The Rise of Smartglasses with Augmented Reality Lenses

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, augmented reality (AR) smartglasses represent a significant leap forward, merging the digital and physical worlds in ways previously confined to science fiction. With the advent of multimodal artificial intelligence (AI), these devices are not just a fleeting trend but a transformative tool poised to redefine our daily lives.

This article explores why smartglasses with AR lenses, bolstered by multimodal AI, are heralding a new era of technological integration.

My conviction that smart glasses are the optimal form-factor for human-machine interaction was reignited with Google’s teaser of Project Astra.

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Metaverses: AI & AR

How wondrous is the metaverse, a realm of endless possibility
A place where you can shape and share your own reality
Perhaps you have already glimpsed some of its wonders
Powerful tools that let you interact and immerse yourself in others
You may have met AI, the mind that’ll guide the metaverse

Ever curious about the secrets of AI in the metaverse?
Artificial Intelligence is the skill of machines to learn and think
Some examples of AI in the metaverse are chatbots, avatars and agents
They can help, amuse but also trick you with their intelligence
Reality has changed forever, because of AI

Introducing the MetaPlayers Quadrant: a game-changing framework for metaverses

Are you curious about the metaverse and how to navigate its diverse and evolving (virtual) landscape? If so, you might want to check out this launch post that introduces the MetaPlayers Quadrant or MPQ for short: a simple but powerful framework that can help you understand, compare and plot distinct types of metaverse experiences.

*The MetaPlayers Quadrant (MPQ) framework by Mike van Zandwijk*

Key points in this launch post

The MPQ is based on two dimensions: (de)centralization on one axis and productizing versus “platformization” on the other axis
Platformization measures the degree of openness and modularity that a metaverse offers to its creators and users. A metaverse product is more like its own (often true 3D) planet while a platform is more like a (2.5D) galaxy.
Centralization measures the degree of control and ownership that the creators and users of a metaverse have over its content, rules and economy.
By combining these two dimensions, there are four quadrants that represent various kinds of metaverse experiences:

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Alive and (busy) kicking!

Good day my friends,

You might be wondering when my (bi)weekly shares and monthly articles are coming again. Just a quick update that I am currently focused on a particular assignment which involves tons of research. Most are client specific so I cannot and won’t share these findings. Some are more generic yet jaw dropping like The Mukaab, a real-world Metaverse City if you will.

I will share these generic findings in an article around April 2023 due to client projects and personal time off for holiday and my kids’ birthdays.

Want more sooner? Feel free to follow or connect with me on LinkedIn where I am already sharing many developments by (re)posting and liking interesting news daily.

Have a wonderful Meta March!

The Triple Paradigm Metashift

Three megatrends are imminent. Each trend triggers a next paradigm metashift: a fundamental change of how we think about the metaverse and see our world. Literally.

Megatrends leading to Triple Paradigm Metashift

The first megatrend is the relocation of key functions in all-in-one mobile phones to mobile hubs with a wide range of wearable companions:
- Wireless earplugs replaced your phone’s mic and speakers (speech)
- Smartwatches take over phone controls (touch and gestures)
- Smart (AR) eyewear might soon substitute your phone’s screen (sight)
This current megatrend, Modular Mobility, enables us to superimpose anything digital into our real-world easily with small-factor AR overlays
The rapid growth of Augmented Reality in the real-world instead of VR in simulated worlds, leads to the second megatrend: Reverse Virtuality
Reverse Virtuality (RV) is the new mindset that the metaverse is not about merely an online 3D world for VR gear but about the real-world application of truly Mixed Reality for our AR-first physical world.
These megatrends bring both big benefits and challenges that phase us to the third megatrend, ultimately leading to Societal Metamorphosis
- First phase: Digital Disorder, bad actors abusing disruptive meta-tech
- Next phase: Digital Renaissance, tech-for-good tackling global crises
- Final phase: Digital Singularity, irrevocable transformation of society
The good news? A Digital Singularity would be so much better for human civilization than a Technological Singularity. The bad? It’ll be tough first.

Our world is on the brink of another technological revolution.

As we stand atop the steep slope of the S-Curve Pattern of Innovation, we can’t help but wonder what the future holds. Following the (mobile) internet revolution with the rise of the web and smartphones, it’s difficult to predict what lies ahead.

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3 essential readings by visionary VR/AR pioneer Louis B. Rosenberg

Historically, Virtual and Augmented Reality did not become the “next big thing” in the 1990s because the internet did. After a VR Winter of 15 years, the metaverse hyped. Despite massive drops of Meta’s stock and staff similar across the board in Big Tech and crashing crypto currency, the metaverse is definitely not dead. So no: another long winter is not coming. The metaverse is inevitable. On one hand, perceiving the (digital) world in 3D is in our human DNA. On the other hand, almost the entire metaverse industry is already too big to fail.

The three recommended publications by Louis B. Rosenberg

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