XR Testing the limits of modern technology and opens the industry’s eyes to the future
Guest speakers representing leading companies in the industry spoke yesterday (5/26) at the COMPUTEX Forum, sharing with attendees the current progress of XR devices, applications of such devices in the industry and the direction of technological evolution should the end goal of implementing the metaverse be achieved.
HTC Head of Product Shen Ye shared on the forum the place and role extended reality, or XR played in the metaverse and how hardware and software should evolve to meet such trends.
Ye cited how Bell Helicopter, using HTC virtual reality (VR) devices, had managed to shorten the design process of 5-7 years, down to 6 months, and shared the work safety training program from Skanska and OutHere, as another example of how all-in-one (AIO) VR provided solutions in otherwise sticky conditions.
Any decent XR device requires two key technologies – tracking and graphics performance – the previous one is necessary because the accuracy of tracking, in both physical and network speed, is necessary to prevent user nausea.
In addition, for XR to function in the metaverse, it would have to track not only the hands but eventually the entirety of the human body, including facial features.
Graphics-wise, the data compute for VR is extremely high, and most of the work, at the current development time, is being rendered and processed on high-end machines, then streamed to the headsets using other proprietary software and tech.
This streaming is predicated on ultra-fast connectivity, a component equally important to high-end machines performing the initial rendering, because all the pre-rendering must be streamed to the headset with minimal, or zero, packet and information loss.
Hardware, software, and service elements together are what HTC sees as critical to the future of XR in the metaverse, Ye said.
IBM Taiwan’s Hong Wu introduced the processes that IBM experiences as it transitioned into a virtual enterprise, highlighting how the pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation processes of all industries, and virtual interaction could rapidly become the post-pandemic new norm.
Dassault Systemes Taiwan Senior Manager Samuel Hsu’s introduction of its 3DExperience Platform again highlighted how VR can help industries, and further applied the digital twin concept in the metaverse and using the virtual twin concept, allowing the user to train and program the replica to achieve the desired result in real-time.
Nokia Taiwan CTO Johan Asplund said that over the next decade, the goal of achieving the metaverse will be the primary driving force behind technology, citing the 5G, 6E Wi-Fi, and 5G Advanced networks as examples.
The industry is the main driving force behind digital twins and stuff, Asplund said.
To implement the metaverse for the mass market, or to have it mobile, and allow many people to access it, is a future goal, but to implement it on a smaller scale, existing frameworks can handle.
Citing collaboration in Germany, Asplund said it was possible using current technology, but the better the network, the rendered item would be able to become detailed, and, citing 6G as an example, one could begin rendering cities.