# UNIC META-511 Session 9: Trends in Visualization Technology

By [Semui](https://paragraph.com/@semui-2) · 2023-07-28

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**Session 9**: This article is a thread originally posted on Twitter (linked [here](https://twitter.com/iamsemui/status/1616819904178708481?s=61&t=mkIASVWz0Om7WNOff9-6Aw)) summarizing study notes from the Fall 2022 semester of the University of Nicosia’s online course, META-511: NFTs and the Metaverse. Course materials can be found at the UNIC META-511 github account [here](https://github.com/UniversityOfNicosia/META511MC-Course-Materials). The author is not affiliated with University of Nicosia or the META-511 faculty.

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1/ Summarizing my notes from session 9-1 of [@unicmetaverse](https://twitter.com/unicmetaverse) META-511 ✍️

In this session [@giaglis](https://twitter.com/giaglis), Dr. Chris Christou, and Dr. George Koutitas explained recent trends in visualization technology.

Advances in this field will directly impact how we experience the metaverse.

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2/ Visualization is pervasive, helping us render simulations of architecture, chemical reactions, crowd simulations, and fluid dynamics.

What used to always be a highly manual process by skilled technicians (e.g. architects) has now been replaced by CAD (computer-aided design).

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3/ Advances in GPU has made it possible for us to experience virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) by rendering millions of polygons per second.

Advances in computer vision has enabled the identification and mapping of structure, measuring distances, and positioning.

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4/ Graphics rendering is a multi-stage process. Within the application, there is the geometry (movement of objects), rasterization (process of drawing something on screen), and projection onto the application screen.

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5/ Methods such as LiDAR (Light Detection & Ranging) have made it possible for consumers to work on 3D models. The mapping of depth and structure also enables mapping for AR purposes.

PiCA (Pixel Codec Avatar) extracts data and uses deep learning to reconstruct expressions.

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6/ We may experience visualization through VR, AR, or MR (mixed reality).

*   VR is a digital experience totally isolated from the environment
    
*   AR allows you to interact with the physical world, overlaying digital.
    
*   MR allows you to interact with digital content.
    

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7/ Numerous use cases have been identified for VR & AR experiences.

One observation is that VR seems to have a stronger use case for gaming, remote collaboration, and social networks, while AR is more useful in industrial manufacturing, construction, and learning/development.

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8/ VR & AR have strong advantages compared to traditional online training programs as it is possible to combine cognitive learning with experiences to stimulate muscle memory.

There are also examples of AR start-ups helping farmers optimize the quality of growth in their fields.

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9/ Haptics are hardware interfaces that have sensory devices to deliver an extra level of immersion. They may consist of sensors that trigger vibrations that correspond to VR & AR experiences.

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10/ Agile development is often used in creating VR & AR experiences. Often the users themselves do not have a clear picture of what they need, and it is important to iterate through requirements gathering, experimenting, and adjusting course.

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11/ One of the key obstacles that must be overcome for VR & AR is motion sickness, caused by misalignment of signals the brain receives from ears and eyes.

New experimental headphones will include actuators (magnetic sensors) to align ear signals to match eye signals.

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12/ We still have a ways to go until mass-adoption. The clincher will likely be a form factor of regular glasses that contain computer graphics.

The world will be data rich as we enhance our experiences through visualizations, and this itself may be the metavese.

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13/ That is it for session 9-1!

The evolution of visualization technology to create immersive environments dates back to 1943, and continues to advance. Who knows what developments we will see in 2023 🤯

Materials are at the link below 👇

[https://github.com/UniversityOfNicosia/META511MC-Course-Materials](https://github.com/UniversityOfNicosia/META511MC-Course-Materials)

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*Originally published on [Semui](https://paragraph.com/@semui-2/unic-meta-511-session-9-trends-in-visualization-technology)*