hours after giving a keynote at Meta Connect 2023, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and podcaster Lex Fridman explored the potential of virtual reality with the help of the latest innovations from Meta. The new interaction sheds light on what the future of meetings could look like. The collaboration was facilitated by high-definition photorealistic avatars created by both Fridman and Zuckerberg.
The interview, which took place in the metaverse, showed how advanced technology is changing the way people connect and communicate online. Despite being physically distanced, Zuckerberg and Fridman appeared to each other as photorealistic avatars in 3D with spatial audio, providing an immersive and lifelike experience.
Fridman acknowledged the realism of the metaverse, stressing that it could change human connections on the internet. The avatars could capture the depths of human movement and facial expressions, making interactions more meaningful.
Fridman said: "It is true that if we have a problem, we are going to have a problem, Fridman said.
The process behind achieving such photorealism was a key focus of the discussion. Both of the participants had undergone detailed scans for Meta's codec avatars research project. This scan included various facial expressions and were used to create computer models of their faces and bodies. The simulations were then compressed and transmitted as data, making the avatars highly bandwidth-efficient compared to traditional video calls.
t what leads to immersion, it's the little subtle flaws, he said.
Zuckerberg and Fridman highlighted how the metaverse virtual-advisors captured imperfections and subtle details, emphasising that these flaws contributed to a more immersive experience than perfection would.
In this regard, Zuckerberg sought to identify the future accessibility of this technology. Although the current scanning process is a time-consuming procedure, Zuckerberg highlighted Meta's objective to streamline it. He says users can create high-quality avatars using just a quick scan using their smartphones, making the metaverse more accessible to a wider audience.
Re physically there together and participating in things together, Zuckerberg said.
The métaverse is not limited to video calls, but opens up new opportunities for shared physical experiences, such as gaming and meetings. The metaverse could merge the virtual and physical worlds, enabling photorealistic avatars to interact seamlessly in various environments, as augmented and mixed reality technologies progress.
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