The immediate future is expected to be dominated by Metaverse - a virtual 3D world resembling the real world in almost every aspect with an immersive real-life experience. People can play, work and socialize anywhere and anytime through connected devices. Users can have real-time interactions in a virtual space. Organizations and people can unite to trade products & services as they do in the real world. Connected devices play a crucial role to link Metaverse and the real world, IoT becomes an indispensable component. As Metaverse maps data from real-life for transformation to virtual reality, the dependence on IoT becomes more obvious.
Metaverse will give a huge boost to IoT as it would incorporate hundreds and thousands of sensors, wearables, cameras, and other devices to gather real-world data. The data collected and consolidated must be practical, current, safe, and organized so that Metaverse can optimise the data to allow users having a real-life experience in a virtual world. Advanced IoT architectures will be crucial for enabling this cross-data exchange & leverage. Since the optimization of Metaverse translate to establishing a robust connection between the real and virtual worlds, IoT will have an immense impact and act as the livewire between the two worlds.
Cloud accessibility remains a big challenge in using IoT for Metaverse applications. Cloud technology helps to connect IoT with Metaverse and transfer data from the devices in real-time. Therefore, seamless access to cloud technology is critical for IoT devices to complement Metaverse and allow users to enjoy the best experience of both worlds.
Another challenge is in ensuring seamless interoperability between IoT data and AR while building advanced applications to solve real-world problems.
As IoT devices have a huge role to play in making Metaverse the most vibrant virtual space with close resemblance to real world, the security of these IoT devices is to be assessed periodically. As cyber-attacks are growing at an alarming pace and thousands of IoT devices are getting activated, any security breach will prove catastrophic for Metaverse users. Hence having a robust security assessment of IoT devices is a must.
IoT devices being the gateways for Metaverse, there is a heavy dependency on the IoT infrastructure in realizing the interconnected virtual world promised by Metaverse. Even though the concepts of Metaverse have been talked about and has captured the imagination for decades, latest advancement of IoT technologies are making it a reality. There are many more hurdles to cross, however there is a growing confidence that Metaverse applications will be a reality soon.
