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PORTU DA FARE Metaverse - a new world of experiences
Merging the physical world with virtual experiences
The Metaverse is the next iteration of the internet, supporting ongoing online 3D virtual environments where the world’s publicly accessible virtual experiences, real-time 3D contents and other related media are connected and accessible through VR/AR, as well as through classic devices such as PC or mobile.
An immersive Web3 internet, where users meet in virtual spaces, represent themselves as avatars and share virtual objects through new technologies.
In the near future, we will have a digital layer of our everyday life: a virtual presence of ourselves will perform all the activities we typically do, within a Real-World Metaverse fueled by real-time data. We will live a whole existence in virtual environments, where we will be represented by our Human Digital Twins.
Filippo Rizzante
CTO, Reply
Metaverse: the challenge
The user’s own digital identity being represented as an avatar should become something universal and exploitable in various Metaverse spaces. This is a big challenge with current initiatives, which are mainly centered around proprietary, locked-in Metaverse solutions.
Many sub-challenges come with this mission: privacy, identity theft and security concerns which should not be dismissed. Web3 and decentralized technologies like blockchain could represent a solution.
Building a system to connect these worlds, with interoperable assets and avatars, is a key step in enabling a shared Metaverse. This will lead to the creation of a new level of reality which will be fully digital, with its own values and economy, and including an expression of ourselves, as in the real world.
Reply's expertise - 1
Virtual environments
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One of the enablers of the Metaverse is the evolution from two-dimensional to three-dimensional virtual environments, giving users the ability to explore "volumetric" and immersive spaces and content.
Relying on technologies such as photography-based reproduction and three-dimensional modelling, Reply develops virtual environments for brands and companies which are either directly accessible for autonomous navigation, or accessible with assistance from remotely-connected experts; assistance ranging from the designing of user experiences, to support with the technical integration of virtual spaces.
Reply's virtual environments scope ranges from experience with virtual showrooms, which are true enablers of visualisation and exploration of 3D models for e-commerce platforms, to multi-user remote visits, which create the possibility of virtually exploring artworks or places from other eras.
Reply's expertise - 2
Enterprise digital twins
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A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical entity or system, fueled by IoT devices and edge computing. Digital twins can be visualized in 2D, but their true potential is achieved through the use of AR/VR technology: in this way, data can be visualized in a Metaverse context as a 3D model that contains information both from a physical object and from integrated sensors.
Given their expertise in Edge Computing, IoT and AR/MR technologies, Reply leverages various platforms to digitally transform typically manual processes for faster, safer and more efficient business operations, enabling improved smart maintenance and upgrading operations of the actual object.
In this way, it’s possible to help companies get a glimpse of how real-world IoT data is, in real time, overlaid on top of the physical world through Spatial Computing experiences; all within an AR real-world Metaverse.
Reply's expertise -3
Real-time 3D contents
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The development of 3D real-time contents, objects and items is one of the keys to the development of the Metaverse, digitizing companies’ design and production flows.
Reply can support companies in creating 3D contents from a uniform data model for different communication channels (virtual reality applications, image content for car configurators on the web, CGI image production for print, simple animations for websites, or contents for video streaming). In this way, previously separate production processes are merged into one production pipeline, which dramatically reduces the overall time and effort required.
Based on Reply’s expertise, it is possible to produce the right assets for each company's specific audience and needs by leveraging creativity, in accordance with the brand vision and the marketing and engagement objectives adopted.
Reply's expertise -4
Robotics metaverse
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Within the Metaverse, the role of robots will become increasingly relevant where performing automated tasks and collaborating in the creation of virtual interactions is concerned; whilst leveraging Real-World Metaverse data.
The Real-World Metaverse provides a common reference for AI computer vision, allowing it to collaborate with Spatial Computing devices like AR/VR ones and robots, leveraging a shared spatial map with connected Spatial Anchors that can also be used with Wayfinding for autonomous mobile robotics navigation.
Large point clouds created with 3D laser scanning provide an opportunity to efficiently create Digital Twin base data. Reply is leveraging the Boston Dynamics Spot robot to create large 3D scans of buildings, then using the HoloLens with remote cloud rendering to visualize this complex data within the real-world Metaverse, allowing for an overlay of scans and a comparison with the physical world.
Reply's expertise - 5
Metaverse economy and NFTs
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Within this new virtual ecosystem, digital asset ownership and transactions will be managed securely and transparently through technologies like blockchain, that enable NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens).
NFTs are cryptographic digital assets registered and transferred on blockchain, but not mutually interchangeable: they are "one-of-a-kind" assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold like any other part of a property. Each NFT represents a unique digital item that can be bought or earned by a Metaverse user and traded on the market. Digital ownership, enabled by NFTs, is a signal to show what we believe in and gives a shout out to the communities we’re part of.
Reply supports companies by educating them and broadening their perspectives of NFTs and cryptocurrencies, delivering NFT-based marketing strategies, thanks to their technical expertise and utility-oriented project design.