Meta’s virtual-reality avatars are finally getting legs, here’s why

Why is it so onerous to construct a metaverse avatar – a visible illustration of ourselves within the digital world – that walks on two legs? “I feel everybody has been ready for this,” stated a cartoonish digital model of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, unveiling his new avatar legs and leaping up and down at a virtual-reality occasion Tuesday. “However significantly, legs are onerous. Which is why different digital actuality programs haven’t got them both.”

Early avatar fashions launched by Meta, in addition to Microsoft, have been ridiculed for showing as legless, waist-up our bodies floating round their digital worlds.

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That is partly as a result of tech firms have been keen to point out off their progress in constructing out virtual-reality environments whereas nonetheless engaged on the technical challenges of constructing avatars extra human-like and practical. Meta renamed itself from Fb final 12 months in hopes of jumpstarting its company transformation right into a supplier of metaverse experiences for work and play.

Zuckerberg described legs as “in all probability probably the most requested function on our roadmap” and stated they are going to be accessible quickly on Meta’s Horizon virtual-reality platform. He stated the problem is perceptual, involving how the mind – taking in photos seen by a virtual-reality headset – accepts a rendering primarily based on how precisely it’s positioned.

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Legs are more durable to render precisely as a result of they’re typically hidden from view.

“In case your legs are below a desk or in case your arms block your view of them, then your headset cannot see them immediately,” he stated.

Zuckerberg stated the corporate has been working to enhance how its synthetic intelligence programs observe and predict the place legs and different physique elements ought to be transferring.

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