The DAO to MetaControl for MetaSystems in Metaverses:The System of Parallel Control Systems for Knowledge Automation and Control Intelligence in CPSS

An investigation and outline of MetaControl and DeControl in Metaverses for control intelligence and knowledge automation are presented.Prescriptive control with prescriptive knowledge and parallel philosophy is proposed as the starting point for the new control philosophy and technology,especially for computational control of metasystems in cyberphysical-social systems.We argue that circular causality,the generalized feedback mechanism for complex and purposive systems,should be adapted as the fundamental principle for control and management of metasystems with metacomplexity in metaverses.Particularly,an interdisciplinary approach is suggested for MetaControl and DeControl as a new form of intelligent control based on five control metaverses:MetaVerses,MultiVerses,InterVerses,TransVerse,and DeepVerses.

Parallel Manufacturing for Industrial Metaverses:A New Paradigm in Smart Manufacturing

To tackle the complexity of human and social factors in manufacturing systems, parallel manufacturing for industrial metaverses is proposed as a new paradigm in smart manufacturing for effective and efficient operations of those systems, where Cyber-Physical-Social Systems(CPSSs) and the Internet of Minds(Io M) are regarded as its infrastructures and the "Artificial systems", "Computational experiments"and "Parallel execution"(ACP) method is its methodological foundation for parallel evolution, closed-loop feedback, and collaborative optimization. In parallel manufacturing, social demands are analyzed and extracted from social intelligence for product R&D and production planning, and digital workers and robotic workers perform the majority of the physical and mental work instead of human workers, contributing to the realization of low-cost, high-efficiency and zero-inventory manufacturing. A variety of advanced technologies such as Knowledge Automation(KA), blockchain, crowdsourcing and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations(DAOs) provide powerful support for the construction of parallel manufacturing, which holds the promise of breaking the constraints of resource and capacity, and the limitations of time and space. Finally, the effectiveness of parallel manufacturing is verified by taking the workflow of customized shoes as a case,especially the unmanned production line named Flex Vega.

Integrated Inspection of QoM, QoP, and QoS for AOI Industries in Metaverses

With the rapid development of information technologies such as digital twin, extended reality, and blockchain,the hype around "metaverse" is increasing at astronomical speed. However, much attention has been paid to its entertainment and social functions. Considering the openness and interoperability of metaverses, the market of quality inspection promises explosive growth. In this paper, taking advantage of metaverses, we first propose the concept of Automated Quality Inspection(Auto QI), which performs integrated inspection covering the entire manufacturing process, including Quality of Materials, Quality of Manufacturing(Qo M), Quality of Products, Quality of Processes(Qo P), Quality of Systems, and Quality of Services(Qo S). Based on the scenarios engineering theory, we discuss how to perform interactions between metaverses and the physical world for virtual design instruction and physical validation feedback. Then we introduce a bottomup inspection device development workflow with productivity tools offered by metaverses, making development more effective and efficient than ever. As the core of quality inspection,we propose Quality Transformers to complete detection task,while federated learning is integrated to regulate data sharing.In summary, we point out the development directions of quality inspection under metaverse tide.

Parallel Sensing in Metaverses: Virtual-Real Interactive Smart Systems for “6S” Sensing

In the construction of Metaverses,sensors that are referred to as the“bridge of information transmission”,play a key role.The functionality and efficiency of today’s sensors,which operate in a manner similar to physical sensing,are frequently constrained by their hardware and software.In this research,we proposed the Parallel Sensing framework,which includes background,concept,basic methods and typical application of parallel sensing.In our formulation,sensors are redefined as the integration of real physical sensors and virtual software-defined sensors based on parallel intelligence,in order to boost the performance of the sensors.Each sensor will have a parallel counterpart in the virtual world within the framework of parallel sensing.Digital sensors serve as the brain of sensors and maintain the same properties as physical sensors.Parallel sensing allows physical sensors to operate in discrete time periods to conserve energy,while cloud-based descriptive,predictive,and prescriptive sensors operate continuously to offer compensation data and serve as guardians.To better illustrate parallel sensing concept,we show some example applications of parallel sensing such as parallel vision,parallel point cloud and parallel light fields,both of which are designed by construct virtual sensors to extend small real data to virtual big data and then boost the performance of perception models.Experimental results demonstrate the effective of parallel sensing framework.The interaction between the real and virtual worlds enables sensors to operate actively,allowing them to intelligently adapt to various scenarios and ultimately attain the goal of“Cognitive,Parallel,Crypto,Federated,Social and Ecologic”6S sensing.

Metaverse for mental health disorders:Opportunities and challenges

Several articles on the mental health impact of the metaverse and the need to balance its potential benefits with the risks of metaverse use has recently published.The metaverse consists of a combination of immersive technologies and artificial intelligence algorithms.The metaverse differs from the preceding digital psychiatric interventions due to its complex structure and interactions between components.The diverse functions of the metaverse ensure that it may have a substantial impact on mental health.However,the evidence for its efficacy in treating mental health disorders is limited to a few trials.The mental health benefits of immersive technologies are well-documented and suggest that metaverse-based psychiatric treatment may be similarly efficacious.The mental health risks of the metaverse are largely unknown,and it is not clear whether they will be greater than other digital psychiatric interventions.Much more research is needed to determine whether metaverse-based psychiatric treatment will meet the standards of appropriate mental healthcare.

UAV-Assisted Dynamic Avatar Task Migration for Vehicular Metaverse Services: A Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

Avatars, as promising digital representations and service assistants of users in Metaverses, can enable drivers and passengers to immerse themselves in 3D virtual services and spaces of UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses. However, avatar tasks include a multitude of human-to-avatar and avatar-to-avatar interactive applications, e.g., augmented reality navigation,which consumes intensive computing resources. It is inefficient and impractical for vehicles to process avatar tasks locally. Fortunately, migrating avatar tasks to the nearest roadside units(RSU)or unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) for execution is a promising solution to decrease computation overhead and reduce task processing latency, while the high mobility of vehicles brings challenges for vehicles to independently perform avatar migration decisions depending on current and future vehicle status. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a novel avatar task migration system based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL) to execute immersive vehicular avatar tasks dynamically. Specifically, we first formulate the problem of avatar task migration from vehicles to RSUs/UAVs as a partially observable Markov decision process that can be solved by MADRL algorithms. We then design the multi-agent proximal policy optimization(MAPPO) approach as the MADRL algorithm for the avatar task migration problem. To overcome slow convergence resulting from the curse of dimensionality and non-stationary issues caused by shared parameters in MAPPO, we further propose a transformer-based MAPPO approach via sequential decision-making models for the efficient representation of relationships among agents. Finally, to motivate terrestrial or non-terrestrial edge servers(e.g., RSUs or UAVs) to share computation resources and ensure traceability of the sharing records, we apply smart contracts and blockchain technologies to achieve secure sharing management. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms the MAPPO approach by around 2% and effectively reduces approximately 20% of the latency of avatar task execution in UAV-assisted vehicular Metaverses.

Mental health in the virtual world:Challenges and opportunities in the metaverse era

Current rates of mental illness are worrisome.Mental illness mainly affects females and younger age groups.The use of the internet to deliver mental health care has been growing since 2020 and includes the implementation of novel mental health treatments using virtual reality,augmented reality,and artificial intelligence.A new three dimensional digital environment,known as the metaverse,has emerged as the next version of the Internet.Artificial intelligence,augmented reality,and virtual reality will create fully immersive,experiential,and interactive online environments in the metaverse.People will use a unique avatar to do anything they do in their“real”lives,including seeking and receiving mental health care.In this opinion review,we reflect on how the metaverse could reshape how we deliver mental health treatment,its opportunities,and its challenges.

Therapeutic effect of the metaverse on mental health

López del Hoyo et al collections reported the meta verse based on the virtual reality,augmented reality and artificial intelligence could be used in the therapy of mental health,although there were still some challenges.This manuscript reported that the meta verse is a prospective method to improve the prognosis of mental health problems.

MV-Honeypot:Security Threat Analysis by Deploying Avatar as a Honeypot in COTS Metaverse Platforms

Nowadays,theuse of Avatars that are unique digital depictions has increased by users to access Metaverse—a virtual reality environment—through multiple devices and for various purposes.Therefore,the Avatar and Metaverse are being developed with a new theory,application,and design,necessitating the association of more personal data and devices of targeted users every day.This Avatar and Metaverse technology explosion raises privacy and security concerns,leading to cyber attacks.MV-Honeypot,or Metaverse-Honeypot,as a commercial off-the-shelf solution that can counter these cyber attack-causing vulnerabilities,should be developed.To fill this gap,we study user’s engagements with Avatars in Metaverse,analyze possible security vulnerabilities,and create a model named Simplified Avatar Relationship Association with Non-linear Gradient(SARANG)that draws the full diagram of infrastructure components and data flow through accessing Metaverse in this paper.We also determine the most significant threat for each component’s cyberattacks that will affect user data and Avatars.As a result,the commercial off-the-shelf(COTS)of the MV-Honeypot must be established.

Enhancing Identity Protection in Metaverse-Based Psychological Counseling System

Non-face-to-face psychological counseling systems rely on network technologies to anonymize information regard-ing client identity.However,these systems often face challenges concerning voice data leaks and the suboptimal communication of the client’s non-verbal expressions,such as facial cues,to the counselor.This study proposes a metaverse-based psychological counseling system designed to enhance client identity protection while ensuring efficient information delivery to counselors during non-face-to-face counseling.The proposed systemincorporates a voicemodulation function that instantlymodifies/masks the client’s voice to safeguard their identity.Additionally,it employs real-time client facial expression recognition using an ensemble of decision trees to mirror the client’s non-verbal expressions through their avatar in the metaverse environment.The system is adaptable for use on personal computers and smartphones,offering users the flexibility to access metaverse-based psychological counseling across diverse environments.The performance evaluation of the proposed system confirmed that the voice modulation and real-time facial expression replication consistently achieve an average speed of 48.32 frames per second or higher,even when tested on the least powerful smartphone configurations.Moreover,a total of 550 actual psychological counseling sessions were conducted,and the average satisfaction rating reached 4.46 on a 5-point scale.This indicates that clients experienced improved identity protection compared to conventional non-face-to-face metaverse counseling approaches.Additionally,the counselor successfully addressed the challenge of conveying non-verbal cues from clients who typically struggled with non-face-to-face psychological counseling.The proposed systemholds significant potential for applications in interactive discussions and educational activities in the metaverse.

Exploring the intersection of the medical metaverse and healthcare ethics:future considerations and caveats

The medical metaverse and digital twin are set to revolutionise healthcare.Like all emerging technologies their benefits must be weighed against their ethical and social,impacts.If we consider the advances of medical technology as an expression of our values,such as the pursuit of knowledge,cures and healing,an ethical study allows us to align our values and steer the technology towards an agreed goal.However,to appreciate the long-term consequents of a technology,those consequences must be considered in the context of a society already shaped by that technology.This paper identifies the technologies currently shaping society and considers the ethical,and social consequences of the medical metaverse and digital twin in that future society.

Multimodal emotion recognition in the metaverse era:New needs and transformation in mental health work

This editorial comments on an article recently published by López del Hoyo et al.The metaverse,hailed as"the successor to the mobile Internet",is undoubtedly one of the most fashionable terms in recent years.Although metaverse development is a complex and multifaceted evolutionary process influenced by many factors,it is almost certain that it will significantly impact our lives,including mental health services.Like any other technological advancements,the metaverse era presents a double-edged sword for mental health work,which must clearly understand the needs and transformations of its target audience.In this editorial,our primary focus is to contemplate potential new needs and transformation in mental health work during the metaverse era from the pers-pective of multimodal emotion recognition.

Social prescribing in the metaverse:a new frontier for primary care practice

The advent of immersive technologies such as the metaverse,extended reality,artificial intelligence,and blockchain offers novel possibilities to transform healthcare services.These innovations coincide with clinicians'aspirations to deliver more comprehensive,patient-centered care tailored to individuals singular needs and preferences.Integration of these emerging tools may confer opportunities for providers to engage patients through new modalities and expand their role.However,responsible implementation necessitates deliberation of ethical implications and steadfast adherence to foundational principles of compassion and interpersonal connection underpinning the profession.While the metaverse introduces new channels for social prescribing,this perspective advocates that its ultimate purpose should be strengthening,not supplanting,human relationships.We propose an ethical framework centered on respect for patients'dignity to guide integration of metaverse platforms into medical practice.This framework serves both to harness their potential benefits and mitigate risks of dehumanization or uncompassionate care.Our analysis maps the developing topology of metaverse-enabled care while upholding moral imperatives for medicine to promote healing relationships and human flourishing.

元宇宙视阈下智慧图书馆的机遇与挑战

随着科学技术的不断发展,图书馆事业发展面临新命题、新机遇和新挑战。文章从元宇宙概念的产生和发展,以及元宇宙和图书馆的内涵出发,探讨了元宇宙赋能图书馆的意义,分析了元宇宙视阈下图书馆面临的机遇和挑战,以期为智慧图书馆建设和元宇宙图书馆建设提供参考和借鉴。

从Verse知识范式向Metaverse知识范式的转变——从文字媒介异化到数字媒介异化

人类知识从Verse范式向Metaverse范式的转变是由媒介变革导致的。Verse范式以时间线性模式组织个体生命体验和人类文化,是以语言为媒介的诗性范式。Metaverse范式是对诗性范式的超越,以现代数字技术为媒介,是人类生命和文化在空间中的绽开。这两种范式都强有力地表达了人的主体性。基于人类大脑可塑性,两种范式都在塑造和改变着人的神经连接,从而导致人类身体向着虚拟化方向改变。在Verse范式中,语言媒介的线性特质导致人类思维向着线性方向异化,人从其创造的Verse中已不能完整观照人自身;而在Metaverse范式中,Metaverse侵入会导致人的感官被全面过度取悦,而被全面过度取悦之后的感官会变得麻木,甚至失灵,导致人类感官进一步异化,进一步加深人类的主体性危机。

MetaOracle:A High-Throughput Decentralized Oracle for Web 3.0-Empowered Metaverse

Recent rapid advancements in communication technology have brought forth the era of Web 3.0,representing a substantial transformation in the Internet landscape.This shift has led to the emergence of various decentralized metaverse applications that leverage blockchain as their underlying technology to enable users to exchange value directly from point to point.However,blockchains are blind to the real world,and smart contracts cannot directly access data from the external world.To address this limitation,the technology of oracles has been introduced to provide real-world data for smart contracts and other blockchain applications.In this paper,we focus on mitigating the risks associated with oracles providing corrupt or incorrect data.We propose a novel Web 3.0 architecture for the Metaverse based on the multiidentifier network(MIN),and its decentralized blockchain oracle model called Meta Oracle.The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can achieve minor time investment in return for significantly more reliable data and increased throughput.

Mental health in the virtual world:Are we ready for the metaverse era?

The advent of the metaverse,including virtual reality,augmented reality,andartificial intelligence,is an undeniable issue that health care scientists need toupdate.It influences all fields of knowledge,interpersonal relationships,andhealth.Regarding mental health since the post-coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic,it is necessary to consider and understand the potential,possibilities,weaknesses,and consequences arising from and provided by this new scenario.Due tothe increasing need for mental health monitoring and care,mental health treatmentsrequire in-depth training and preparation to achieve the maximum use of themetaverse advantages and possibilities.Currently,very little is known about theeffectiveness of remote mental health treatment,but it is certainly suggested thataccessibility and the characteristics associated with the use of metaverse technologiesmay represent new horizons for accessibility and approach tools,as long asmore studies are carried out and more evidence is collected to develop accurateguidelines,safe training,solve ethical concerns,and overcome limitations.

“Metaverse”之“Meta”新解:新生活图景与资本宣言

对metaverse(汉语译为“元宇宙”)一词前缀“meta”的解释,有“本原”“之外”“之后”“超越”几种,但其实都不合适。对“meta”并不能做单纯语义学的解释,因为它是资本的主动选择。表面上看,“meta”是在说metaverse包含万物无所不联,实际上是通过美化metaverse的形象,宣传metaverse提供的新生活方式,吸引大众进入metaverse世界。资本这样做的目的,一为掩盖资本在实在世界造成的消极影响和它当前在实在世界中的不利处境,二为利用metaverse为资本的增值扩张开辟一条更具隐秘性、诱惑性的新道路。因而,“meta”(汉语译为“元”)在这里应该有两重寓意:从功能来看是新生活图景的预告,从因由来看是资本进军新世界的宣言。

Metaverse技术与高速公路运营管理的融合创新分析

近年来所出现的Metaverse技术,为包括高速公路运营管理在内的交通发展创新,提供了许多新的技术支撑。本文根据Metaverse技术的本质属性,就其与高速公路智能化运营管理的深度融合创新展开探讨,所形成的具体结论,对提升高速公路运营管理的绩效,有直接的促进作用。

Hierarchical Federated Learning Architectures for the Metaverse

In the context of edge computing environments in general and the metaverse in particular,federated learning(FL)has emerged as a distributed machine learning paradigm that allows multiple users to collaborate on training a shared machine learning model locally,eliminating the need for uploading raw data to a central server.It is perhaps the only training paradigm that preserves the privacy of user data,which is essential for computing environments as personal as the metaverse.However,the original FL architecture proposed is not scalable to a large number of user devices in the metaverse community.To mitigate this problem,hierarchical federated learning(HFL)has been introduced as a general distributed learning paradigm,inspiring a number of research works.In this paper,we present several types of HFL architectures,with a special focus on the three-layer client-edge-cloud HFL architecture,which is most pertinent to the metaverse due to its delay-sensitive nature.We also examine works that take advantage of the natural layered organization of three-layer client-edge-cloud HFL to tackle some of the most challenging problems in FL within the metaverse.Finally,we outline some future research directions of HFL in the metaverse.