A hot topic at the moment, the metaverse is present in the program of the 23rd RNP Workshop. The space that promises to combine virtual and augmented realities will be discussed in the panel “Towards the Metaverse: Definitions and Opportunities”, with the participation of Esteban Clua (UFF), Silvio Meira (TDS.company) and Thiago Savoldi (Restoque S/A). The discussion will take place on the first day of the event, May 23, at 4 pm, and will be mediated by Felipe Nascimento, innovation analyst and leader of the Study Group on the Metaverse of the National Education and Research Network (RNP).

“The metaverse is not necessarily a new concept, but it is a subject that has come back very strongly in the entrepreneurial community and is at the forefront of the innovation ecosystem. I classify it as a time in our lives when the digital side will be more integrated with the real and physical side”, explained Nascimento. According to him, this new moment will also create the need for new devices and better mobile network quality to support applications and experiences in virtual reality and augmented reality with the support of artificial intelligence.

Chief Scientist at TDS.company and extraordinary professor at CESAR.school, Silvio Meira works in the area of software engineering, digital transformation, new business and education and has over 25 years of practical and theoretical experiences with innovation. Recently published the “Definindo o Metaverso” (Defining the Metaverse) text and, in an interview with journalist Rosário de Pompéia, clarified that “the metaverse is 'phygital' by definition, that is, the digital and social dimensions come together with the physical dimension and create a 'phygital' environment, where everything happens”.

For him, it is as if the digital and social encapsulated and began to serve as a mesh that connects, relates and enables connections, relationships and interactions in the “phygital” space, including the physical world. “And it is this physical universe that can be extended, augmented, modified or restricted by digital. The metaverse is this combination of abstracting and going to the next level (meta), where there are things and agents, in the virtual, that can affect the concrete universe… and vice-versa”, completed Meira.

Esteban Clua, general coordinator of UFF Medialab, as well as representative for Brazil of the Technical Committee of Digital Entertainment of the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP), and Thiago Savoldi, manager of Growth, Innovation and Business Strategy at Restoque S/A also participate in the debate, specialist in innovation from ESPM and in business strategy from the University of Virginia and who works with a focus on Innovation and follows the paths of marketing in Metaverse, Games and NFTs.

“We are in a moment of construction of the metaverse and RNP is closely monitoring what large companies are proposing for this new scenario. Our objective is to disseminate this knowledge to the WRNP's highly qualified audience”, said Nascimento.

Registration for the 23rd WRNP is open

The 23rd edition of the WRNP also addresses other current topics, such as neutral chip, quantum technologies and deep techs, as well as a joint panel with the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Networks and Distributed Systems (SBRC): 'Accelerated digital transformation and increased risks of cyber-attacks: how to prepare the workforce for these challenges?' For the complete event schedule, click here. Registration is open and can be done through this link.

The RNP Workshop is a free event and, for the third year in a row, will be held online.
Aimed at researchers, professors, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as IT and innovation professionals, the WRNP takes place in parallel with the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Networks and Distributed Systems (SBRC), organized annually by the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC).