The metaverse is revolutionising how we communicate, as we live, play, and work in a new virtual environment, which has become an umbrella that encapsulates many digital advancements, cryptocurrencies and NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens). These digital currencies and artifacts hold real world value that the maritime industry can benefit from.
So, how does a 3D virtual universe incorporate yachting, or more importantly, how can the yachting industry incorporate the metaverse?
Design and Development
Incorporating CAD design into a virtual world and using variables to recreate conditions at sea, superyachts can be designed and sailed, without ever picking up a pencil, screwdriver or even touching water. Virtual reality offers a safe space to build and test developments.
From the conceptualisation to the creation, augmented reality gives yacht builders an immersive, to-scale showroom, in which they can see how a design will look and feel when it is brought to life. Not only that, but they can set sail on a virtual sea with variable conditions putting the ship through its paces and optimising efficiency, aesthetics and functionality.
For prospective clients, regardless of their location, seeing your vision before construction has even begun, can be a huge benefit. A handful of yacht builders have incorporated VR into every step of their process, updating clients at each stage of the build with the immersive technology.
The Virtual Boardroom
With sustainability high on everyone’s agenda, the metaverse offers a solution in bringing people together.
For yachts, this could mean seafarers can meet virtually before they travel together, and once onboard, can host important meetings from the middle of the ocean, attending events sat on deck or visiting any corner of the globe, or even the universe, from the comfort of your cabin.
Holding such activities in this way can be greatly beneficial to the environment, reducing the carbon footprint of bringing people together by traditional means.
NFTs & Project Metaverse
Despite the 2022 crypotcrash, NFTs are by no means lost at sea. A non-fungible token is essentially a digital asset. They are traded on the blockchain, which is essentially the Fort Knox of the digital world and have accrued some hefty price tags.
For the maritime industry, NFTs and blockchain provide an exciting new technology that has been adapted to provide efficient tracking for the 90% of goods transportation that’s seaborne.
Seeing the digital assets for business as well as pleasure, digital yacht builders are drafting in some of the world’s most renowned yacht builders and designers to create a series of NFT collections, featuring some truly extravagant digital superyachts.
The ultimate VR superyacht comes in the (virtual) form of Project Metaverse. Designed by Gregory C Marshall, Project Metaverse is a 63-metre superyacht NFT with a price tag of $95,000,000. If the NFT sells, it will become the most expensive NFT ever sold, but will also see the design become a real-world asset.
With the world’s leading yachting industry players descending on Dubai for this year’s Dubai International Boat Show, you can expect to see some of the latest technologies and developments amongst our fantastic line up of designers, speakers, fin and blue tech companies and perhaps even grab your chance to explore the metaverse.
For more information and to book your place, follow this link.
