixed reality? Why or why not?

Have your teammates try out the two experiences and then discuss:

  • Can you think of any advantages that VR would have over MR? MR over VR?

Submission

Click the Export as PDF button to create a PDF of your answers. Have one person upload it to Gradescope. After the PDF is uploaded, click the "View or edit group" link in the upper-right and add your teammates in the Gradescope assignment.