Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology established the first department named by Metaverse in China

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Asia Pacific Academy of Science Pte. Ltd. (APACSCI) specializes in international journal publishing. APACSCI adopts the open access publishing model and provides an important communication bridge for academic groups whose interest fields include engineering, technology, medicine, computer, mathematics, agriculture and forestry, and environment.

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Volume Arrangement

2024

Vol 5, No 1 (2024)

2023

Vol 4, No 2 (2023)

Vol 4, No 1 (2023)

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Featured Articles

Content creation or interpolation: AI generative digital art in the classroom

The integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools in art and design has disrupted the traditional creative landscape, leading to debates on the legitimacy of AI-generated art and the emergence of new markets such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The US Copyright Office’s February 21, 2023, ruling withdrawing copyright protection for AI-generated comic artwork, while protecting the accompanying text and arrangement, highlights the contested nature of AI art and suggests that significant human intervention in the creative process will be required for monetization. Whether considered content interpolation or content creation, AI generative content for the creation of art and design is here with human-AI collaboration. To explore the potential of AI tools in creative practice, this study introduced students in a digital art course to Craiyon and Midjourney generative AI tools, with DALL-E 2 selected as the primary tool due to its varied output. The students were tasked with selecting a preferred prompt from one tool and then reproducing the output from both tools. The results revealed significant variations in replicating the outputs of different AI tools and limited exploration of prompt engineering, leading to restrictions in the iterative process of artmaking. The students agreed that generative AI tools are not a substitute for human creativity and should be used for final projects. The study demonstrates the potential and limitations of integrating AI tools in art and design and suggests the need for further research in developing effective prompt engineering strategies.

From motion to magic: Real-time virtual-real stage effects via 3D motion capture

Immersive cultural performances with virtual-real fusion effects are the future development trend in the exhibition and stage industry. However, current virtual-real stage performances heavily rely on traditional sequential design and arrangements. During the performance, actors must move to specific positions based on the musical beat and execute predetermined actions with a pre-designed amplitude and frequency to synchronize with the fixedly played stage visual effects; otherwise, major performance accidents such as plot inconsistencies or continuity errors may occur. To address the problem, this paper introduces a real-time generation system for stage visual effects based on multi-view multi-person 3D motion capture. The system utilizes multi-view 3D motion capture technique to achieve non-intrusive real-time interaction perception of target actors in the stage space. By perceiving the spatial position and performance actions of the target actors, corresponding stage visual effects are generated in real-time. This is followed by the seamless integration of sound effects and immersive high-definition display, ultimately realizing multidimensional real-time interaction between real actors and virtual visual effects in the stage space. We conducted an experimental virtual-real stage performance, lasting approximately two minutes, in a physical theater to validate the effectiveness of our proposed method. The experiment not only produced a unique innovative effect of blending stage and technology but also effectively enhanced the sense of presence and interactivity of the stage performance, providing actors with more freedom and control in their performances.

On August 7th-8th, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology (NUIST) and other institutes co-hosted the "Metaverse and Intelligent Technology Innovation Forum" and Modern Industrial College Construction Seminar in Nanjing. On the spot, the Dean of School of Artificial Intelligence (School of Future Technology) at NUIST, Prof. Zhigeng Pan accepted the invitation of Qing Li, the vice president of the Asia Pacific Academy of Science, to be the editor-in-chief of our journal Metaverse.

The School of Artificial Intelligence (School of Future Technology) of NUIST was established in June 2019, combining information engineering and AI majors. Prof. Zhigeng Pan said, the Metaverse has attracted high social attention and achieved a great market demand in recent years, however, the direction of this industrial development remains unclear, artificial intelligence is one of the core technologies of the Metaverse, so motivation to establish a department of the Metaverse in the institute generated. On September 23, by the decision of the joint meeting of the party and government of the School of Artificial Intelligence, NUIST approved the issuance of the “Notice on the Renaming of the Department of Information Engineering to the Department of Metaverse Engineering”. This is the first department named by the Metaverse in China that plans to jointly train master and doctoral students majoring in the Metaverse with Hong Kong Polytechnic University and set up a postdoctoral station.

After the establishment of the Department of Metaverse Engineering, its curriculum, enrollment plan and degree awarding have also become hot topics in society. The whole Metaverse industry is still in the exploration stage, where the development direction is unclear. The business model and related laws and regulations are not perfect yet, and a systematic and scientific teaching system has not been established worldwide. All these problems are eager to be solved.

Our journal Metaverse will deepen the Metaverse research and build a new era of the Metaverse world together with the Department of Metaverse Engineering.

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Zhigeng Pan

Director, Institute for Metaverse, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, China

News & Announcements

2024-05-13

Call for papers for Special Issue "Metaverse and Intelligent Education"

Metaverse is a technology that projects the real world into a virtual environment using virtual reality, augmented reality, and the internet. It provides opportunities for people to engage in work, learning, life, socializing, and even economic activities, thereby achieving the integration of the real world and the virtual world.

2024-03-19

Metaverse Partners with ACM SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 Educator's Forum

Information details for who could submit or how to submit: Educator’s Forum - SIGGRAPH Asia 2024.

2024-02-21

Notification of Metaverse Forum: Metaverse, ChatGPT and Sora

One of the series of forums, Metaverse and ChatGPT and Sora, led by the Editor-in-Chief of the journal and hosted by the China Metaverse Technology and Application Innovation Platform and the Jiangsu Metaverse Engineering Research Center, will be held on February 21, 2024, in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. The Journal Editorial Office of Metaverse is participating in this conference as a co-organizer.

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Special Issues

Proposal a Special Issue

Deadline: 2024-12-31

Metaverse and Intelligent Education

Guest Editor: Prof. Danli Wang, Prof. Mingmin Zhang

Keywords: Metaverse; Intelligent Education; Cognitive Theory; Interaction and Collaboration; Artificial Intelligence; XR Technologies; User Evaluation

Deadline: 2024-12-31

Advancements in VR, State Estimation, and SLAM: Navigating Immersive Environments

Guest Editor: Dr. Xiaowen Tao

Keywords: Virtual Reality; Augmented Reality; Mixed Reality; Extended Reality; State Estimation; Simultaneous Localization and Mapping; Sensor Fusion; 3D Mapping; Human-Computer Interaction; Machine Learning; Computer Vision; Immersive Interfaces; Haptics; Sensor Technologies; Spatial Perception; Wearable Devices; Real-time Localization; Multimodal Sensor Fusion; Industrial Applications; Healthcare Applications; Educational Applications; User Experience; Ethical Implications; Privacy Concerns; Collaborative Mapping