At the recent WWDC 2018 Developer Conference, Apple released a series of operating system and software updates such as iOS 12, ARKit 2, Watch OS 5, and MacOS Mojave. The AR section, represented by ARKit 2.0, accounts for the largest portion of this year's WWDC, which means that AR has become Apple's most important investment for the future. We performed in-depth research into ARKit 2.0, and we are quite certain that Apple's update will lead to rapid development of the AR industry. However, if AR is to replace smartphones as the next universal computing platform, ARKit 2.0 is simply not enough.
ARKit 2.0: Implementing Multi-User AR Interactions in the Same Space
ARKit is what Apple calls "the largest AR platform in the world." Of the new ARKit 2.0 features released at WWDC 2018, the most striking is that ARKit 2.0 can support users on two different devices playing the same AR app at the same time. Apple demonstrated this new feature with a Lego demo at the WWDC — by using two iPad devices to build a game scene, Lego further expanded the scope of its toys beyond a merely physical experience. This means that we can use ARKit 2.0 to invite friends to play the same augmented reality game, and that we can observe the dynamics between our teammates and ourselves in the same space.
As one example, we can imagine a team-based fight against a monster where you should be able to see the creature as your friends see it, occupying the same physical space from everyone’s perspective. Meanwhile, the virtual equipment donned by your companions should be visible to all, and you should be able to run into battle together and triumph as a team. “The more, the merrier”: ARKit2.0 satisfies the user's taste for sharing the fun and playing with a group, in such a way that everyone can have a breathtaking experience as the "top player" in the AR game scene. However, Apple does not currently provide cloud storage services and cannot scan and store the original mapping of data in the cloud, all of which is necessary for the above scenario.
Put simply, ARKit 2.0 is equivalent to a two-player game mode implementation of a standalone AR game. If this sounds exciting, then you can fully imagine a future with the promise of global massively-multiplayer-online AR experiences.
AR Virtual Reality is the Most Promising Technology of the Future
It is reported that by the end of 2018, AR applications are expected to run on 1.8 billion devices, and Apple’s AR headset will be available in 2020. Market research institutions predict that the global AR market in 2021 will reach US$133.78 billion and grow at an annual rate of 85.2%. Some experts even believe that AR will replace smartphones and become the next universal computing platform for mankind.
However, the lack of reliable hardware and software to support developers has caused AR applications to fail to meet market expectations. Apple's ARKit is expected to improve the AR development process and bring in more attractive AR applications. However, Apple's current AR technology only allows a maximum of two users to interact with each other in the same space. In fact, people involved in AR should be able to achieve countless features limited only by human imagination.
We expect that AR will usher in an era of multi-user interaction, which will lead to far more interesting social activities. Imagine that prior to an online business discussion, we obtained basic information of the other party through AR and that we could greet each other via AR interaction. The entire exchange would be natural and efficient, and would enable a smooth transition into any following meetings.
AR's multi-user potential is something that everyone can anticipate and look forward to, just as Pokemon GO has become a global hit that serves as an example of AR’s appeal. In the future, we foresee that virtual game characters can increasingly interact with the environment, and that players can interact with each other in real time in more engaging ways. For example, should the city face invasion by digital dinosaurs, all of the city's players could join together, traveling into the battle zone in real-time and in real life, fighting side by side and experiencing an unprecedented gaming adventure.
In addition, AR will also showcase new business scenarios. Beyond the current level of digital shopping, customers will be able to maximize shopping experiences before their very eyes, and through AR, gain relevant business information, product information, and user evaluations on the fly, along with having the ability to share their shopping experience with their friends.
The above application scenarios are not impossible to achieve. By building a digital 1:1 representation of the real world, all AR users will have access to key information about the real world. However, figuring out how to implement such a large data model is an important problem that technology giants such as Google and Apple are struggling to solve.
WorldCloud: A Digital Model of the Real World for Global Multi-User AR
Google’s Local Guides Program claims that 50 million people have provided crowdfunding data for Google Maps (primarily the names of offline stores, reviews, photos, etc). Only 700,000 new data points are added globally through Local Guides every month. For context: at that rate, even if all newly generated data points were solely generated for the city of New York, it would take nearly 10 years for Google to collect enough data to make a useful AR search engine just for NYC.
Crowdsourced data collection motivated by sense of achievement is the most straightforward way to solve the issue of AR data collection, but it may prove to be an ineffective method because collecting data is a very tedious activity. In order to work, any crowdsourcing approach must pique the public’s interest. To this end, we believe that blockchain technology is the best solution, and by using it, WorldCloud implements an effective incentive system to break through the difficulties of data collection.
WorldCloud is a decentralized infrastructure for the AR industry, employing industry experts on its technical and marketing teams. It aims to use social forces to solve the huge data demand of AR applications, and to comprehensively construct an AR ecosystem. WRLD is the token circulating through the WorldCloud ecosystem that encourages global users to collect AR data for WorldCloud. It also encourages users to share their idle storage, bandwidth and computation resources as buffer nodes to provide real-time data for nearby AR users. This approach will make the supply of AR data real-time and reliable, enabling excellent user experience.
WorldCloud will dedicate 2% of the total amount of WRLD tokens to its bounty program. Tokens can be earned by registering on the project’s website or sharing WorldCloud links on Facebook or Twitter. Early Token holders, data collectors, and technology providers are able to participate in the management of the WorldCloud ecosystem and reap substantial benefits in the process. In the future, we will update the project’s progress through community channels and bring in more partners. If you are willing to participate in the evolution of computation, join us!