Metaverse and XR Archetypes

There has been a lot of hype invested the idea of “the metaverse.” Some of this in genuine excitement about the future of human experience, creativity, and community. And some, of course, is excitement about the potential to make billions in advertising. Facebook rebranded as Meta after Apple’s move to limit ad tracking hit the company's bottom line. Meta’s vision of a future in which everyone has a digital wardrobe to swipe through is directly linked to the fact that Meta wants to make money selling virtual clothes.

Regardless of whether you are an enthusiast or a businessperson, your experience in the metaverse will rely heavily on the user interface. In this article, we look at the technologies we use to interact in the metaverse - virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). These technologies interact with the blockchain to enable the creation of virtual spaces for rich user interaction mimicking the real world.

Extended Reality (comprising VR, AR, and MR) is a key enabler of the metaverse ecosystem so it is critical to understand where each may or may not be used based on the desired user experience.

We will cover:

Introduction to XR Technologies
XR Parameter Considerations
XR Device Considerations

Introduction to XR Technologies

Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive and interactive simulated environment. It is experienced in the first person and provides a strong sense of presence to the user.

Augmented reality (AR) is immersive and interactive virtual content that is spatially registered to the real world and experienced in the first person. It provides a strong sense of presence within a combined real andvirtual environment.

Mixed reality (MR) allows not only the superposition of digital elements into the real-world environment but also their interaction. In the MR experience, the user can see and interact with both the digital elements and the physical ones. Therefore, MR experiences get input from the environment and will change according to it.

IoT ONE AR, MR, MR

XR Archetypes

Businesses are adopting XR technologies for a range of use cases, from internal operations support to deeper customer engagement. For example, online shoppers can see how a couch actually fits into their living roombefore they buy. This reduces returns and given online retail an advantage over the brick-and-mortar experience.

Manufacturers are also starting to ramp up XR adoption. For example, AR overlays can show virtual blueprints during factory construction to reduce costly mistakes. Maintenance crews can also view data from operations during plant walkthroughs to identify machines that need servicing. For training, AR is being used to provide step-by-step virtual instructions for complex assembly tasks, while VR environments allow employees to practice using costly equipment or respond to dangerous events without the cost or expense of emulating the real case.

In this section we explore the features that differentiate VR, AR, and MR

Features	Virtual Reality (VR)	Augmented Reality (AR)	Mixed Reality (MR)
Display Device	Special headset or smart glasses (e.g., Vive, Oculus Rift)	Headsets or mobile phones, or tablets (e.g., Google Glass)	Headsets or mobile device (e.g., Hololens)
Image Source	Computer graphics or real images produced by a computer	Combination of computer-generated images and real-life objects	Combination of computer-generated images and real-life objects
Environment	Fully digital	Virtual objects placed on top of real objects	Virtual and real objects seamlessly blended
Presence	Feeling of being transported somewhere else with no sense of the real world	Feeling of being in the real world, with new elements and objects superimposed to provide information	Feeling of being in the real world, with new elements and objects interacting with real world objects
Awareness	Rendered virtual objects designed to be indistinguishable from real objects	Virtual objects identified based on their nature and behavior, such as floating text	Rendered virtual objects designed to be indistinguishable from real objects
Interaction	Joysticks and controller	Controllers or gestures	Finger touch and tap interaction
Perspective	Virtual objects change position and size according to user’s perspective in virtual world	Virtual objects behave based on user’s perspective in the real world	Virtual objects behave based on user’s perspective in the real world
Consumer Adoption	Low due to high cost and complex hardware requirements	Higher due to low cost and ease of downloading apps on mobile devices	Higher due to low cost and ease of downloading apps on mobile devices
Physical Safety	Max risk, the real world is not visible so a controlled environment is needed	Minimal risk (see-through visor/screen)	Minimal risk (see-through visor/screen)

XR Parameter Considerations

What are you trying to accomplish with your XR solution? Every use case requires meeting the requirements of a set of parameters. We catalogued the most important parameters, the alternative options that you can select for each one, and the attributes that you might use to evaluate options.

IoT ONE VR glasses

Parameters	Alternatives	Attributes
Display - What display technologies to choose?	HUD/2D 360 on the phone/VR 3D World space (Where to place content?) Objects fixed to the camera or following user (e.g., main menu on HoloLens or Oculus headset) Permanent Appearing	User familiarity User comfort User mobility User instrumentation Display size Display resolution Display FPS Device requirements – rendering Hygiene – dedicated user device?
Tracking - What tracking and sensing technologies to use?	3 DOF 6 DOF Inside-out Outside-in Marker-based Marker-less Face-based Body-based	User instrumentation Environment instrumentation Environment constraints Device requirements Device adoption Device cost
Navigation - How to navigate through content?	Walking / Movement Redirected walking Teleportation Menus Speech Hand-tracking / gesture control	User abilities User instrumentation Environment instrumentation Environment constraints Device requirements
Manipulation - How to manipulate things - directly / indirectly?	Controllers Hands Voice Eye gaze Marker Physical object	User abilities Device requirements Environment constraints Sensing requirements
Collaboration - How to collaborate, based on location and number of users?	Co-located Remote Synchronous Asynchronous	User location Device support Environment constraints Networking requirements Storage requirements
Security - How to maintain security and privacy of users and user data?	Physical security Physical safety Data security Identity and access management Privacy	Location - on-premises or remote Data collected Location of data storage Parties with access to data stored Personal information (including biometric data) collected
Platforms - Which platform meets requirements?	Altoura Microsoft HoloLens Vuforia Chalk IrisVR AR Foundation Oculus for business Viveport SteamVR Virtu …	Hardware support Technology to be adopted (VR, AR, MR) Number of collaborators Collaboration Type (e.g., 3D models, training, entertainment) Support (Android, iOS, Mac OS, PC/Windows) Features (e.g., presentations, 2D video, whiteboard, 360 video, spatial audio, hand tracking)
Headset - Which provides the wanted immersion, comfort, and content?	How compelling is the feeling of presence in a virtual environment? Is the hardware comfortable enough to wear for the entire activity duration? Is the hardware compatible with one or more platforms, and/or compatible with proprietary platforms.	Resolution Positional tracking and room scale Degrees of freedom Field of view Controllers Sound Weight and fit Cushion materials Ventilation and cooling Motion sickness linked to low refresh rates Content exclusivity Update frequency Open development vs closed development

XR Device Considerations

There are a lot of XR devices on the market. How do you choose the best option for your situation? We summarized the most common device types and their characteristics below as a reference sheet. The examples include the best selling devices on the market. There are also specialized devices for industrial applications that are worth considering.

Device Type	Characteristic	Quality of Experience	Examples
Tethered VR Headsets	Headset connected to a computer by cables, such as HDMI Most expensive proposition Lack of mobility / flexibility	Highest quality of immersive experience due to low latency but limited freedom of movement	HTC Vive, Sony Playstation VR, Oculus Rift, Samsung Odyssey, Acer AH101, HTC Vice Pro, Dell Visor, HP1000-100, Lenovo Explorer, Asus HC102
Standalone VR Headsets	All in one head-mounted display (HMD) Plug-and-play Built-in processors, sensors, battery, storage memory, and displays Wireless – does not require a connection to a PC or a smartphone	Lower quality of immersive experience than tethered VR headsets but allows the user high mobility	Oculus Quest, Oculus Go, Lenovo Mirage Solo, Pico Interactive Goblin, HTC Vice Focus, Xiaomi Mi VR
Smartphone VR Headsets	Users slide their smartphones into the headset Screen fits in front of the user’s eyes, with a set of lenses that create a sense of depth Low cost since only the headset ‘shell’ must be purchased	Lowest immersion but easiest and cheapest to use	Shinecon VR 9.0, VeeR Mini, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream View, Merge VR, Bnext VR Pro, Google Cardboard, Mattel View-Master
Heads up displays (HUDs) for AR/MR	Three main components: a projector unit, a viewing glass, and a computer Help increase situational awareness	Most immersive experience	Microsoft HoloLens 2, Meta 2, Magic Leap 2
Smart glasses for AR/MR	Optical see through: User views reality through optical elements such as holographic wave guides that overlay on the real world Video see through: User views reality that is first captured by cameras mounted on the display and then combined with virtual imagery for the user to see	Inferior in immersion to HUDs but superior to smartphone devices	Optical see through: Microsoft HoloLens 1, Magic Leap 1, Google Glass Video see through: Iristick, HTC Vive
Smartphone based for AR/MR	Type of video see through Only a smartphone is needed	Lowest immersion but easiest and cheapest to use	Smartphone based (no headset required)

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