Technology is changing the way people live. The advent of Web became an inflection point in terms of technological innovation. The Web 1.0 was launched in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee and consumers witnessed its evolution over the years. The second generation of Web, popularly known as Web 2.0, was defined by Dale Dougherty as the ‘read and write web’ in 2004. Web 2.0 has also been called the participative social Web. Web 2.0 refers to the way Web pages are designed and used and there is no modification in the technical specification. Interaction and collaboration with individuals are allowed by Web 2.0 in a social media dialogue as the creator of user-generated content in a virtual community. The introduction of Web3.0 and decentralization at its core has changed the game.
Metaverse, NFTs, cryptocurrency, blockchain, etc., have all become buzzwords today. Virtual reality and augmented reality have come to the fore to revolutionize how consumers perceive digital realities. AR/VR provides an immersive experience engaging an individual’s vision and hearing abilities. However, enabling touch and feel in metaverse is a niche sector. Emerge.io engages the ability to touch and feel in digital realities. Emerge.io was the brainchild of Sly Lee, Issac Castro Garcia and Mauricio Teran. A fortunate encounter of the trio inspired them to start their own company after meeting at Singularity University in 2015 for a Google/NASA sponsored program.
The company went under two years of rigorous research and development. The company has raised $36.4 million to date. According to a Bloomberg report, the metaverse market is set to grow over $800 billion by 2024. Lee said in an interaction with Entrepreneur India, “Web3.0 space is set to grow. Metaverse is the new Internet.” The company is bullish on not being focussed on just facilitating touch. Emerge intends to transcend just touch to something which is much more emotional.
Emerge uses ultrasound sensors in its products to help people feel connected over distance and time through immersive experience. Emerge has developed micro-electromechanical system based solutions that utilizes silicon microfabrication technique, producing smaller ultrasound emitters that are powerful, precise and budget-friendly as compared to existing solutions in the market.
Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/430606