With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) happening this week, I wanted to examine how simple it could be for developers to create a digital twin of Las Vegas that anyone can access via a quick download.
I've encountered a great deal of excitement around no-code tools that enable users to rapidly build virtual experiences. However, I've been skeptical about whether creative designers without programming skills can truly create these experiences quickly.
To test the hype, I challenged Agora World CEO Ethan Berg to create a digital twin of Las Vegas in under 20 minutes without any coding. Specifically, I asked him to develop an immersive experience that would allow me to navigate from my hotel, the Luxor, to the convention center, while incorporating virtual elements highlighting notable locations along the way.
Berg eagerly accepted the challenge, confident he could complete it in under 20 minutes. He even offered to record a video to demonstrate the process as a non-coder.
When I inquired about his background, he assured me he had never studied coding and maintained a non-technical career path focused on the business side of virtual reality (VR). Remarkably, within just 10 minutes, he created the immersive experience and shared the snapshot below.
Digital twin of Las Vegas created in Agora World in honor of CES 2024.
Agora World is a no-code virtual world development platform that allows creative agencies to quickly design and deploy immersive experiences for major brands. Founded in 2019 by Berg, the company aims to make the creation of virtual content, such as showrooms and training experiences, more accessible.
Berg, like many industry experts, believes most e-commerce websites will soon offer 3D experiences for their products and services. He emphasizes the need for user-friendly creative tools that anyone can utilize. Other companies, such as MetaVRse, Spatial, Blockade Labs, and Captic.io, are also working on no-code and low-code solutions for the industry.
VR’s Long Cold Winter Over?
As someone who has been developing VR experiences since 1991, I've often been misled into thinking that the virtual commerce boom was just around the corner. I recall pitching virtual showrooms at CES 26 years ago, envisioning digital products that users could both see and physically interact with using haptic technology.
During the early to mid-1990s, VR was at the forefront of technological innovation, with the industry optimistic about the imminent rise of virtual commerce. However, VR encountered a significant setback in 1998, entering a prolonged period that lasted 15 years, which forced many early startups out of business. This history makes me cautious about predicting the speed of adoption for mainstream applications like online shopping.
Nevertheless, CES 2024 seems to mark the opportune moment for the industry to reinvigorate the vision of immersive commerce. With Apple set to release its Vision Pro mixed-reality headset next month and Meta aggressively promoting its Quest 3 headset, I believe this will finally be the year when mainstream users, beyond gamers, begin to engage with online immersive content at scale.
MetaVRse Building the First Virtual Mall
For additional insight, I spoke with Alan Smithson, co-founder of MetaVRse and TheMall. He highlighted another crucial factor contributing to the growth of immersive commerce in 2024. As he stated, “You don’t invite your friends to go shopping with you on Amazon.”
In contrast, virtual worlds allow friends and family to shop together and enjoy the experience. To capitalize on this potential for social shopping in virtual environments, MetaVRse is developing the world’s largest virtual mall (TheMall.io), which aims to be the prime destination for brands and agencies seeking to create virtual shopping experiences for groups.
I also consulted my colleague Alvin Graylin, global VP of corporate development at HTC. He concurred that 2024 will be transformative for the industry, remarking, “VR/AR has been a four-letter word the last couple of years. Now, with next-gen products from major vendors like Apple, Samsung, Google, and HTC hitting the market, alongside AI tools significantly lowering 3D content creation costs, 2024 is poised for a massive resurgence in the visibility of immersive computing for both consumers and businesses.”
Immersive Commerce Brings New Risks
With the emergence of immersive commerce, consumers will encounter new risks that necessitate protective measures from policymakers. Automated virtual spokespeople in virtual showrooms will provide sales, support, and customer service through realistic interactions.
While this reduces labor costs for businesses, these AI representatives could be designed with advanced persuasive capabilities, learning over time what messaging resonates most with each consumer.
Given that virtual showrooms are on the horizon, major brands must consider integrating immersive content into their online platforms. This development will heighten the demand for user-friendly tools that enable marketers and creatives to produce engaging 3D experiences without the need for extensive programming expertise.
This need drives companies like Agora World and MetaVRse to innovate and simplify the creation of 3D web content, making it as straightforward as designing traditional 2D content using platforms like Wix, WordPress, or Canva.
Rapid Creation of Digital Twins Finally Achievable
Returning to the Las Vegas challenge, Berg produced a video demonstrating how he created a digital twin of the city in just 10 minutes. A key factor in this speed was that Agora World received a grant from geospatial company Cesium to facilitate rapid digital twin creation using a comprehensive database of 3D geospatial data.
Viewing the video below, I am convinced that the rapid creation of digital twins is now a reality.
Creating Virtual Vegas in Agora World.
While crafting a digital twin of a city is impressive, the most intriguing applications will arise when small businesses can quickly recreate their locations for shopping, training, or customer service purposes.
Event Horizon Experiences is one such company that has developed this type of content. It recently built a digital twin of a local Hyundai dealership in Corona, California, utilizing Cesium’s geospatial data through Agora World to replicate real-world surroundings. They are also integrating Convai to provide AI customer service representatives as virtual avatars, available 24/7.
“We rebuilt their location so customers could browse vehicles or interact with a representative from the comfort of home,” said Carlos Acevedo, CEO of Event Horizon.
He, like many others in the industry, believes that web development is on the verge of a significant shift towards immersive content, leading to increased engagement and more natural online shopping experiences compared to today’s static websites.
Digital Twin of Hyundai Dealership in Corona, California.
As we enter 2024, I encourage marketing professionals to explore the potential of no-code tools for creating digital twins and virtual showrooms. I also recommend that policymakers prepare for the next wave of online commerce, which will be far more immersive, interactive, and AI-driven than the current standard.
While it may take additional years to reach critical mass, I believe that virtual shopping will begin to gain real traction in 2024—and it won’t look back.
Louis Rosenberg, an early pioneer in AI and augmented reality, founded Immersion Corporation and Unanimous AI and developed the first mixed-reality system at the Air Force Research Laboratory.
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