What is the Metaverse: Everything you should know about it
Metaverse: What is it and how does it work?
The term "metaverse" was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 science fiction novel called "Snow Crash". En el libro, el Metaverso se describe como un espacio virtual en el que los usuarios pueden interacting through avatars in a shared digital world.
The word "metaverse" combines the prefix "meta-", which means "beyond" or "transcendent" and "verse", which refers to a universe or world. Therefore, the term "metaverse" would be something like. a world beyond the physical universeThe "Virtual Space", a virtual space that exists in parallel and allows the interaction and participation of people through digital technologies.
In addition to avatars, in these virtual spaces the following are used NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) and cryptocurrencies. These spaces are both 3D recreations of real places and imaginary creations. Through text, voice or video chat, users interact with each other, participating in shared activities and experiences.
As the interest in virtual worlds and the Virtual Reality has grown, the term "metaverse" has been adopted by various industries and the media to describe the concept of a shared and evolving virtual space that goes beyond Virtual Reality experiences and has the potential to become an integral part of people's daily lives.
El Metaverso se posiciona como una importante tendencia tecnológica y un espacio digital al que se espera que commerce, entertainment, leisure, culture and business to relocate in the next few years.
What are the characteristics of the Metaverse
Las características del Metaverso pueden variar según las diferentes visiones y definiciones propuestas. Sin embargo, aquí hay algunas common characteristics asociadas con el concepto del Metaverso:
- Espacio virtual compartido: El Metaverso es un espacio digital en el que múltiples usuarios pueden interactuar entre sí y con objetos digitales en tiempo real. Es un entorno compartido donde las personas pueden conectarse, comunicarse y colaborar.
- Inmersión y presencia: El Metaverso busca ofrecer una experiencia inmersiva, permitiendo a los usuarios sumergirse en entornos virtuales y sentirse presentes en ellos. Utiliza tecnologías como la Realidad Virtual y la Realidad Aumentada para lograr una mayor sensación de presencia en el entorno digital.
- Interactivity and participation: Metaverse users have the ability to interact with each other and with the virtual environment. They can communicate via chat, voice or video, explore environments, perform actions and participate in virtual activities.
- Permanencia y evolución: The Metaverse is a constantly evolving digital space. Objects, constructions and changes made by users can remain in time, which means that the Metaverse can change and develop even when users are not present.
- Escala y diversidad: El Metaverso tiene el potencial de ser un entorno digital vasto y diverso. Puede incluir una amplia gama de entornos, desde recreaciones de lugares del mundo real hasta mundos imaginarios, y puede albergar diversas comunidades, actividades y experiencias.
- Interoperabilidad: El Metaverso se basa en la interoperabilidad, lo que implica que los usuarios puedan transferir bienes y datos entre diferentes plataformas y entornos virtuales. Esto permite una mayor conectividad y una mayor fluidez en la experiencia del Metaverso.
It is important to keep in mind that the concept of "metaverse" is constantly evolving and there is no single, definitive definition. The characteristics may evolve as new technologies are explored and more sophisticated platforms and virtual environments are developed.
Opportunities offered by the Metaverse
El Metaverso ofrece una amplia gama de oportunidades en diferentes aspectos. Aquí hay algunas de las oportunidades más destacadas asociadas con el Metaverso:
Interacción social y colaboración
El Metaverso proporciona un espacio virtual para que las personas interactúen y colaboren entre sí, independientemente de su ubicación geográfica. Permite la conexión con amigos, familiares, colegas e incluso desconocidos, lo que amplía las oportunidades de socialización y colaboración en línea.
Comercio y economía virtual
El Metaverso ofrece oportunidades para el comercio y la economía virtual. Los usuarios pueden comprar y vender bienes y servicios digitales, crear y gestionar negocios virtuales e incluso participar en economías basadas en criptomonedas. Esto abre nuevas posibilidades para el emprendimiento y la generación de ingresos en el entorno digital.
Educación y aprendizaje inmersivo
El Metaverso tiene el potencial de revolucionar la educación y el aprendizaje. Puede proporcionar entornos inmersivos e interactivos donde los estudiantes puedan explorar conceptos complejos, participar en simulaciones realistas y colaborar con compañeros y profesores de todo el mundo.
Entretenimiento y experiencias virtuales
El Metaverso ofrece una variedad de oportunidades de entretenimiento y experiencias virtuales. Los usuarios pueden disfrutar de juegos en línea, asistir a conciertos virtuales, visitar museos y galerías de arte virtuales, ver películas y participar en eventos y actividades recreativas únicas que solo son posibles en el entorno digital.
Innovación y creatividad
El Metaverso fomenta la innovación y la creatividad al proporcionar un espacio flexible para la experimentación y la creación de contenido digital. Los usuarios pueden diseñar y construir entornos virtuales, crear avatares personalizados, desarrollar aplicaciones y experiencias interactivas, y explorar nuevas formas de expresión artística.
Acceso a información y conocimiento
El Metaverso puede facilitar el acceso a información y conocimiento en diversas áreas. Los usuarios pueden acceder a bibliotecas digitales, recursos educativos, archivos históricos y bases de datos, lo que abre oportunidades para la investigación, el aprendizaje continuo y la difusión de información.
Estas son solo algunas de las oportunidades que el Metaverso puede ofrecer. A medida que la tecnología y la adopción del Metaverso continúan evolucionando, es probable que surjan nuevas y emocionantes oportunidades en diversos campos.
Metaverse and Web3 applications
Metaverse and Web3 applications can be extended to all types of industries.
1. Application in the Industry 4.0 Sector
Web Applications focused on the most business-oriented sectors adapt to all the needs of management and communication both internal and external to the companies. These applications provide access to a proprietary interface from any device and web browser. A fact that facilitates collaboration and information exchange between departments, by being able to work together in the different projects directly online and instantly displaying all updates.
Externally, WebApps give all users access to a wide range of content that, regardless of their devices, is instantly adapted to their needs as they interact with the elements.
2. Application in the education sector
In the education of future generations, the Metaverse not only allows the development of more immersive and interactive experiences. It also makes it possible to recreate environments and even virtual campuses that, in an active and personalized way, nurture the curiosity and involvement of the students. Thanks to the innovations of the Extended Reality teachers can enrich and deepen the learning programs, being able to teach with support from holograms, with interactive 3D models and becoming guides for these digital natives through different 3D worlds dedicated to science, history, nature... Technological solutions to enjoy the subjects as we had never imagined.
One of the educational programs that has already been launched is the 3D virtual space web of Learning to undertake developed together with Fundación Ibercaja to bring the world of business to schoolchildren in a gamified environment close to video games.
3. Application in the retail sector
There is no doubt that the Metaverse will be the next evolution of the already widespread and implemented e-commerce. Where web pages will become large virtual spaces where physical stores are recreated or even their own universes with unique experiences in which to explore all the possibilities of brand loyalty. What is a fact is that the shopping experience will once again put consumers at the center of the experience with more accessible, intuitive and humanized processes.
The possibilities of this new technology in retail range from the ultimate hybridization between physical and digital in omnichannel shopping, to the development of new value propositions.
Virtual Reality gateways, Augmented Reality-based fitting rooms, the creation of new business models with phygital collections (proposals for both the real and virtual world) or garments/products created exclusively for the Metaverse such as NFTs (digital objects) for our avatars.
Among the proposals that have already seen the light of day are the interactive house of the cookware brand Lèkuè. A virtual space where you can see all the products in action and get to know them first hand.
4. Marketing and advertising applications
If there is a sector that advances almost at the same time as technological innovation, it is the marketing and advertising sector. Keeping abreast of trends and the continuous search for new new ways to attract users mark the starting point for the implementation of this new virtual dimension for the positioning and loyalty of consumers.
Thanks to the development of spaces close to the video gamesIn this way, brands not only get closer to the new ecosystems of younger audiences, but can also create truly immersive and personalized experiences.
One of the recent implementations by Imascono (Business2Metaverse), has been on the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar Metaverso where we found a 3D recreation of the sports facilities that have an exceptional guide, the avatar of Rafa Nadal himself.
5. Applications in the tourism and cultural sector
The possibility of create new experiences that are different, accessible and personalized will also make tourism and hospitality one of the sectors that most implement the Metaverse among its activities. From virtual receptions that facilitate the booking of stays and virtual tours to discover unimaginable places to enjoy interactive museums and know the best routes in real time through Augmented Reality maps.
Thanks to Extended Reality technologies we can visit the halls of the great museums around the world and even organize time travel, to live in first person the history of a monument or a city over the centuries. If there is one project that shows the great potential of these technologies is the Metaverse of the city of Zaragoza, recreating in 3D the experience of the traditional Flower Offering during the Fiestas del Pilar. A tourist action that has reached 32,000,000 million people with more than 350,000 unique users.
6. Entertainment applications
The Metaverse will change the way we interact, socialize and, above all, enjoy our free time. At a time when there are so many options to entertain us, the digital audience is opting for more novel and attractive experiences.
For example, experience matches and sporting events as if we were on the field through Virtual Reality glasses. From immersing ourselves in the stories and the fictitious universe of series and short films at Virtual RealityThe world of our favorite movies, see the action scenes from all angles, feel part of the cast by watching in first person behind the scenes.
Thanks to virtual glasses we will be able to enjoy attractions that take the experience and adrenaline to another level or be part of massive concerts in the comfort of our homes. In addition, videogames will gain in mobility and interactionssharing adventures and missions with friends, family and even players from other parts of the planet in a much more natural way. Leaving behind the controllers and flat screens that we all know.
7. Applications in the health sector
The implementation of Extended Reality technologies in the healthcare field covers a wide range of activities. From the development of more accessible and intuitive information and consultation areas for all audiences, with special attention to the elderly. A la creation of simulations and customized virtual therapiesThe company is taking advantage of the capacity of these technologies to work in controlled virtual environments.
In addition, Extended Reality offers the most advanced tools and experiences for the medical and health training. In addition to making available to professionals all the information on the procedures and constants of the patients thanks to the implementation of augmented reality glasses during the interventions and the most advanced virtual reality glasses for the remote operationsThe first of its kind: unprecedented breakthroughs that will revolutionize global medicine.
One example that is already being seen in reality is the virtual 3D recreation of the San Juan de Dios Hospital where all patients/users can know in detail the health center, its services and facilities in a more accessible and intuitive way than static web pages.
8. Applications in the banking sector
Banking is another of the business sectors that will be most transformed by the arrival of Metaverse technologies. Not only because of the irruption of cryptocurrencies (digital currencies) that will change transactions at the international level, but also because of the entry of the users themselves into this virtual world. These currencies will be an important part of the new interactions in the Metaverse: the virtual money to spend in virtual spaces (to buy products for the two worlds: the real and the virtual). In this new economic ecosystemIn this context, banks and financial institutions must lead the change with new spaces, training and personalized services so that the human and relational component is not lost in the Metaverse economy.
The future of the Metaverse: will it ever be real?
The correct question would be whether the concept of a single interconnected and decentralized virtual universe will become completely real. It is difficult to answer with certainty, as it depends on several factors, including the advancement of technology, mass adoption and the creation of a single common platform for all the virtual worlds that are already beginning to develop.
Currently, there are different companies and projects where we are working on the development of technologies and platforms related to the Metaverse. Renowned companies, such as Facebook's Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Apple and other large international technology companies, have expressed their interest and have begun to invest resources in this area.
Although the creation of a single common platform for all the virtual worlds that are already beginning to be developed has not yet been developed, the following are in progress significant advances in terms of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence and 5G connectivity technologies.which are key elements to make the Metaverse possible.
We are now beginning to see initial versions of the Metaverse, but with time and technological evolution, it is possible that the Metaverse will become more sophisticated and accessible to an increasing number of people.
It is important to keep in mind that the Metaverse will not become a reality overnight. It will be a gradual process that will require the development of standards, regulations and overcoming technical, ethical and privacy challenges.
¿Necesitas que tu proyecto esté en el Metaverso? Contacta con nosotros. En Imascono we can help you to transfer your project to the Metaverse.
