What is the “Metaverse”?
We all spend a good amount of our time on the internet everyday be it watching videos on YouTube or browsing social media. As of 2022, 69% of world’s population uses the internet. Now imagine if this invisible network of data becomes something you can see and interact with, Instead of just watching your friends’ pictures on Instagram you can interact with them real-time. Instead of just watching through a screen you can immerse yourself in the environment for the most realism, this is where the metaverse comes in – but what even is metaverse? The term Metaverse was coined by writer Neil Stevenson in 1992 in his science novel “Snow crash”, Stevenson described the metaverse in his novel as a vast Digital universe that exists alongside the actual world. The metaverse is a virtual reality environment where users can communicate with a computer-generated environment and other participants. In the long run it will essentially act as a 3D version of the internet.
Metaverse is rapidly expanding, you can see ultra fast internet connections , virtual reality headgear and permanent always-on online worlds are already operational. Crypto currency, virtual reality hardware and NFT are a part of metaverse. The gaming world has already embraced metaverse. Metaverse will elevate the virtual reality experience to a new level, allowing players to float into the virtual world to do anything and everything from hosting parties to getting married.
The metaverse is further being developed using mixed reality technology which blends with Virtual reality and Augmented reality with the elements of touch and smell being a part of the metaverse experience the immersion is further enhanced by haptic feedback. The concept of metaverse has benefited from the introduction of VR devices like Oculus and HTC Vive games made specifically for VR headsets are extremely profitable. AR uses this technology to improve the user’s sense of reality.
The ability to interact physically with people thousands of miles away without investing in travel costs will be beneficial. Students in schools can put their ideas test without having to subject themselves to risks associated. Medical professionals will be able to assist even perform surgeries from other end of the world. Introduction of Crypto currency and NFT into metaverse further strengthens the digital world. Similar minded people can connect, exchange thoughts help in each others growth. The concept of the metaverse has also been used to describe a future where people may spend a significant amount of their time in virtual environments, interacting with other people and virtual objects as if they were in the physical world.
While the metaverse has indeed become a reality, it has only become possible due to certain technologies. So, we’ll take you through 7 key technologies that are powering the metaverse.
- Artificial Intelligence – Artificial Intelligence has almost become an inevitable part of every facet of our lives. It will help with faster processing of data, making avatars, can be used for non-player characters for gaming modules. NPCs exist in almost all games and are generally designed to respond to the actions of the players.
- Internet of Things – IoT basically refers to a system that takes every element of our physical world and connects them to the internet through sensors and devices. This will help in seamlessly connecting the internet with real physical world.
- Extended Reality – Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality play a vital role in making metaverse and enthralling experience. They help create immersive and engaging three dimensional environments for the metaverse. The combination of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies is likely to create a more realistic metaverse and bring in massive investments from various companies.
- Cryptocurrency – Cryptocurrency is one of the primary technologies that are used in the metaverse. The platforms on metaverse only accept cryptocurrencies. So, users have to exchange their real world currencies to crypto before they can use it to carry out any transaction. It can be used to purchase resources such as NFTs, digital real estate and to make in-game purchases.
- 3D Modelling – 3D technology is not a new technology, it helps to capture the shape, size and appearance of real time object and make it a metaverse reality. One of the primary challenges of the Metaverse is to create an environment that closely represents the real world.
- Spatial and Edge Computing – Edge Computing is one of the primary factors that have enabled metaverse to be viable as computers need to be able to handle the intense stimulations with efficiency to reduce lag and ensure that the users have an immersive and unhindered gaming experience. Spatial Computing is very relevant to metaverse for computer vision.
- Blockchain – Blockchain technology forms the bedrock of the metaverse as most of the applications run on blockchains. It basically provides a decentralization and transparency that is necessary for the functioning of the metaverse. Blockchain Technology helps developers integrate several functions in the metaverse such as digital ownership verification, value transfer, governance, digital collectability, accessibility and interoperability.
Metaverse has become a reality and is growing at a tremendous rate.