PSI - Issue 64

L. Cecere et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 64 (2024) 2189–2196 Author name / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2019) 000 – 000

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Keywords: Virtual Reality, User Experience, Cultural Heritage

1. Introduction The term “ Metaverse ” denotes a not easily framed concept that has been gaining momentum in recent years, creating debate in various fields. The etymology of the word harks back to its meaning: meta stands for "interior," while verso is an abbreviation for "universe" and is in fact used to describe the concept of a virtual, three-dimensional, immersive universe where people can interact with each other and with digital objects. The term "Metaverse" first appeared in 1992, in a cyberpunk science fiction book called Snow Crash, in which the author, Neal Stephenson, defines the Metaverse as a virtual universe in which all the people of the world can access to interconnect with each other through digital avatars (Zhang et al., 2022). The idea of the Metaverse, however, was born even earlier, when this new concept of a universe is depicted in science fiction movies, such as "Blade Runner," "Ready Player One," in which the Metaverse allows people to do things that would be impossible to accomplish in reality and at the same time people can be whatever they want through their avatar (Palomo-Beltrán & Reséndiz-Vázquez, 2022). In this context, the avatar is understood as a virtual, digital representation of the person, which allows the user to interact with other avatars in the virtual environment. These can be constructed in the user's likeness, meaning that features such as eye color, hair color, face shape, etc., can be customized at will. In addition, thanks to advances in technology, it is also possible to modify details of the face, body or even reproduce facial expressions (Zhang et al., 2022). In addition to movies, many of the games developed in recent years are also based on the idea of the Metaverse: Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite are some of them. The last one, in particular, is very close to what is the idea of Metaverse: its main feature is to be a battle royale with the possibility for users to perform other activities as well. In general, the Metaverse, in order for it to work, requires the use of technologies that have to collaborate and coexist with each other: among the most impactful ones we find Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR), these are then joined by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twin (DT), 5G and others(Casillo et al., 2023; Lorusso & Celenta, 2023). VR is a technology that creates a computer-simulated environment that can be similar or completely different from reality, which can be explored by users through input devices, such as visors, gloves or motion controllers. The VR-related experience is further amplified through the modalities of vision, sound, touch, and motion (Mystakidis, 2022). Among the most important features of VR are immersion and interaction: wearable input devices allow users both to be fully immersed in the virtual environment and to interact with the environment and objects within it. AR, unlike VR, represents a real-world augmentation, that is, a form of technology that can integrate real world and computer-generated information. In fact, it represents reality as captured by the user enriched with data in a digital format (Kye et al., 2021). The result is the digital projection of data mediated by devices such as smartphones, tablets, glasses or other transparent surfaces. Such technology can also be implemented within virtual reality viewers (Mystakidis, 2022). So, compared to VR, AR is defined as more complex in that it must first recognize real space and then be able to superimpose virtual elements. MR, then, is the combination of AR and VR. It is a technology for creating interactive experiences where real and virtual objects interact with each other. In MR, users wear devices such as goggles or visors that overlay virtual images onto the real world, allowing them to see and interact with both at the same time(Casillo et al., 2022). Ultimately, unlike VR, in which the user is fully immersed in a virtual environment, and AR, in which virtual objects are superimposed on the real environment via screen or camera, Mixed Reality combines the two experiences(Clarizia et al., 2022). AI, combined with VR and AR, is also a key technology for the creation of safe, scalable and realistic virtual worlds such as the Metaverse (Shukla et al., 2019). One possible application of AI in the Metaverse may be the projection of users' body movements or facial expressions into the virtual world using wearable sensors. Although AR/VR technologies work in the foreground, to make the experience more immersive, through user use of wearable devices, AI does crucial work behind the scenes to build a creative world by offering users a solution-free experience. 1.1. Metaverse structure The realization of a Metaverse is directly related to four characteristics considered fundamental: realism, ubiquity, interoperability and scalability. Realism refers to the fact that the virtual space must be realistic to further increase user