After being in the headlines for a while now, the metaverse is expected to get more attention this year as more companies across different industries look deeper at the concept of a virtual world. The most recent is US chip giant Qualcomm Technologies.
The company has opened six new XR (Extended Reality) labs across Europe. The labs are meant to reinforce Qualcomm’s position as an entryway into the metaverse. To begin with, Europe already has a thriving AR/VR (augmented reality and virtual reality) segment. The six labs across different cities position Qualcomm to lead the way into XR use in mobile computing.
It will take work
Qualcomm’s road to bring XR to the masses is paved with obstacles that require several breakthrough technologies and industry-leading experts to achieve.
Qualcomm said in a statement that the XR labs allow for growth in all necessary areas to deliver the technologies needed to make immersive experiences that will inspire what XR becomes.
The company also said that the XR labs would focus on research and development, engineering, and key technology creation in advanced hand tracking, SLAM/localization services, 3D mapping, multi-user experiences, and image recognition.
R&D
The new labs, Qualcomm added, build on the company’s commitment to making XR accessible to everyone, which would position it to make a killing from holding the key technologies required to make the metaverse work.
The intention now is to use the six labs before adding more in the future.
The ultimate goal for the company is to make sleek, head-worn glasses that don’t weigh as much as current headsets. With that goal achieved, the metaverse won’t seem like such a far-fetched idea after all. It will also be an advantage if the inventions are cheaper, as the entry barrier will be lowered for the masses to step into the virtual world.
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