SAN DIEGO, CA — GCN.com reports the military has been developing and using both virtual and augmented reality applications for battlefield training, helping soldiers better communicate with bomb-sniffing dogs and treating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Now, one laboratory is seeking to merge the capabilities of augmented and virtual reality.

Augmented reality superimposes images on the user’s true physical surroundings, while virtual reality fully immerses the user in a simulated environment.  When these technologies converge, users can easily jump between states of virtuality in what is called mixed reality, or MxR.

Through the Battlespace Exploitation of Mixed Reality Lab, the Office of Naval Research intends to advance affordable virtual training, data assessment, firing of weapons and basic operations concepts. Located at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific. BEMR is designed to showcase and demonstrate cutting-edge, low-cost commercial mixed reality, virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. It also provides a facility where warfighters, researchers, government, industry and academia can collaborate.

Watch BEMR video now on ► PTTV