Existing between realities

Uploading your consciousness to the cloud sounds strange and difficult to understand. Where would we go? What happens to our physical bodies? Can my existence be erased (control+z)? Where is our data being stored? With that being said, we are assuming that we found use of uploading our entire lives into a virtual world, and simply not making faking copies of ourselves that aren’t tied with our own experiences.

Where are our virtual selves residing? Well, the Metaverse of course, a shared virtual space where the your creative imagination has no limit. Interact with other users in real-time. Collaboration, social gatherings, education, and careers all have a slot in the metaverse. Computing power must go beyond what we have now. The big question is who owns the metaverse and is it governed by laws that reflect modern society? These are questions to ask yourself before logging onto a virtual wasteland filled. The ideal end goal would be for an open sourced platform that would be available to the public but having privacy & security at its core.

For now lets dive into different terms used to describe the virtual world

AR Cloud

AR Cloud will make our 3D world accessible by allowing a digital copy of our physical world available to those in the virtual world.

Information overload some would say, but for others this the peak of collaboration for work, school, or social hangouts. We could even head down to Riverfront Park to join a virtual parade with virtual dinosaurs roaming the streets. This sounds magical until you take a bus ride there and see an overwhelming amount of animated advertisements 4 inches from your face.

The confusion resides in how the heck are we going to have real-time updates of our physical world and where is this data going to be stored? Will servers be on the moon, possibly owned by big tech companies like apple or google? Can ad’s be shut off…will there be a premium version of this service?

Magicverse

Centered around community, connecting people to different services in one shared space or city. An overlay of useful information on top of our physical world.

Of course this technology would require a headset to be constantly connected to the Magicverse. Magicleap released the Magic Leap 1 AR goggles that cost around $3,000. These high powered goggles allow the user to be submerged in AR as long as they are wearing them.

Whats interesting to think about is the fact that the magicverse does not disappear when the user is not wearing the device. It’s constantly updating and interacting with the physical world.

Mirrorworld

A digitized world that is parallel to ours

Creating an exact copy of the material world to help understand and expand on existing knowledge of how machines or Ikea chairs (shopping from home?) work in the physical world. Interesting concept, diagnosing a malfunctioning machine without looking at its physical form instead examining its digital version. Even shopping for a new couch, and using AR to place it in your living room before you buy.

Cyberverse

Expands on the idea of spatial computing, and navigating the physical world using AR.

Having a personal tour-guide when roaming the streets of Bangkok seems like the most helpful tool when exploring a foreign place. Especially when it could fit in your pocket. Huawei defined this virtual space as the Cyberverse, bringing the public closer to living virtually. Hamburger menus hovering over street signs, or navigation arrows guiding towards popular eateries.

Planet-Scale AR

Augment the globe by 3D mapping our physical reality and applying AR content using location.

The closest we’ve gotten to world peace was when Pokemon Go was released for mobile. Games like these allow for users to interact with both the physical and virtual world at the same time. The user is able to venture out in the real world and interact with virtual content that can be shared with peers. As users navigate the physical world they must be aware of local laws. No trespassing being the biggest concern.

Spatial Computing

The interaction between the user and the virtual world

The core of AR as some would say, this interaction is the key for AR being functional and applied to our everyday lives. Computers being able to detect real world objects and creating tools to help our daily lives. This could be demonstrated with the measuring app on iPhone, the Lidar sensor captures real world data and creates a virtual space for content to be transferred onto the real world.

Conclusion

The metaverse could be the solution to our modern day problems but what will the impacts be on the physical body? The side effects of living in the metaverse are unpredictable not including the mental strain of constantly interacting with something beyond our bed. Live fast, never die?