Metaverse Abstract
The Metaverse is a world of virtual or digital reality that we access through special devices such as augmented reality glasses and that allow us to interact with other users and elements of the environment, although platforms have been created that do not need these devices to allow his access to the Metaverse.
This seeks to be a kind of alternative reality, a parallel universe in which we can do the same things we do in our day to day, such as work, socialize, travel, but without moving from our room.
The Metaverse may offer us the next great evolutionary leap of the Internet or
it might not develop as much as expected. It's still very early days, and companies like Facebook are only beginning to create the infrastructures and early concepts that lead to a future where there are devices capable of taking us there. Therefore, it is more of a concept, a blank canvas, than a reality that we can connect to today.
What is Metaverse?
Virtual worlds are nothing new, and there are plenty of them, especially in the video game industry. You create a character or avatar, and you enter that world to live adventures through your computer. However, the metaverse does not seek to be a fantasy world, but rather a kind of alternate reality in which we can do the same things we do today outside the home, but without leaving the room.
The term metaverse comes from a 1992 novel called 'Snow Crash' , and is a term that has settled to describe visions of three-dimensional or virtual workspaces . This metaverse, therefore, means a virtual world in which we can interact, and which has been created to resemble an external reality.
As for the precise concept of the metaverse that Facebook and other companies are betting on. The idea would be to create a parallel and completely virtual universe, which we can access with virtual reality and augmented reality devices , so that we can interact with each other within it, and from the outside with the content we have inside.
The key to this metaverse is that it can be fully immersive , or at least much more so than current virtual reality is. Yes, we will have glasses that are possibly similar to the current ones to immerse ourselves in it, but also sensors that record our physical movements so that our avatar within that metaverse does exactly the same.
Even the devices we use can interpret our facial expressions so that our avatar in the metaverse can recreate us, so that the rest of the people with whom we are interacting can understand how we feel. Come on, body language is also part of these virtual interactions.
History of Metaverse
We are not exactly clear about the origin of the metaverse, but what we can know is when people started talking about it. The first references to the metaverse appear in a novel by Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash (1992).
The novel tells the story of Hiroaki Hiro Protagonist , a pizza delivery boy in the real world, but warrior prince (samurai) in the Metaverse. Given a moment, Hiro discovers the existence of a powerful computer virus in the Metaverse, called Snow Crash , and the discovery of more about this virus will be the central axis of the plot.
What is relevant about this book is that Neal created the first written reference to a completely virtual world long before cyberspace could be spoken of. In his book Neal introduces the idea of avatars (or virtual characters of real people in the tangible world).
When will the metaverse be real?
Currently, the metaverse is just a concept that is beginning to be built. The Meta company, formerly known as Facebook, has presented the idea and announces heavy investments to make it real. But it remains to be seen if other companies join in the effort to create the technologies that make it possible.
Because we still do not have the technologies that can make that concept real . We don't have virtual reality devices that actually make us move like we're inside that universe realistically. The entire infrastructure is also missing in terms of design. It is a universe that wants to be created, but it still does not have regions, streets or anything, only some virtual rooms that are being used for the first tests.
Over the next few years we will see how new devices are being launched that seek to connect us with this new virtual reality. The idea is that in the future they will be very complete and affordable, but until that is real, they may still not allow great interactions and will be quite expensive.
Therefore, we are still a long way from being able to all connect to a metaverse in which to interact. We still need to develop that virtual universe, and also develop the technology that makes it possible for us to connect to it. It is also necessary to make, where it exists, that technology affordable for all.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is the term used to describe the set of technologies that allow a user to visualize part of the real world through a technological device with graphic information added by it.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the combination of algorithms proposed with the purpose of creating machines that have the same capabilities as the human being.
Virtual Avatar
It is a virtual representation of real people. They can be creative and fundamentally different from us, or they can try to be as similar as possible, creating an almost identical representation.
Conclusions
The Metaverse will give rise to the generation of millions of data in real time, since the technology that accompanies it offers companies enormous possibilities to sell products and services in various markets, both vertical and horizontal. This will add value to companies that use the Metaverse as a new business channel.
Many of the challenges are unknown for an already advanced era. It is necessary to face them from innovative angles, where we understand that the already established models are going to have changes and we will have to adjust.
Although we cannot imagine the full range of benefits or risks that will arise, it is clear that we are about to launch into a fascinating new dimension of the human experience.
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