IMMERSIVE
TECH
Welcome to the
Metaverse
Businesses are conquering virtual worlds, says Brian Waterfield, head of immersive production at Falmouth University. Is it time for your business to join the party? You may be somewhat familiar with the term ‘Meta’ if you’ve watched the news in the last couple of months. Facebook has rebranded their parent company to better align with their future goals, focusing on the possibilities of a ‘Metaverse’, a 3D internet of sorts where Zuckerberg says it will be possible to “teleport instantly as a hologram to be at the office without a commute, at a concert with friends, or in your parents’ living room to catch up...”
no longer an elective choice to create digital solutions, the market is already expecting it and it’s essential for businesses’ growth and innovation to keep improving their offer.
create efficiencies, explore new products and services, maximise resource and meet training needs.
I’ve seen some great advances from some excellent companies, start-ups and established players here in Cornwall. There is absolutely a thirst for change and progress. We’re not starting from the bottom of the ladder, but there is a lot of catching up to do. Ask a UK leader what’s happening in the south west and they may say “well, great things are happening in Bristol and Exeter...” Looking at the road ahead, we’re dedicated to providing opportunities for local businesses to get on board with it and open up new possibilities.
ACTUAL REALITY: THE METAVERSE IS ALREADY HERE
The metaverse will become as ubiquitous as ‘digital transformation’
While understanding of the metaverse and use of extended reality is growing across the UK– it’s fair to say that here in the south west we could be doing more to capitalise on these emerging fields. In the next few years, the metaverse will become as ubiquitous as ‘digital transformation’ for businesses and local authorities. It’s
Immersive technologies – augmented and virtual realities – offer new ways to save time,
The automotive and aerospace industries now use immersive technologies throughout their product development and decision-making processes. Having the ability to visualise the product early in the creation process has given designers and engineers a powerful tool, incorporating failure mode analysis and decision making into simulation and virtual, reducing costs significantly improving quality and meeting the needs of customers. The use of similar technologies is also becoming the norm in the healthcare and medical training fields, with health authorities in the UK now using simulation and immersive technology to train and maintain standards and stage simulated surgical procedures. This is resulting in a shortened passage of time to introduce drugs and medicine to the market and has vastly simplified the process of surgical procedures. The construction, architecture and civil engineering industries have immersive technology and digital process embedded into their work. Larger construction firms and architectural firms know that giving clients an immersive experience of what is possible can make the difference to winning a tender or not. The technology has filtered down to smaller construction firms, where augmented reality is now being used to layout tasks by overlaying data on site. Across the globe, big brands like Nike, Roblox, Balenciaga, Gucci, Coke and Sotheby’s are building immersive and responsive worlds to engage their customers with their brands via the metaverse – an
26 | BUSINESS CORNWALL
