Branch of computer science that develops systems capable of simulating human cognitive processes such as learning, reasoning, and pattern recognition. Used in chatbots, automation, image generation, and virtual assistants.

AI Knowledge

The set of information and skills that an Artificial Intelligence model can learn, store, and use to answer questions, generate content, or solve problems. It can be based on pre-trained datasets or enriched through continuous interactions.

AI-powered software capable of performing tasks autonomously, making decisions, and interacting with users or systems. It can operate as a digital assistant, avatar, or automation tool.

Spatial Audio

Technology that creates an immersive sound experience by simulating the positioning and movement of sound in three-dimensional space. Used in AR, VR, gaming, and music, it allows users to perceive sounds coming from specific directions.

3D Audio

Advanced type of audio that uses algorithms to simulate the perception of sound in space, based on the listener's head position. Essential in XR experiences, films, video games, and AR/VR devices to enhance immersion.

An avatar is a manifestation of a user within the metaverse. The avatar can be photorealistic, stylized, true to reality, or completely different, it can be interoperable with other metaverses and wear wearables.

Speech-to-Speech AI

Technology based on AI that transforms the voice of a speaker into another synthesized or translated voice in real-time, useful in voice assistants and simultaneous translation.

Speech-to-Text (and vice versa)

Technology that converts voice into digital text (STT) and text into synthesized voice (TTS), used in voice assistants, accessibility, and content automation.

A system that uses heart data to adapt a digital experience in real time. It can be based on heart rate, meaning beats per minute, or on heart rate variability, which is useful for estimating stress, recovery, and the user’s physiological state.

Bitcoin (BTC) is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that aims to serve as a medium of exchange independent of any central authority. BTC can be transferred electronically in a secure, verifiable and immutable manner.

Blockchain is a shared and immutable data structure. It is defined as a digital register whose entries are grouped into blocks, concatenated in chronological order, and whose integrity is guaranteed by the use of cryptography.

Co-location in augmented reality (AR) refers to the ability of multiple devices to share a common AR experience in a shared physical environment. This means that users with separate AR devices can see, interact with, and collaborate with the same virtual objects placed in the same real space.

How Co-location in AR Works

1. Environment Detection and Mapping:
• AR devices use sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, and accelerometers to scan and map the surrounding physical environment.
• This environment map is used to place and anchor virtual objects in the real space.
2. Sharing Position Data:
• Devices need to share precise information about their position and orientation relative to the physical environment.
• This can be done using technologies such as GPS, visual markers, Bluetooth beacons, or Wi-Fi networks.
3. Synchronizing Virtual Objects:
• Virtual objects are placed consistently and synchronized across different devices, ensuring that all users see the objects in the same relative location.
4. Real-time Communication:
• Devices must continuously communicate to update the position and state of virtual objects, ensuring precise synchronization.
• This communication can occur through local networks like Wi-Fi Direct or through internet connections.

Digital replica of a physical object, updated in real-time through IoT data, used in sectors such as industry, healthcare, and smart cities for simulations and monitoring.

Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized network, created by Vitalik Buterin in 2013. The network consists of a globally decentralized open source computing infrastructure, which executes programs called smart-contracts.

Technology that tracks eye movement to enhance interaction in XR and optimize rendering with techniques such as Foveated Rendering.

Technology that detects and analyzes the user’s facial movements in real time. It is used to animate digital avatars, improve social interactions, and increase the realism of immersive experiences.

Technology that allows the use of hands as an interface to interact with virtual or mixed environments without the need for controllers, recognizing gestures and finger movements.

Technology that enables a device to recognize a real-world image and use it as a reference point for displaying digital content. It is often used in augmented and mixed reality to trigger interactive experiences.

Interoperability is a concept that can be expressed on different levels (either at the level of the graphics engine, of links or of web3 via NFTs). Interoperability allows the interconnection of services, projects, digital assets and metaverses as a whole. The more interoperable a metaverse is, the lower its inherent risk.

The Internet of Things is the set of all those devices connected to the Internet and controllable through it. (Ex: Alexa and Google home)

The delay between a user's input and a system's response, measured in milliseconds. In XR, gaming, and AI, low latency is essential to ensure smooth and responsive experiences. In networks, it affects the speed of data transmission.

Series of standalone headsets developed by Meta (formerly Oculus) for experiences of Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR). The latest, Meta Quest 3, offers color passthrough and advanced spatial computing features.

Metaverse is a term coined by Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash (1992), a cyberpunk science fiction book, described as a sort of virtual reality shared via the Internet, where one is represented in three dimensions through one's avatar.

Shared interactive experience in Virtual or Mixed Reality, where multiple users can interact in the same digital environment in real time.

A wristband equipped with neuromuscular sensors that detects signals sent by the nervous system to the hand muscles. It enables users to control digital interfaces, smart glasses, and XR content through natural micro-gestures.

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), are a sort of "digital tokens", which are saved on the blockchain and unequivocally demonstrate that the owner of the token is also the person who owns the digital asset connected to it. It has become fashionable in the art world to assign ownership of digital works.

This is a non-player character from the metaverse (or video games). An NPC can be made up of a bodysuit, wear wearables and contain an AI (or simple interactions)

A set of points in three-dimensional space obtained through laser scanning or photogrammetry. Each point represents a real-world position and can be used to reconstruct environments, buildings, or objects in 3D.

Term that refers to the gaming world where in some games it is possible to explore the entire world map without having a pre-established path

Technology that allows XR headsets to display the real world through integrated cameras, enabling Mixed Reality (MR) experiences by overlaying digital content onto reality.

Persistence in augmented reality (AR) refers to the ability to keep virtual objects and content anchored and present in a specific location in the real world, even when the AR application is closed and reopened or when the device is moved and reused. This concept is crucial for creating continuous and consistent AR experiences that users can resume at any time.

How Persistence in AR Works

1. Spatial Anchoring:
• Virtual objects are anchored to specific positions in the physical environment using visual markers, natural landmarks, or precise spatial coordinates generated by technologies like SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).
2. Environment Mapping:
• AR devices map the physical environment and store this map so that virtual objects can be correctly repositioned when the application is reopened.
• The environment map can be continuously updated to adapt to changes in the physical environment.
3. Data Storage:
• Information related to the position of virtual objects and the environment map is saved locally on the device or on a cloud server.
• This storage ensures that objects remain persistent and can be retrieved later.
4. Synchronization and Retrieval:
• When the AR application is reopened, it retrieves the stored data and repositions the virtual objects in their original locations.
• Synchronization with the cloud server can ensure that the information is updated and consistent across different devices.

An interaction gesture that consists of bringing the thumb and index finger together. In mixed reality headsets, it is often used as the equivalent of a click or selection through hand tracking.

Virtual Reality represents a completely digital reality in which it is possible to move and interact through one's avatar.

Augmented reality is represented by a digital layer applied over reality (example: Pokemo Go)

Mixed reality is a concept that goes beyond augmented reality as it manages to merge real and virtual and not simply to superimpose them.

Synchronous AR Experience

A synchronous AR experience occurs when multiple users interact with the same AR content at the same time. This type of experience requires users' devices to be connected in real-time to constantly share and update information related to virtual objects and their position in the physical space.

Features of Synchronous AR Experiences

1. Real-Time:
• Users see and interact with virtual objects simultaneously, with immediate updates visible to all participants.
2. Collaboration:
• Synchronous experiences promote collaborative activities, such as multiplayer games, shared design projects, and educational workshops.
3. Communication:
• They often include real-time communication tools, such as voice or video chats, to facilitate interaction between users.
4. Precise Synchronization:
• They require precise synchronization of virtual objects and user positions to avoid misalignments and ensure a smooth experience.


Asynchronous AR Experience

An asynchronous AR experience, on the other hand, occurs when users interact with virtual objects and AR content at different times. This type of experience does not require a real-time connection between users' devices and allows for greater flexibility in accessing and interacting with AR content.

Self-executing digital contracts written on the blockchain, which operate automatically upon the occurrence of predefined conditions. They are the foundation of DeFi, NFT, and DAO applications.

Smart glasses equipped with sensors, cameras, audio, and sometimes integrated displays. They enable access to digital information and AI-powered features without using a smartphone or computer.

Technology that combines XR, AI, and IoT to allow users to interact with digital environments in a natural and intuitive way. It involves spatial recognition of objects and integration between the physical and virtual worlds.

A 3D rendering technique that reconstructs real-world environments and objects from photographs or scans. It enables highly realistic scenes with a high level of detail and strong performance.

Unity and Unreal are the two most used graphics engines in the world of video games and are starting to be used for metaverses as well.

A software development approach that uses artificial intelligence tools to quickly transform ideas and instructions into working code. It reduces the time required to build prototypes and applications.

The VPS is a feature that helps overcome the challenges of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and provides more accurate locations by leveraging location images and recognizing them.

A wallet or crypto wallet allows the sending and receiving of transactions on the blockchain.

Wearable in Web3 means the NFT clothing that our avatar can wear.