Creating holographic ‘digital twins’ will significantly reduce the stress, cost and logistical issues of touring – and means artists can live forever onstage.
That impossibly beautiful model on Instagram might be just that. CGI influencers are already on social media, and Meta’s commercial interest means it shouldn’t be in charge of the ethical guidelines.
For the metaverse to work, people need to own their virtual bodies and possessions and be able to spend money. The same cryptographic technology behind bitcoin will make that possible.
Supply chain issues, emergency science, social distancing requirements and a lot more free time offered both challenges and opportunities for research scientists.
Museums allow us to delve deep into the past with eye-catching displays of artefacts, ancient textiles, high-quality images and short films that narrate how our ancestors lived.
Stay-at-home and quarantining orders have led to increasing isolation. Virtual reality may help alleviate some of the negative feelings of isolation, and this has potential implications for space travel.
Facebook’s parent company is now called Meta, as part if its move to embrace the metaverse - the blurring of the online and real worlds via virtual and augmented reality technologies.
A French trial will use virtual reality headsets to trigger empathy in perpetrators. But previous research findings suggest we need to be sceptical of claims about what the technology can do.
Empathy is an important factor in getting people to act on environmental issues. Virtual reality can bring oceans closer to home for those who can’t experience the wealth of marine ecosystems.