DISPLAY WEEK 2022: How To Democratize the Metaverse
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by David Fattal, CEO, Leia Inc.
Everyone thinks the metaverse begins and ends with having to strap a visor on your face – that you have to be completely removed from the physical world in order to appreciate it. As much as we want to think that the science fiction of movies is all about jacking in, there’s a middle ground that nobody considers: The people that don’t want to – or simply can’t – strap in and tune out the world. In the same way people go to aquariums and soak in whole other worlds just on the other side of a piece of glass, at Leia, we see our display technology in the same light(field).
It’s freeing. It’s democratizing the metaverse. Where there may be millions of people who will experience it in VR, there are billions of others that could be experiencing it. With the right display technology, the metaverse can truly be everywhere. In familiar devices like a powerful Android tablet, your next phone, in the dash panel of your next car, maybe at the next restaurant or hotel you visit. Leia’s mission puts this naturally immersive technology within everyone’s reach.
I talked about this a little while back, describing the metaverse as more like a multiverse with all these different ways to interact with it. But now, let’s unwind the how - and look more into the possibilities.
Leia's purpose is to democratize access to the Metaverse, making it more available in familiar, portable form factors. Our first generation 3D Lightfield tablet, the Lume Pad, is one example of how we’d get people there by showcasing our 3D ecosystem. Whether you want to watch any YouTube content in real-time converted 3D, have games erupt from the screen, share pictures with a vibrant community of 3D photographers or kick back and watch a Hollywood movie remastered for 3D, we’ve shown it’s all possible from a regular mobile device – with our screen upgrade. It requires no extra setup or expensive additional hardware. Now think that any familiar device that is already a part of your life can easily be transformed this way and become a portal to the Metaverse.
Continental AG has already shown off our Natural 3D Display technology that you can expect to find from in-dash panels in future-forward cars (sooner than you might think). Layered information, driver alerts, better situational awareness with 3D-projected maps and rear-view cameras — really, it makes the driving experience just feel better, not to mention safer. Beyond a literal 3D perspective of the road ahead, this connects immersive mobile experiences with another destination: the Metaverse.
Leia’s 3D Lightfield technology is even helping train a new generation of doctors. Anatomage VR, leveraging Lume Pads, brings the virtual operating table to new dimensions — eyewear-free.
Anatomage VR allows users to interact with 3D stereoscopic images of real human anatomy. Users can simulate and view free-floating 3D projections of real human bodies atop of the tablet. Anatomage VR's highly detailed models are derived from the Anatomage Table and provide medical students with additional perspectives to explore at their own pace.
Our 3D Lightfield technology is designed to be scalable and already capable of converting infinite content. It’s ready to roll in your next car, it could be greeting you at your next destination. It’s helping train someone to save your life. We’re working with all sorts of partners to explore where we can break barriers with our Lightfield technology next. For instance, there’s another 3D frontier that I feel needs to be tackled…
The one sitting on your desk.
It’s where you work and play. And at Display Week 2022, we’re introducing our next big step forward: a 3D Lightfield monitor. Here is where I believe we will take the first steps in democratizing the Metaverse.
MORE THAN A MONITOR, A 3D LIGHTFIELD TELEPRESENCE PORTAL
Imagine a desktop monitor that’s so much more — a true 3D Lightfield display. This unlocks the untapped potential lying within the content sitting on your desktop. A bold screen that provides an immersive and interactive 3D view.
During Display week, we announced our next generation 3D Lightfield technology in a 15.6-inch monitor. This prototype provides gorgeous 4k imagery in 2D at 120Hz and works great for all tasks — including games. No sacrifices required, you get stunning images. When it switches over to 3D Lightfield, though, is when the magic really happens. Your desk becomes that portal into the Metaverse. The content you’re experiencing (or creating) has so much more depth — literally — than ever before.
A front-mounted camera serves two purposes: First, it gives you a much wider field of view - 86 degrees, left to right. As you move around it, the 3D world inside follows. Twelve different views are updated in real time, in response to the user head movement to provide a deeply immersive, seamless experience. In fact, it’s more than double the view radius of our last-gen technology! The second reason: it transports you directly into the Metaverse. (If you haven’t already caught the news, read up on the new monitor platform!)
You see, this prototype isn’t simply a 3D monitor — it’s a bigger, better telepresence portal. Standalone telepresence devices, even your laptop, are tiny, two-dimensional windows by comparison.
What we’re proposing is the next logical step, making any video meeting more meaningful. A better sense of presence, truly connecting with the person on the other end of the chat is now more important than ever. Best of all, our technology makes it seamless — as natural as just looking at a screen.
Instead of looking at some flat 2D images, you and your team can see each other in multiple dimensions, as if coming through (and deeper into) the display. You can do it on any Leia 3D Lightfield enabled device.
I have to confess — it’s been really difficult going back to flat 2D Zoom meetings after trying out our prototype portal! That’s the feeling most people get when they see it for themselves. Not unlike trying color TV for the first time and not wanting to go back to black and white.
We’re taking familiar devices that everyone needs, everyone uses and making them portals into the growing Metaverse. It’s a great equalizer, a way to truly democratize access for more of us. We see a future where more devices can provide these unique windows into another world that engages and amazes while removing barriers between you and 3D imaging.
Paired with our free software and cloud-based AI, we already provide the ability to transform all your 2D content into jaw-dropping 3D. From old photos and your 2D videos to Twitch streams, it all comes bursting to life and through our 3D Lightfield screens. Generations of ageless content, dating back through time and brought to new life. Simply put, there’s infinite 3D content at your fingertips right now.
Just picture what comes next!
Even bigger displays are just a part. You can expect to hear even more about our advances in mobile technology in the coming months. As a company, we’ve already broken a lot of ground with our nanotech displays and we’re just getting started.
We have a vision for the future at Leia — and we want everyone to be able to see it. Together.