Metaversas: Vieninga Virtualioji Realybė - www.Kristalai.eu

Metavers: a united virtual reality

The concept of the metaverse has captured the imagination of technologists, futurists, and the general public. Envisioned as a collective virtual shared space, the metaverse represents the merging of physical and digital realities into a unified, immersive environment where users can interact with each other and digital objects in real time. This article analyzes the concept of the metaverse, exploring its origins, enabling technologies, current developments, potential applications, challenges, and future prospects.

Understanding the Metaverse

The metaverse is a term used to describe a persistent, online, three-dimensional universe that connects multiple virtual spaces. It can be considered a future iteration of the Internet, supporting decentralized, persistent online 3D virtual environments where users can participate in a variety of activities that mirror or extend real-life experiences.

Concepts Carpet

  • Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson: The term "metaverse" was coined in this science fiction novel, which depicts a virtual reality-based internet-based world where characters interact in a shared space.
  • Ernest Cline in Ready Player One (2011): He further popularized the concept by depicting a vast virtual universe called the OASIS, where people escape from a dystopian reality.

Main Features

  • Permanent Ability: The metaverse continues even when users are not logged in.
  • Real-Time Interactivity: Users experience the metaverse synchronously, with immediate responses to actions.
  • User Creation Content: Participants can create, own, and earn from digital assets.
  • Interoperability: Smooth movement of users and assets between different virtual spaces.
  • Economy: A functioning virtual economy, often using digital currencies and NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens).

Technologies Enabling the Metaverse

Hardware Components

  • Display Devices
    • Smartphones and Tablets: Equipped with cameras and sensors, they are the most accessible AR platforms.
    • AR Glasses and Headsets: Devices like Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens, and Magic Leap One provide hands-free AR and MR experiences.
  • Sensors and Cameras
    • Depth Sensors: Measures the distance to objects, allowing devices to understand spatial relationships.
    • Motion Tracking Devices: Detects user movements to adjust the pasted content accordingly.
  • Processors and GPUs
    • High-performance CPUs and GPUs: Required for displaying complex graphs and processing large amounts of data in real time.

Software Components

  • VR Engines and Platforms
    • Software Development Kits (SDKs): Tools provided by hardware manufacturers for developing VR applications.
    • Game Engines: Platforms like Unity and Unreal Engine support VR development by offering tools for rendering, physics, and interaction.
  • Computer Vision and Machine Learning
    • Object Recognition: Allows applications to recognize and interact with real-world objects.
    • Spatial Mapping: Creates a digital map of the physical environment for the precise location of virtual objects.

Metaverse Applications in Gaming

  • User Applications
    • Games
      • Pokémon GO: An important AR game that overlays virtual creatures onto real locations, encouraging physical exploration.
      • Harry Potter: Wizards Unite: Similar to Pokémon GO, bringing the wizarding world into the real world.
    • Social Media Filters
      • Snapchat Lenses and Instagram Filters: Uses facial recognition to overlay digital effects onto users' faces in real time.
    • Navigation
      • AR Directional Tools: Apps like Google Maps offer AR walking directions by overlaying navigation instructions onto the real world via a smartphone camera.
    • Retail and E-commerce
      • Virtual Trials: Brands like IKEA and Sephora allow customers to visualize furniture in their home or makeup on their face before they buy.
  • Business Applications
    • Production and Maintenance
      • Driver's Manual: Workers use AR glasses to receive step-by-step instructions superimposed on the machine.
      • Remote Assistance: Technicians can collaborate with experts who can annotate their image in real time.
    • Health Care
      • Surgical Visualization: Surgeons are using AR to overlay images of a patient onto the body during surgery.
      • Medical Training: AR provides interactive simulations for medical students.
    • Education
      • Interactive Learning: Books and educational apps use AR to make biology and history topics come alive and engaging.
      • Special Training: AR tools help students with learning disabilities through immersive, multi-level experiences.

Metaverse Applications in Therapy

  • VR Psychological Therapy
    • Exposure Therapy: VR allows patients to face their fears in a controlled, safe environment.
    • Phobias: Treatment of fears of heights, flying, or spiders through gradual exposure.
    • PTSD: Helps veterans and trauma survivors process traumatic events.
  • Pain Management and Rehabilitation
    • Distraction Techniques: VR can distract patients from pain during medical procedures or chronic pain episodes.
    • Physical Therapy: Game-based VR exercise systems promote movement and adherence to rehabilitation programs.
  • Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies
    • Social Skills Training: VR environments provide a safe space for individuals with social anxiety or autism to practice interactions.
    • Addiction Treatment: Simulations help patients develop coping strategies when faced with disruptions in a controlled environment.

Challenges and Limitations

Despite its potential, VR faces several challenges.

  • Technical Challenges
    • Motion Sickness: Discrepancies between visual input and physical movement can cause discomfort.
    • Resolution and Delay: High-quality graphics and low latency are essential for immersion, but require a lot of processing power.
    • Content Creation: Creating immersive VR content requires a lot of resources.
  • Availability and Price
    • High Entry Costs: Quality VR systems can be expensive, limiting accessibility.
    • Physical Space Requirements: Some VR settings require enough space for movement.
    • User Friendly Interfaces: The complexity may put off non-technical users.
  • Health and Safety Issues
    • Eye Fatigue: Prolonged use may cause eye fatigue.
    • Physical Injuries: Users may mistake objects or trip if boundaries are not set properly.
    • Privacy Questions: Data collected by VR devices can raise privacy concerns.
  • Ethical Issues
    • Digital Difference: Unequal access to AR/MR technologies can widen the gap in society.
    • Content Authenticity: Difficulty distinguishing between real and virtual elements can lead to misperception of information.
  • Environmental Impact
    • Resource Usage: The production of AR/MR devices consumes raw materials and energy.
    • Electronic Waste Quantity: Short product life spans contribute to e-waste problems.

Future Trends and Development

The future of the metaverse is promising, with several trends shaping its trajectory.

  • Integration with Augmented Reality (AR)
    • Mixed Reality (MR): Combining VR and AR, allowing you to overlay virtual elements onto the real world.
    • Business Applications: MR can improve workflow in industries such as manufacturing and design.
  • Social VR and Collaboration
    • Virtual Meetings: VR provides an immersive environment for remote collaboration.
    • Virtual Events: Conferences and social gatherings are taking place in virtual spaces.
  • Potential for Further Adaptation
    • Retail and E-commerce: Virtual stores and try out shopping experiences.
    • Architecture and Real Estate Sector: Virtual tour and design visualization.
    • Entertainment and Wood: VR films and interactive storytelling.

Functional Blending of Physical and Digital Worlds

  • Spatial Fixation
    • Definition: The process by which virtual objects are attached to specific locations in the physical world.
    • Impact: Ensures consistency of AR/MR experiences across devices and users.
  • Interaction Modalities
    • Gesture Recognition: Users interact with digital content with natural hand movements.
    • Vowel Commands: The devices respond to verbal commands, improving hands-free operation.
    • Eye Tracking: User viewing is tracked to adjust the focus of digital content.
  • Real-Time Data Integration
    • Internet of Things (IoT): AR/MR devices display data from connected devices, such as sensor readings or machine status.
    • Big Data Visualization: Complex data sets are displayed in intuitive, visual formats in a user-friendly environment.

Emerging Applications

  • Personal Marketing
    • Contextual Advertising: AR glasses display personalized advertisements based on the user's environment and preferences.
    • Virtual Stores: Customers can interact with products in AR before purchasing.
  • Environmental Protection
    • Animal Observation: AR helps monitor and study animal populations.
    • Public Awareness: Interactive AR experiences educate the public about environmental issues.
  • Healthcare Advances
    • Telemedicine: Doctors are using AR to guide patients remotely by overlaying instructions onto an image of the patient.
    • Rehabilitation: MR environments assist physical therapy by providing engaging, adaptable exercises.

Metaverse technologies are transforming the way we interact with the world, seamlessly blending digital content with the physical environment. Their applications span many industries, delivering innovative solutions that improve productivity, learning, communication, and entertainment. While the potential impacts are profound, it is important to address challenges related to privacy, health, and ethics to ensure that these technologies benefit society as a whole. As AR and MR continue to evolve, they hold the promise of transforming our perception of reality and opening up new dimensions of human potential.

Links

  • Stephenson, N. (1992). Snow Crash. Bantam Books.
  • Cline, E. (2011). Ready Player OneRandom House.
  • Ball, M. (2020). The Metaverse: What It Is, Where to Find it, and Who Will Build It. MatthewBall.vc.
  • Zuckerberg, M. (2021). Founder's Letter, 2021Year.
  • Dionisio, JDN, Burns III, WG, & Gilbert, R. (2013). 3D Virtual Worlds and the Metaverse: Current Status and Future Possibilities. ACM Computing Surveys, 45(3), 1–38.
  • Mystakidis, S. (2022). Metaverse. Encyclopedia, 2(1), 486–497.
  • Lee, L.-H., et al. (2021). A Metaverse: Taxonomy, Components, Applications, and Open Challenges. IEEE Access, 10, 4209–4251.
  • Noor, K. (2019). Potential of Metaverse in Workplace: Optimizing the Virtual Proximity in Organizational Collaboration. International Journal of Advanced Trends in Computer Science and Engineering, 8(1), 260–267.
  • Jeon, D., et al. (2021). The Rise of Metaverse and Its Economic Impact. Journal of Metaverse, 1(1), 1–9.
  • Gartner. (2021). Gartner Predicts 25% of People Will Spend At Least One Hour Per Day in the Metaverse by 2026. Gartner Press Release.
  • IEEE Standards Association. (2021). P2048 - Standard for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality: Definitions and Terminology.
  • Castronova, E. (2005). Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games. University of Chicago Press.
  • Wang, F.Y., et al. (2022). What Is Metaverse: Definitions, Framework, and Key Characteristics. IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, 9(5), 2031–2042.
  • Marr, B. (2021). The Metaverse: What It Is, Where to Find it, and Why It Matters to You. Wiley.
  • Li, B., et al. (2017). Crowdsourced Exploration of the Urban Metaverse. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 23(6), 1606–1616.

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