One Notre Dame expert says we need to get past the hype and look at how VR can improve scientists’ workflow. However, researchers need to carefully strategize in order to avoid any downsides while taking advantage of these benefits.
In 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta and announced plans to create “a set of interconnected digital spaces that lets you do things you can’t do in the physical world.” This catapulted the term “metaverse” to the forefront of online discourse. The metaverse has been known by a variety of names since then. Different people have different opinions on this topic, with some calling it the “future of the internet” and others calling it “an amorphous concept that no one really wants.”
Virtual environments, real benefits
The metaverse, as defined by Gómez-Zará and his co-authors Peter Schiffer (Yale University’s Department of Applied Physics and Department of Physics) and Dashun Wang (Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering), is a virtual space where users can interact in a three-dimensional environment and take actions that have consequences in the real world.
There are four primary ways in which the researchers believe the metaverse can help science.
To begin with, it has the potential to break down barriers and democratize science. According to Gómez-Zará, we don’t have to make wild predictions about the future in order to grasp these possibilities. Instead, we might give examples of how virtual environments are already being used by researchers.
For instance, researchers from the University College London School of Pharmacy have created a VR-friendly version of their lab. The creation of this digital model facilitates communication and collaboration between researchers located in different parts of the world.
Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have created a virtual laboratory training that teaches new scientists all over the world how to properly identify lab equipment and implement emergency protocols.
This illustrative use also demonstrates a second advantage: enhanced educational opportunities.
According to Gómez-Zará: “For someone preparing to become a surgeon, it is quite hard to conduct a procedure for the first time without making any mistakes. A mistake might have serious consequences when dealing with a genuine patient. The ability to experiment and make mistakes in a risk-free setting is a key component of effective experiential learning in the virtual world, and this benefit extends to other areas of study as well.
Gómez-Zará is collaborating with researchers at Notre Dame’s Virtual Reality Lab to explore a third potential advantage, one that has to do with the interdisciplinary nature of science. The team investigates how working in an online setting changes the dynamics inside a group. They conclude that virtual environments, as opposed to videoconferencing, can improve team collaboration.
“Since the pandemic, we have all become comfortable videoconferencing,” Gómez-Zará explains. However, this does not imply that video conferencing is the optimal method for every endeavor. Virtual reality is a lot closer approximation of what we would have offline and could be far more useful, especially for intense social activities like team building and creativity.
According to Gómez-Zará, the metaverse might potentially be used to develop whole new experimental settings.
“If you can get data and images from somewhere, you can create a virtual replica of that place in virtual reality,” says Gómez-Zará. He cites the fact that we can see Mars thanks to satellites and robotics as an illustration. These may be utilized to develop a VR simulation that would allow researchers to explore the area virtually. One day, people might even be able to remotely influence their surroundings.
Potential pitfalls
To reap the full benefits of the metaverse, as Gómez-Zará points out, we must also steer clear of its many potential hazards.
Virtual reality is currently hindered by a number of obstacles. Although the price of VR headsets and accessories is dropping, it’s still not cheap.
Who controls the metaverse is a related issue. Although the metaverse is now in the authority of a small group of technological companies, Gómez-Zará points out that there have been proposals for research-supporting organizations to invest in creating a public, open metaverse. Meanwhile, he believes, researchers should always consider issues of ownership and privacy when conducting work in the metaverse.
His words are ultimately uplifting, though. In our minds, the Metaverse is still primarily a place for fun and lighthearted interaction. This, he believes, makes it too simple to ignore. But look at how fast we’ve all adjusted to using tools we hardly touched on before the pandemic. The metaverse might work the same way. The academic community must investigate this more. That’s the smartest way to think about potential outcomes while mitigating potential dangers.
