If you had to choose a power, what would you have? Invisibility, extreme speed, being able to go through walls, flying, teleportation... Well, we give you good news: only one of them is starting to become a reality and it is not one of the first options, but the last. The complications of not being able to be at the New Year's Eve dinner and having to go to the supermarket because you forgot to shop for the holidays are going to cease to exist. Yes, the power of teleportation is a fact thanks to the Metaverse powered by Meta.

In short, metaverse is an acronym composed of “meta” – meaning “after” or “beyond” – and “verse”  which refers to “universe”. So we can say that the metaverse is nothing more than the existence of a new universe in which all the characteristics of the existing one are replicated but virtually - with the extra bonus of being able to access places that you may not be able to visit in person.

Metaverse, what is it?

It is a digital universe that promises to transform people's experiences online, being considered a versioned facet of the Internet. To access the metaverse you require an essential starter pack: a device to access the network and a pair of virtual reality glasses.

The term metaverse was coined for the first time in 1992 in the science-fiction story called “Snow Crash”, where humans interact with each other - through avatars - within a three-dimensional and virtual space that makes use of the metaphor of the real world. Thus setting precedents for the founder of Meta to decide to venture into the metaverse and its development possibilities in the light of everyone.

It is known that thanks to this great little digital universe, users are able to teleport instantly - like a hologram - to be in an office, go to a concert or simply be sharing with friends, without having to actually move. The idea is that this innovative dimension allows you to share immersive experiences with other people even when you can't really be together.

The avatar

One of the greatest peculiarities of this virtual environment lies in the fact that people appear figuratively through an avatar or virtual identity. Avatars are nothing more than the graphic representation of users within the metaverse. Of course, avatars are expected to respect the person's real physiognomy, however, these visual identities are worthy of being personalized to each person's taste and desire: from hair, eye and skin color to hairstyle and clothing style.

In case you didn't know, there are at least two types of avatars that are being developed by Meta -the precursor of this new technology-. The main idea is that these avatars are compatible with the devices used in these cases, since being a totally new environment, the quality and creation time they entail is not the same as that of already known figures such as the Sims or GTA.

In this sense, the first model allows visibility only from the waist to the head because the spatial body tracking technology is not yet developed enough to identify the movements of the lower part of the real person.

The second type of avatar is one that emulates the person's entire body. However, here we find an issue that implies continuing studying and testing: in this first stage of the invention of the metaverse as such, it is challenging to create an avatar with these characteristics since it would be necessary to add special gloves and new functions to the virtual reality glasses, in order to faithfully capture each of the movements made. It is still in a state of development.

Virtual reality glasses

These are autonomous lenses that have their own screens inside the device, making it possible to be managed by movement controls and positioning cameras. Thanks to them, the user is able to immerse themselves in the virtual reality of the metaverse, creating a sensation of living within the alternate world. Virtual reality glasses can be used on a smartphone, laptop screens or smart TVs.

How does this technology work? When starting the simulation, the device generates two different and individual images for each eye, thus achieving a much more real vision. They also contain motion sensors that allow them to react depending on the movement of the user's head.

Meta feat. Innovation

Providing a total realistic sensation is one of the ambitions of those leading this great project. That is why we work hard to ensure that lenses are capable of focusing on objects clearly and perfecting in real time the deformations in dimension and proportion of the elements that shape the visual field.

During his trip through Silicon Valley, Alejandro Jatib -CEO and founder of Lab9- had the opportunity to visit the Meta offices along with its wide variety of technological products, such as the Meta Quest, Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro helmets.

One of the company's latest releases includes Meta Quest Pro with an ultra-renewed design that promises sophistication and modernity. Its appearance is similar to its predecessor but internally, the changes are quite notable. Among them, two major innovations can be highlighted: sensors capable of tracking eye-head movements and exterior cameras that capture what happens outside and then transfer it to the screen. 

The piece that integrates the lenses is 40% thinner than Meta Quest 2, in addition to having a 10% increase in the field of vision, with the benefit of improved contrast. At the data processing level, the Quest Pro offers 50% greater performance than its predecessor, thanks to its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage.