Through its contribution to the visualisation of large amounts of information, edutainment and learning by doing, it could also revolutionise education and training. There are still a number of key technical issues to resolve before reliable and acceptable MR systems can be deployed. The integration of mobility, real-virtual visualisation aspects and communications is one of the keys. The development of light and non-intrusive sensors and displays is another. Analysis, understanding and tracking are paramount.
More work is needed on human factors aspects.
Once these problems are overcome, a technology such as MR is likely to lead to the creation of completely new markets . In some manufacturing industries, it has the potential to be the next wave of innovation following CAD and robotics. In the media area, MR will be very appealing to service providers in need of differentiation and to operators in need of bandwidth-hungry applications. MR is also likely to be an integral part of the next generations of interactive TV, a mixture of broadcasting and Internet services. By making it easier to find, use and share information, and by offering new, attractive service options, these technologies will provide fuel for the digital economy and help it achieve a sustained growth.