The metaverse pushes the realm of technology to completely new levels; to be able to interact virtually with anyone around the world was always considered a great feat.
The Metaverse pushes this concept to a much higher level. Users can visit the Pyramids of Giza or attend a concert from the comfort of their homes. All of this is possible because of the metaverse.
But what kind of technology would one need to power such a concept? What makes the metaverse come to reality?
The metaverse and technology
The idea of a 3D virtual environment is known as the metaverse. There are virtual worlds there that you can explore with an avatar you make. You can engage in various activities in the metaverse, including gaming, shopping, hanging out with friends at a virtual coffee shop, working with coworkers in a virtual workplace, and much more. (1)
A few video games and social networking applications for the workplace have already included specific metaverse components in their ecosystems.
Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, and Decentraland have already included several metaverse components to bring many areas of our lives into virtual environments. The metaverse is still being developed, though. Nobody is certain if there will be a single, vast metaverse or a number of them that you may move between.
Virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, AR cloud, the Internet of Things (IoT), spatial technologies, head-mounted displays (HMDs), and 3D reconstruction must all work together to make a metaverse function. The metaverse will also require the support of software tools, apps, platforms, hardware, and user-generated content in addition to this cutting-edge technology. (2)
What powers the metaverse?
For a concept like a Metaverse to come to life, it would require various technologies; let us look at some of the most important ones.
Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
These days, we spend a lot of time staring at screens. Our lives now revolve mostly around computers, smartphones, and televisions; we use them to access social media, watch movies, and much more. Both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are emerging technologies that revolutionize how we interact with displays.
With virtual reality, you can explore a world created by a computer by donning headgear. On the other hand, augmented reality is a little different. Instead of taking you to a virtual environment, it uses a smartphone or clear visor to overlay digital visuals on the surroundings of the actual world. (3)
In augmented reality, a virtual environment is created to cohabit with the real world to provide users with more information about the real world without searching. Consider the Pokemon Go app, which enables users to use their cellphones to locate Pokémon anywhere in the world.
Virtual reality is a comprehensive environmental simulation that completely replaces the user's real world with a virtual one. These virtual worlds are wholly artificial. Hence they are frequently created to be larger than life. With virtual reality, a user may, for instance, play golf with a cartoon version of Tiger Woods.
An early metaverse concept can be seen in the functionality of AR and VR. A virtual reality environment that integrates fictional visual elements is already being created. As VR technology advances, it may be possible to add physical simulations using VR technology to the metaverse experience. Users can sense, hear, and communicate with individuals from many cultures. We may anticipate more metaverse enterprises investing in AR and VR technology development soon, given the buzz around the metaverse.
Artificial Intelligence
Building intelligent machines that can carry out tasks that traditionally require human intelligence is the focus of the broad field of artificial intelligence in computer science.
Machines with artificial intelligence can mimic mental capacities. AI is becoming increasingly prevalent in daily life, from the emergence of self-driving cars to the proliferation of smart assistants like Siri and Alexa. As a result, numerous IT firms from various sectors are investing in artificial intelligence technologies. (4)
Digital persons in the Metaverse are 3D chatbots that may reply to your activities in a virtual reality environment. They are non-playing characters (NPCs), as opposed to characters controlled by users or players whose responses and actions in a virtual world or game are predetermined by an automated script or set of rules.
Digital humans, a crucial component of the Metaverse's structure, are entirely created utilizing AI technology. In the VR workplace, digital persons can be NPCs or automated helpers.
AI can also analyze 2D user pictures or 3D scans to produce accurate and realistic avatars. AI has already been used extensively by businesses like Ready Player Me to assist in creating avatars for the Metaverse.
3D reconstruction
A computer can recreate an object in three dimensions (3D) using the 3D reconstruction technique. This can be carried out in various ways but typically uses input data like two-dimensional (2D) pictures or scanning of the actual thing.
The usage of 3D reconstruction has increased during the epidemic, particularly in the real estate sector, where lockdowns prohibited prospective purchasers from physically viewing houses. To create virtual property tours, certain agencies employed 3D reconstruction technology. Buyers might browse potential new homes from anywhere and make purchases without ever setting foot inside, much like the metaverse we anticipated. (5)
The future of the metaverse
Although the technologies being used to construct the metaverse are highly advanced and are led by the biggest companies in the world, the completion of the metaverse is still far in the future.
To create something like the Metaverse would be akin to creating a new world. If executed properly, the Metaverse will become the second planet for humans.
