Today, in our daily life, we hear many words like IoT (Internet of things), VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, etc. We don’t see them anymore as a buzzword. But whole new dimensions have been unfolded in the form of Metaverse combining all existing cutting-edge technology.
Suppose, in the morning, you and your family want to be together for breakfast but due to physical separation, it is not possible. If a digital platform is created where you all can behave as per your identity, you will feel gratified and happy in the virtual world. Metaverse is such a type of reality or illusion of virtual identity.
On Tuesday, Meta (Facebook’s Parent Company) said that it will provide $1 million to the industry association FICCI(India) to assist the XR Open Source (XROS) fellowship program, which will aid 100 Indian developers working on XR (extended reality) technologies for the metaverse’s future.
Last year, Meta announced a three-year collaboration with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to provide immersive technology to over 10 million students and 1 million educators.
Let’s Understand its intricacies.
What Is Metaverse?
The phrase “metaverse” is used first time in 1992 by American science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his book “Snow Crash” which depicts a dystopian future where wealthy individuals escape into a different connected, 3D reality.
The term “metaverse” refers to a technological hybrid that combines virtual reality and augmented reality, to let people “live” in an environment that has been upgraded digitally. In a general way, it is a digital virtual universe where a person can create and recreate his digital identity as an avatar (reincarnation).
The popularity of Roblox and Fornite, as well as other platforms and apps such as Minecraft and Snapchat, has accelerated speculations about the metaverse’s impending arrival (in some tech and gaming circles, at least). However, it was Facebook’s 2021 rebranding to Meta that propelled the concept of the metaverse into the wider public consciousness.
Since the period of Advaita Vedanta’s non-dualism (Ancient Indian Philosophy), philosophers have been in search of the idea of multiple universes and the inherent illusion of our physical realm.
Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality
Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer modeling and simulation to allow a person to interact with a virtual three-dimensional (3-D) visual or sensory world, such as “World of Warcraft-style video games.”
Augmented Reality (AR) is a technologically augmented version of the real world that uses digital visual components, sound, or other sensory stimulation. Take the video game Pokémon Go, for instance.
While a combination of the physical and digital worlds, Mixed Reality(MR) enables 3D interactions between people, machines, and the environment that are both natural and intuitive. Virtual beauty applications, virtual furniture fitting, and Instagram or Snapchat filters are a few examples of mixed reality.
All above are integrated into Metaverse.
The Working Of Metaverse
Metaverse is a digital platform or a network of the 3D virtual world focused on social connections created by using cryptography, metadata, artificial intelligence, etc. The individual is given a digital identity based on sense, AI, IoT, behavior, nudge, etc. On this platform, then they behave like a real person.
In simple terms, it blurs the distinction between real and virtual life. You can enter, live, and interact in this virtual world or environment using virtual and augmented reality headsets or glasses. To encourage user interaction, it might include social media, online gaming, and cryptocurrencies.
OpenXR is an open standard for gaining access to equipment and experiences for virtual and augmented reality. Microsoft for HoloLens 2, Meta Platforms for the Oculus Quest, HTC for the HTC Vive, Qualcomm for the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform, and Valve for SteamVR have all adopted it.
Also Read : The Metaverse Matters: How This New World Could Affect Your Life
Application Of Metaverse: Incarnation, Entertainment, Business, Service
The metaverse concept is seen in many applications from gaming to business development, from education to security, and from entertainment to the service platform.
- Metaverse augmented with Gaming: Gaming always had an interest in adding technological aspects. Creating behaviors and communities are on top of the fundamental gameplay in games like Animal Crossing and Minecraft where players have transformed them into metaverses. Concerts and parties are included in gaming like Roblox and Fortnite. Three-dimensional worlds with immersive navigation and fresh interactions are the foundation of multiplayer games.
- Metaverse as a Service (MaaS): It is a pre-configured environment with well-defined use cases, and a plug-and-play solution that enables users to get a feel for the technology, comprehend its potential, and launch a well-planned, strategic roll-out. MaaS gives companies the ability to customize metaverse settings based on clearly defined business objectives that result in high-impact solutions.
- Metaverse for business development: TardiVerse is a Chennai-based start-up that used to plan metaverse weddings. This business scope was seen recently as the first Indian couple wedding in a 3D virtual world by Dinesh S.P. and Janaganandhini Ramaswamy. Apart from digital weddings, there is scope for tokenization and virtualization of assets as metaverse provides a platform for shared and comprehensive virtualization of all assets. Even as a gig economy, metaverse provides an opportunity to bring time and mind and get paid from home. Gig workers or freelancers can teleoperate in a virtual one.
- Metaverse for security: INTERPOL unveiled the first police metaverse created particularly for law enforcement agencies worldwide. Registered users of the INTERPOL metaverse can take virtual tours of the organization’s general secretariat offices in Lyon, France, communicate with other law enforcement personnel using avatars, and enroll in forensic investigation and other policing-related courses.
Augmented Opportunity And The Related Concern
Opportunity, many times comes with concern, crises, and challenges. Metaverse also put a question on its various aspects. The difficult question lies in its ethics or ethical practices, equity, and privacy.
In this 4th Industrial era, the world is going toward Digitalization. Now, the reality is becoming virtual, and virtual is becoming reality. AI, IoT, and Metaverse are the product of the digital revolution but it also poses a threat to identity, ethics, security, and privacy through 3C (consumerism, commercialization, and commodification).
Metaverse technologies, however, promise to usher in a new era of interaction between the real and virtual worlds, bringing with them fresh new possibilities and commercialization strategies. According to analysts, 25% of individuals will use a metaverse at least once a day by 2026 for social networking, work, education, shopping, and/or leisure.
Vedanta philosophy says when Atma adopts a psychological persona-self, it is called ahankara (pseudo-ego) and promotes detachment and Metaverse appears to be close to this ancient Indian philosophy, which is a matter of concern. Metaverse in which virtual identity gets assets digitization puts a question on the notion of the detachment of material things and the world. That’s why we need to think. Is reality real or Is virtuality virtual?
In Brief,
The metaverse is yet to be fully realized and presently exists in its budding stage. Multiple cutting-edge technologies that promise the next level of interactions between the virtual and real worlds make up a metaverse today.
A metaverse is neither device-independent nor held by a single entity. It is a stand-alone virtual economy made possible by NFTs and digital currencies.
Opportunities are appearing quickly, but businesses should exercise caution when making investments in a given metaverse because it is still too early to tell which will be sustainable in the long run.
The Author Angad Kumar Sharma is a Ph.D Scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Roorkee.
(Only the media and headline of this content have been reworked by the Metaviews team)
Really a great piece of work