Inside Metaverse

For December 27, 2023

Today's Metaverse briefing:

Chinese VC firm GBA Capital has announced a $10B Web3 fund to foster the metaverse, VR, and NFTs development.
Sony has patented two types of foot-operated controllers for AR and VR applications, featuring ball-operated and touch-sensitive designs.
Researchers in the U.K. have developed a 3D AR system for car windshields using lidar and holography.

Thank you!

Chinese VC firm GBA Capital has announced a $10B Web3 fund to foster the metaverse, VR, and NFTs development. This initiative positions the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a global hub for "meta-asset capital."

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GBA Capital's $10B fund was declared at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Digital Economy Development Conference.
Chairman Haolong Li plans to raise meta-asset awareness through global tours in Japan, Singapore, Dubai, and Silicon Valley.
GBA Capital, established by China Europe International Financial Group in Hong Kong, collaborates with major financial institutions.
- The firm focuses on digital economy investments and incubation, leveraging industrial and capital resources.
Zhongrong Global, part of GBA Capital, secured an angel investment of 100M Chinese yuan ($14M) for AI and Web3 projects.

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TechCrunch discusses the significant influence of Asian markets on the global digital economy, emphasizing their growing role and impact.

What the numbers say: As of December 2023, Discord's most popular gaming community was the server for "Blox Fruits," a game on Roblox with about 1.42 million members. The second-largest was the community for the game "Nova," which has 1.37 million members, followed by "Fusionist."

Relevance: In 2015, Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevskiy co-founded Discord as a communication tool tailored for gamers, which evolved to include communities with video calling and screen-sharing features. In October, Discord introduced new safety features for young users, such as automatic media blurring and alerts for initial contacts with minors — additionally, the platform relaxed punishments for violations of its Community Guidelines.

Sony has patented two types of foot-operated controllers for AR and VR applications, featuring ball-operated and touch-sensitive designs. These innovative controllers are aimed at enhancing the VR experience in constrained spaces, offering more natural and immersive control options than traditional joysticks or D-pads.

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The ball-operated controller functions like a PC trackball, controlled by the user's feet.
The touch-sensitive pad offers advanced controls through capacitive or resistive touch technology.
These devices address space constraints by allowing stationary movement in AR/VR games.
Controllers are equipped with CPUs, memory, and other components for independent operation.
Patented by Sony's senior hardware engineers, these innovations reflect a focus on user immersion and practicality.

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In 2022, the hardware segment accounted for the largest revenue share in the VR market at 67%, driven by the high penetration of smartphones and other advanced electronic gadgets.

Researchers in the U.K. have developed a 3D AR system for car windshields using lidar and holography, offering real-time, distraction-free displays to aid drivers in identifying hidden obstacles. The team from Cambridge, Oxford, and UCL created 360-degree views of objects with minimal lidar data.

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The technology combines lidar data and computer-generated holography for 3D object representation in the driver's field of view.
This AR system enhances real-world sensory inputs with data previously used in various fields, including education and surgery.
The holograms are computationally generated, capturing the dynamic environment of a moving vehicle.
GPUs enabled faster processing, generating higher-quality holographic images.
The system can initially create object silhouettes in five seconds and detailed 360° views in 26 seconds.

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Audi's Q4 e-Tron incorporates an AR windshield displaying key information like traffic signs and adaptive cruise control alerts, advancing driver assistance systems.
Researchers emphasize the importance of inclusive strategies in AR technology for drivers with disabilities and the need for legislative requirements for automotive holographic video displays.

Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is the most common cause of vision loss in children, traditionally treated with eye patches, but now VR therapies offer a new approach. Luminopia, a digital therapeutics company, has designed a VR therapy that uses children's shows to train both eyes.

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Amblyopia affects depth perception and can persist into adulthood.
Standard treatment involves an eye patch over the stronger eye.
- New treatments focus on using both eyes to improve brain processing.
Neuroscientist Elizabeth Quinlan notes that amblyopia is a cortical issue, not just ocular.
FDA approved Luminopia's treatment in 2021; it costs around $50/month with insurance.
The treatment's effectiveness in adults remains uncertain.

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In July, Luminopia secured $16M in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by U.S. Venture Partners to finance the commercial launch of its software-based amblyopia treatment.

The immersive experience on Roblox, developed by the Museum of Science, Boston, and Filament Games, introduces students to the engineering design process through interactive and educational gameplay. This virtual experience aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and fully supports teachers in integrating it into classroom STEM education.

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"Mission: Mars" encourages exploration of Mars using a high-tech rover and survival suit, focusing on teamwork and scientific discovery.
The program aims to reach 100 million people by 2030, enhancing equity in STEM education through online and physical engagement.
Filament Games' CEO emphasizes the game's mechanics and environment, rooted in actual NASA data on Mars.
The project received initial funding from the Roblox Community Fund, established in 2021.
Educational content in "Mission: Mars" promotes critical thinking about engineering designs.

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In October, Roblox invested an additional $15M to enhance its platform as a hub for educational games, aiming to offer educational experiences for students both at home and in school.

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Las Vegas' Sphere, a leading venue for video art, offers a headset-free VR experience, where U2's video program combines contemporary art, animation, and special effects into a spectacular visual display.
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