Top 7 Technologies Powering the Metaverse

The metaverse is a concept of a 3D digital world. It consists of virtual spaces that you can explore using an avatar that you create. In the metaverse, you can play video games, go shopping, hang out with friends in a virtual coffee shop, work with your colleagues in a virtual office, and much more. Some video games and work socialization tools have already implemented certain elements of the metaverse in their ecosystems.

Cryptocurrency projects like Decentraland and The Sandbox already have their digital world up and running. However, the metaverse concept is relatively new, so most of its functionality is still under development. Companies like Facebook (now Meta), Microsoft and Nvidia have also started creating their versions of the metaverse.

To deliver an immersive virtual experience in the metaverse, technology companies are incorporating cutting-edge technologies to drive the development of the 3D world. Such technologies include blockchain, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), 3D reconstruction, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Introduction

Neal Stephenson conceived of the idea of ​​the metaverse in 1992. In his science fiction novel, "Snow Crash," he envisioned an online world where people could use digital avatars to explore and escape from the real world. Decades later, big tech companies have begun building their own versions of a futuristic metaverse. What is the metaverse and how are big companies addressing it on the tech front?

What is the metaverse?

The metaverse is a concept of an online 3D digital world with virtual lands and objects. Imagine a world where you can work remotely, visit virtual museums to see the latest art, or meet up with your rock-fan friends at a virtual concert, all from the comfort of your own home.

Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, and Decentraland have already incorporated certain aspects of the metaverse to bring multiple elements of our lives into online worlds. However, the metaverse is still in development. No one knows if there will be just one big all-encompassing metaverse or multiple metaverses that you can travel through.

As the idea continues to develop, it is expected to expand beyond video games and social media platforms. Remote work, decentralized governance, and digital identity are just some of the potential features that the metaverse can support. It can also become more multidimensional through connected virtual reality headsets and glasses, so users can physically walk around to explore 3D spaces.

The most recent development of the metaverse

With Facebook changing its name to Meta in October 2021, the metaverse became the new favorite buzzword. To fuel its rebranding, the leading social media company has poured resources into a new division called Reality Labs to spend at least $10 billion in 2021. The idea is to develop metaverse content, software, as well as AR headsets and VR, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes will be as commonplace as smartphones in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated interest in developing metaverses. There is a growing demand for more interactive options to connect with other people as remote work becomes more common. Increasingly popular are 3D virtual spaces that allow coworkers to join meetings, catch up, and collaborate. Microsoft Mesh, introduced in November 2021, is one example. It features immersive spaces for users to share and collaborate using their avatars, making remote team meetings more engaging and fun.

Some online games are also embracing the metaverse. The mobile AR game Pokémon Go was one of the first to capitalize on the concept by allowing players to hunt virtual Pokémon in the real world using a smartphone app. Fortnite, another popular game, has extended its product to different activities within its digital world, including the organization of brand events and concerts.

In addition to social media and gaming platforms, technology companies like Nvidia have opened up new opportunities in virtual worlds. Nvidia Omniverse is an open platform designed to connect 3D spaces into a shared universe to facilitate virtual collaboration between engineers, designers, and creators. It is currently used in different industries. For example, the BMW Group is using Omniverse to reduce production time and improve the quality of its products through smart manufacturing.

Key technologies driving the metaverse

To make the metaverse experience more immersive, companies are using cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), 3D reconstruction, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive the 3D world.

Blockchain and cryptocurrencies

Blockchain technology provides a decentralized and transparent solution for digital proof of ownership, digital collection, transfer of value, governance, accessibility, and interoperability. Cryptocurrencies allow users to transfer value while working and socializing in the 3D digital world.

For example, cryptocurrencies can be used to purchase virtual land on Decentraland. Players can purchase 16x16 meter plots of land in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) with the in-game cryptocurrency MANA. With the support of blockchain technology, ownership of these virtual lands can be established and secured.

In the future, cryptocurrencies may incentivize people to work in the metaverse. As more companies bring their offices online for remote work, we may see metaverse-related jobs being offered.

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can give us an immersive and engaging 3D experience. They are our entry points to the virtual world. But what is the difference between AR and VR?

Augmented reality uses visual elements and digital characters to transform the real world. It is more accessible than virtual reality and can be used on almost any smartphone or digital device with a camera. Through augmented reality applications, users can see their surroundings with interactive digital images, similar to what we have in the mobile game Pokémon GO. When players launch their phone's camera, they can see the Pokémon in the real-world environment.

Reality works differently. Like the metaverse concept, it produces a fully computer-generated virtual environment. Users can explore it using virtual reality headsets, gloves and sensors.

The way augmented reality and virtual reality work shows an early model of the metaverse. Virtual reality is already creating a digital world that incorporates fictional visual content. As its technology becomes more mature, virtual reality may expand the metaverse experience to involve physical simulations with virtual reality equipment. Users will be able to feel, listen and interact with people from other parts of the world. Considering the euphoria around the metaverse, we can expect more metaverse companies to invest in the development of AR and VR equipment in the near future.

artificial intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely applied in our lives in recent years: business strategy planning, decision making, facial recognition, faster computing, and more. More recently, AI experts have been exploring the possibilities of applying AI to creating immersive metaverses.

AI has the potential to process a large amount of data very quickly. Combined with machine learning techniques, AI algorithms can learn from previous iterations, taking into account historical data to generate unique results and insights.

Within the metaverse, AI can be applied to non-player characters (NPCs) in different cases. NPCs exist in almost every video game; they are part of the gaming environment designed to react and respond to player actions. With AI processing capabilities, NPCs can be placed in 3D spaces to facilitate realistic conversations with users or perform other specific tasks. Unlike a human user, an AI NPC can run on its own and be used by millions of players at the same time. It can also work in several different languages.

Another potential application of AI is the creation of metaverse avatars. Artificial intelligence engines can be used to analyze 2D images or 3D scans to generate avatars that look more realistic and accurate. To make the process more dynamic, AI can also be used to create different facial expressions, hairstyles, clothing, and features to enhance the digital humans we create.

3D reconstruction

Although this is not a new technology, the use of 3D reconstruction has increased during the pandemic, especially in the real estate industry, as quarantines prevented potential buyers from visiting properties in person. Therefore, some agencies have adopted 3D reconstruction technology to generate virtual tours of properties. Much like the metaverse we envision, buyers could look around their prospective new homes from anywhere and make a purchase without ever physically visiting the location.

One of the challenges for the metaverse is to create a digital environment that seems as close to our real world as possible. With the help of 3D reconstruction, the metaverse can create realistic, natural-looking spaces. Through special 3D cameras, we can enhance our online world by rendering accurate 3D photorealistic models of buildings, physical locations, and objects. 3D spatial data and 4K HD photography are transferred to computers for processing and generating a virtual replica in the metaverse for users to experience. These virtual replicas of objects in the physical world can also be called digital twins.

Internet of things (IoT)

The concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) was first floated in 1999. Simply put, IoT is a system that takes everything in our physical world and connects it to the Internet through sensors and devices. After connecting to the Internet, these devices will have a unique identifier and the ability to automatically send or receive information. Today, IoT connects thermostats, voice-activated speakers, medical devices, and much more to a wide range of data.

One of the applications of IoT in the metaverse is to collect and provide data from the physical world. This would increase the accuracy of digital representations. For example, IoT data sources could change the way certain metaverse objects function based on the current weather or other conditions.

The implementation of IoT can seamlessly connect the 3D world to a large number of real-life devices. This allows the creation of real-time simulations in the metaverse. To further optimize the metaverse environment, IoT could also use artificial intelligence and machine learning to manage the data it collects.

challenges of the metaverse

The metaverse is still in its early stages of development. Some challenges include identity authentication and privacy control. In the real world, it is often not difficult to identify someone. But as people traverse the digital world with their avatars, it will be hard to tell or prove who the other person is. For example, people acting in bad faith or even bots could enter the metaverse posing as someone else. They could then use this to damage that person's reputation or scam other users.

Another challenge is privacy. The metaverse relies on AR and VR headsets to deliver an immersive experience. These technologies with camera capabilities and unique identifiers could eventually lead to unwanted leaks of personal information.