SOON you could go on a metaverse holiday, taking a trip to locations thousands of miles away while staying at home.

Scientists in Italy have created a new avatar system that will allow people to explore far off places.

Known as iCub3, users will be able to wear a suit and VR headset that will allow them to feel, hear, see, the location of their desired holiday as if they were physically there.

Instead a robot can be sent to the real-life location and more around on the metaverse user’s behalf.

Those wearing the new tech will be able to see the different location in real-time, complete with crowds, noises, and physical interactions.

In a demo, scientists transported a man from the north-western Italian city of Genoa to an exhibition hall in Venice 185 miles away.

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A 1.25 meter-tall robot walked around in Venice on his behalf, rotating its head and moving in whatever direction the user chose.

The creators of the tech prototype hope that iCub3 will open up future metaverse experiences and transform human interactions with the world around them.

Research lead Daniele Pucci, from the Italian Institute of Technology, said: “The iCub3 avatar system uses wearable technologies and algorithms.

“These are used to control the physical avatar iCub3.

“So they can be used to control digital avatars in the metaverse.”

The scientist hope as well as digitally transporting avatars to favourite holiday destinations, the new technology could open up a range of other opportunities.

They say the suits could be used by this with disabilities to let them complete tasks they would never have been able to do in the metaverse.

In the event of another pandemic, the suits could be used to allow healthcare works and other key professions to carry out their jobs from home.

Pucci said that while there was plenty of buzz about the metaverse, the technology to realise its potential was not currently available – something she hopes to change.

“What I see in our near future is the application of this system to the so-called metaverse, which is actually based on immersive and remote human avatars,” the scientist continued.

“We see the metaverse as the internet was during the nineties.

“Everybody thought that internet was a breakthrough, but its applications were not really clear till 2000.

“So, we believe that the real applications for the metaverse will shape in the coming years.”

The Italian researchers are not the only ones to be looking at new technology to use in the metaverse.

Japanese start-up H2L is developing technology that will allow users to feel senses including pain when they are in a virtual world, while a project set up by two academics in the UK looks to develop the necessary hardware for metaverse users to be able to pick up smells.

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