Beyond Reality: How AR and VR Are Expanding into the Real World

Oct 22

2 min read

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A flat style digital illustration showing a surgeon wearing a virtual reality headset looking at a 3D model of the human body with a red mark indicating the area with an issue. There is also a woman wearing a virtual reality headset with a 3D cube at the tip of her finger. The image also depicts a woman with a virtual reality headset next to a classroom blackboard with a right-angled triangle, with sides labelled A and C. The title “Beyond Reality” appears above the design. — How will VR and AR augment our lives?

Virtual and augmented reality technologies are evolving far beyond entertainment. From operating rooms to classrooms and live sports broadcasts, the immersive tech once reserved for gamers is now being integrated into serious, real-world applications, showing how the digital and physical worlds are beginning to merge.

Real-World Use Cases

Surgical Precision with AR and VR:
At SSG Hospital in Vadodara, doctors used Meta VR headsets during a breast-cancer surgery. A 3D anatomical model was projected into the theatre, allowing surgeons to precisely locate a small clip marking the tumour site. This marks a milestone for VR/AR in medical settings, one supporting real-time, high-stakes decisions with improved accuracy.
Smarter, Smaller Interfaces:
The picoRing, a 5 g “smart ring” from the University of Tokyo, demonstrates a leap forward in wearable input design. Using semi-passive inductive telemetry, it enables gesture and contact-based interaction within AR/VR environments without bulky controllers or gloves.
VR Enters the Living Room:
At Meta’s Connect 2025, the company revealed Horizon TV. Meta’s own virtual entertainment hub within its VR ecosystem. The goal being to attract users beyond gaming by turning the headset into a full-fledged entertainment interface.
Augmented Sports Broadcasting:
Vizrt’s “Viz Arena 6” introduces an AI-enhanced AR system for live sports, overlaying real-time graphics and virtual ads seamlessly during broadcasts.
Immersive Education in India:
In Tambaram, India, municipal schools are integrating AR/VR smart classrooms, deploying 30 VR headsets and AR-aligned content across the curriculum. This marks one of the first municipal-level education rollouts using immersive tech in India.

Emerging Trends & Tech Directions

Mixed Reality (MR): The line between AR and VR is blurring, as new devices feature passthrough and transparent overlays that blend virtual objects with the real world.
Input & Interaction: Innovations like smart rings, haptic gloves, and body tracking via mmWave radar are making immersive experiences more intuitive.
Display & Optics Advances: Next-gen AR glasses now offer brighter, wider field-of-view visuals thanks to micro-LED and waveguide optics.
Commercial Integration: Enterprises are adopting AR/VR for training, surgery, live media, and education, which shows that immersive tech is becoming more of a tool and less of just a toy.
Platform Expansion: Major tech firms are building new ecosystems (like Android XR), signalling long-term investment and infrastructure for spatial computing.

A Whole New Reality

As AR and VR expand into healthcare, education, and enterprise, the technologies are shedding their reputation as niche tools. Advances in interaction design, comfort, and display fidelity are lowering the barriers to everyday use.

In regions where education and healthcare can benefit from immersive, remote solutions, these developments could help bridge critical access gaps and lead us to a whole new reality.