ABSTRACT
A revolutionary computer-generated environment called mixed reality (MR) combines the real and virtual worlds. The MR environment can be created using two rapidly developing technologies: augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), with varying degrees of awareness of reality. With the introduction of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in the manufacturing systems, AR and VR technologies have seen adoption in various stages of the product life cycle. AR can improve the manufacturing tasks such as quality inspection, assembly instructions, maintenance, and safety by enhancing reality with virtual aides. On the other hand, VR can be a beneficial technology for training activities. This chapter mainly focuses on different AR systems and their interaction modalities. Moreover, the chapter also covers system architectures for two different AR systems (handheld devices and head-mounted devices) and validates the architectures with relevant case studies. Finally, a brief description of the VR technology is presented with a relevant case study.
