Since the pandemic, more and more people turned to the internet for their social needs. From online shopping to virtual meetings and events, the internet has become our go-to place for just about everything. And with the advent of virtual reality technology, the internet is becoming even more immersive. Welcome to the world of the metaverse.

What is the metaverse?

The metaverse is a virtual, shared space created by the merger of the internet and the physical world. It gives the user an immersive experience of a virtual world where they can play and interact with other people as well as objects.

As you can imagine, some of the early adopters are gamers who want to immerse themselves in games using cutting-edge technologies like blockchain and AI, but also have the opportunity of globally connecting with others without any lag time.  But should we just think about it in terms of fun and relaxation? 

We recently listened to Magic Leap CEO; Peggy Johnson recently talked with Alex Kantrowitz on the Big Technology Podcast about the value of the metaverse to business.  Johnson’s company makes AR glasses, which are wearable and open a world of possibilities to business, education, healthcare; the list seems endless.  Here's our podcast take aways and some of the use cases she discusses.

Save time on training

Training time on a new machine can be cut down from 3 weeks to a few days by wearing AR glasses.  Often training starts in a classroom with a manual and then moves to the actual machine.  With the glasses, a ‘digital twin’ can be overlaid on the physical machine, as the new member of staff learns how to use it.  If there is an issue with a machine, the manual become irrelevant as walking through a fix is enabled via the glasses.  You can even bring in an expert on another continent as they will be able to see and diagnose the issue in real time.

Medical advances

If a cardiac surgeon has questions in the middle of an operation and needs specialist advice, another expert can see the operation and offer guidance.  Heart catheterisations, which are traditionally seen on a 2D screen can be visualised in a 3D environment, making the procedure faster and more accurate.

Business Meetings

Although the metaverse is in its early stages, technology is already delivering a credible 3G alternative to Zoom or Teams meetings. 

Wildfire

In California, Wildfires are a real threat to life and property.  Currently authorities build physical topography to try and predict the way the wind is blowing.  However, technology is now able to project the topography onto a table and with the aid of AR glasses, wildfire models can be evaluated in real time.

Apart from emerging technology, one of the barriers has been large headsets which are uncomfortable to wear.  Magic Leap have taken this challenge on, with Johnson saying on the podcast “We believe in the transformation this technology offers’. With evolving software and hardware, the next few years will be an exciting time for businesses as we all explore the possibilities of new ways to do things.

Why not take a listen to the podcast yourself, and find out more about how we might all be benefitting from the Metaverse.