The Metaverse: Earth’s Reflection
AR Cloud
Augmented reality has had a rough road to success due to low demand and being more of a novelty until very recently. Now the focus has shifted to multi-person shared experiences that happen in real time. I think something interesting about the AR Cloud is that it is most likely to come to fruition through a startup rather than a big corporation. You would think that Google would be jumping at the opportunity to create something like this but it does make sense that a small but passionate group would take on a task like this.
Magicverse
The Magicverse is one of the most ambitious XR concepts that I have ever heard. The thought of creating an entire city that people can interact with in real time sounds very utopian. What caught my attention are the real world implications this could have for people’s health and well being. If something like this can happen, it would benefit a massive amount of lives. I am just curious as to how world governments would handle this level of XR. Will there be laws in place prohibiting certain things from being done in the Magicverse? I think there are also some big privacy issues that could happen as a result of this.
Mirrorworld
The Mirrorworld is the recreation of real-world places in the virtual world. Something that sets this apart from other XR experiences is that it is placing heavier focus on professional use. Uses for this technology ranges from warehouse production to simulated flights to test functionality. Something that I think is really cool is what Wayfair is doing with the Mirrorworld. Using this technology to render 3D models of real world items to show to consumers is such a subtle way to incorporate practical virtuality. One question I do have about the Mirrorworld on a grand scale is whether it will be a collaborative effort or not. Will companies race to create their own version of real-world places and things or will they all contribute what they have.
Cyberverse
Cyberverse is an augmented reality experience for mobile devices that aims to connect users through spatial computing. This technology appears to come straight out of science fiction, I wish that the article would have gone more into how this is possible. It seems almost to good to be true but it is exciting to think that this is happening for mobile phones. One of the most interesting points about Cyberverse is how accurate it is at detecting your location. It is able to define your location down to the centimeter which opens up a lot of opportunities for things like guideless tours or social gatherings.
Planet-scale AR
Niantic’s planet-scale AR is something that I think is important for the advancement of AR. They aim to lay the framework for other projects to use which will significantly increase accessibility for working in the AR space. I am excited to see what other developers can do with planet-scaled AR for both practical and recreational means. I like that they have introduced a massive audience to augmented reality by incorporating it into something that people are very invested in.
Spatial Computing
Spatial Computing is defined in the text as “human interaction with a machine in which the machine retains and manipulates referents to real objects and spaces”. Something that I found very interesting is that machines as old as the abacus can be considered spatial computing devices because of how they use real world spaces. This topic is very confusing to me, the text states that a self flushing toilet is spatial computing but I am not sure how that is.
Closing Thoughts
One thing that needs to be addressed is how metaverse objects and places will be treated in regards to property or other things owned by somebody in the real world. If a company decides to recreate your entire city virtually does that mean they can use there model of your house or your likeness however they wish? Or will there be rules and regulations about how developers use real world entities.
The AR technologies discussed in this article all have practical applications in the real world, but I think there are some things to worry about. Being lost in an augmented world can have varying effects on an individuals mental health. It may be used as a healthy form of escapism from average life but if used to much it might be mentally draining for the individual and could potentially put them in a worse position than they were in already. I do believe that in moderation VR and AR can help people experience something that they wouldn't otherwise such as providing physically impaired individuals the means to explore the world easily.
