Imagine wearing goggles 10 years from now and they bring you closer to things that are far from your reach. You are walking by a restaurant and the menu pops up along with its reviews. This is what tech geeks call metaverse. And the feeling of staying connected virtually even if you are miles away, in reality, is what metaverse can do for you. So, what is metaverse exactly and what can we expect from it?
Metaverse feels something straight out of a science fiction novel or we can say straight out of the movie Ready Player One. But it is way too different from either of the two. Don’t be worried we will help you through learning the whole concept.
What Exactly Do You Mean Metaverse?
Neal Stephenson and his dystopian cyberpunk novel Snow Crash can be credited to coining the term “metaverse.” The novel, which was published in 1992, is considered a canon of the genre, along with William Gibson’s Neuromancer, which describes a virtual reality dataspace known as the matrix.
Metaverse is a technology hybrid that combines virtual reality, augmented reality, and video to allow users to “live” in a digital world. The tech enthusiasts assume the metaverse users to stay connected while doing things like attending virtual concerts, playing sports, and checking out retail stores. You can also use metaverse to build your small streets, neighborhoods, buildings, parks, free combat zones, and other interesting things.
According to one research firm, the market for metaverse technologies, which include games, virtual reality headsets, and other emerging gadgets and VR metaverse services, will exceed $49 billion in 2020 and will grow at a rate of more than 40% per year.
What is Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse?
Facebook rebranded itself into Meta Platform Inc. on 28 October 2021. This name comes from the company’s perception of what the future can behold in terms of connectivity and life itself. CEO Zuckerberg explained his intentions of making people feel truly present with another person, which is the ultimate goal of social technology.
Zuckerberg demonstrated a world that is a much higher level of (VR/AR) Everything people do in the real world is replicated in the metaverse’s virtual space.
Facebook’s concept of the metaverse includes virtual avatars of people playing games, holding meetings, attending workshops, exercising, studying, and socializing. In addition to all kinds of activities that can be done in real life.
- VR Metaverse Gloves
In November 2021, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) made an announcement: a glove. For the past seven years, however, it has been quietly working on one of its most ambitious projects yet: a haptic glove that simulates sensations such as grasping an object or running your hand along a surface.
Meta’s haptics prototype consists of a glove lined with approximately 15 rigid and inflatable plastic pads known as actuators. The pads are designed to fit the wearer’s palm, underside of their fingers, and fingertips. The glove can also be used as a VR controller.
- How Do Vr Metaverse Gloves work?
When you put on the glove and enter a VR or AR experience, a sophisticated control system adjusts the level of inflation, causing pressure to be applied to different parts of your hand. When you press your fingertips against a virtual object, you will feel the object pressing into your skin. When you grip a virtual item, the long finger actuators stiffen, creating a resistance sensation. These sensations combine with visual and auditory cues to create the illusion of physical touch.
For a long time, the idea of slip-on vibrating gloves that allow you to feel the virtual world has been part of our sci-fi vision of VR. For the past seven years, Meta’s research arm has been working on these haptic gloves, but the gloves that have been developed are not yet portable. But they might be one day.
Introducing Microsoft’s Mesh: Here Can Be Anywhere
Microsoft is another big name when it comes to innovating technology and hailing a new future. Microsoft is also trying to build a metaverse called Mesh. And one of the most interesting features that the company is working on is “holoportation”. This simply means that users will be able to project their holographic selves to other users.
Its virtual and augmented realities are best experienced with HoloLens devices, a one-of-a-kind device that can completely transform the ‘Holoportation’ experience. Mesh, on the other hand, can be accessed via VR headsets, mobile phones, tablets, or PCs.
The projections will initially take the form of animated avatars. It will eventually become a photorealistic lifelike projection. Similar to how the characters in Star Wars interact with one another through hologram projection.
Reintroduction of Google Glasses In 2022
Although Google was among the frontrunners to the VR race after backing due to public outrage. Google Glass, a slim and lightweight pair of glasses with an AR overlay on one side, stands out as an early leader. The screen’s size and resolution were limited, but it was an intriguing early glimpse of what was to come.
In 2020, Google acquired North, a well-capitalized start-up developing lightweight AR glasses that were a functional spiritual successor to Google Glass. There are signs that Google is resuming its interest in augmented reality, even though it does not have as many products or publicly announced technologies as its competitors. Since the release of Glass, newer AR headsets with more sophisticated displays, better sensors, and more powerful processors have been introduced.
The metaverse is simply an idea first described by science fiction author Neal Stephenson in his novel Snow Crash. It may become a reality soon because many large technology companies believe it will be as large, if not larger than the internet is today.
