We are thrilled to kick off our first blog series, where we will explore deep into the mostly unexplored intersection of the Metaverse and the healthcare industry — two realms on the cusp of a revolutionary convergence.
In this informative series, we will traverse a range of pivotal topics, including:
- Challenges are slowing down the complete setup of the Metaverse.
- The compelling factors signal that the advent of the Metaverse is imminent.
- The potential incarnations of the Metaverse within the healthcare landscape.
In the initial pair of entries, we will dissect the present barriers that the Metaverse foundation is grappling with.
Buckle up as we embark on this journey! Enjoy the ride.
The Metaverse is knocking at our doors, but why isn’t it here yet?
One unified virtual universe connecting us humans with the machine. Blurring the boundaries between reality and the virtual world creates a world with endless opportunities, just like Spielberg’s “Ready Player One”:
The rapid interest of the buzzword Metaverse is mainly connected to Mark Zuckerberg’s 2021 announcement of Meta’s intention to create our future Metaverse.
According to Meta, the Metaverse is “an immersive 3D experience on virtual reality platforms, where the daily life of the real world is going to mix with that of the virtual world, allowing us to interact in real-time with other people, places, or things—no matter where we are physically.”
His vision is around the creation of one unified virtual universe, connecting community, products, commerce, workspace, entertainment, creators and much more. For now, we still have a vague idea of how the actual Metaverse will look like, but to make it a virtual ecosystem, we need to overcome the following challenges:
Interoperability & Standardization
One of the great advances the future metaverse holds is having a SINGLE virtual universe in which we can all be a part of. Unfortunately, this amazing sounding dream is unlikely, since the new field is already quite crowded attracting some big names including Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and so on.
Hence, given the more plausible estimation assuming there will be several metaverses, the situation raises substantial questions:
How will the different metaverses be managed and how will we travel between them? In simple words, will it be possible for one virtual identity to move between the different worlds by Meta, Microsoft, and Apple?
Thus, Meta’s intention, acknowledging being far from the only player in the market is to provide an “Umbrella Universe” upon which all other future universes would interface. Although it appears as the simplest solution for the user, Meta’s goal to serve as a bridge between different metaverses isn’t easy to take responsibility for. Is Meta willing to take the blame for an interoperability problem between metaverses?
More than ever, big tech corporations will have to collaborate and coordinate to ensure success. This aspect of interoperability therefore raises the issue of standardization between all players that must be tackled to democratize their use of the Metaverse.
Reputation & Identity
The question of personal identification and representation is straightforward when it comes to the real world. But inside the Metaverse, one might wonder, what will really be the key elements that makeup one’s identity? More importantly, how would we prove that we are who we are and not another person or a bot imitating our behavior?
Therefore, because one can possibly forge facial features, footage, and voice inside the metaverse so easily, it creates a great challenge hindering the establishment of the metaverse. We are bound to see what new verification methods the near future brings.
Privacy & Data Security
Privacy concerns stemming from users’ behavioral data being collected by companies became an issue long before the idea of the Metaverse was brought to the table. This current technology will be included in the Metaverse is about to become much more comprehensive, sophisticated, and intrusive. For example, an eye-tracking technology would probably add to our Metaverse’s VR headsets, exposing our exact visual experience. In addition, our physical and emotional reactions would be monitored as well through our future wearable devices that will give us the ability to move inside the Metaverse.
This marketer’s dream might increase the vulnerability of the users’ privacy. This future enormous amount of data could be exploited by anyone who has the right access regardless of their purpose. This obstacle will require taking common security practices to a whole new level, ensuring a safe environment for one’s identity and possession. As a result, this slippery slope will require us to come up with complex methods to successfully identify individuals as well as keep personal privacy intact.
Law & Regulation
The Metaverse will bring a huge number of users together, potentially making it an ideal place to connect with people and exchange goods. However, the lack of legislation, authority, and regulations that apply to the virtual world makes the future users potentially susceptible.
Accordingly, establishing a global authority and legislation that will be brought into force in the virtual world will be a great diplomat challenge. Nevertheless, this complex process is an inevitable step toward a safe environment and well-protected users.
This was the first of a two-part blog series where we will address the obstacles delaying the development of the prospective Metaverse.
In this segment, we will outline the hurdles that the Metaverse is currently facing. Following that, we will explore the certain bond between the Metaverse and the healthcare field.
More than welcome to share and be sure to stay tuned,
Yigal.