The metaverse market has the potential to grow to $5 trillion (approximately 6,400 trillion won) by 2030.

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company made this point in a new report, "Value Creation in the Metaverse," released on the 16th. The report estimated that e-commerce, worth $2.6 trillion, surpassed virtual learning at $270 billion, advertising at $206 billion, and gaming at $125 billion, making it the largest sector in the global economy.

Consumers are already increasingly engaging with the metaverse. A McKinsey survey found that six in ten (59%) consumers prefer at least one metaverse experience over their real-world counterparts. More than 70% of consumers said they prefer immersive experiences, such as shopping, participating in virtual social events, social gaming, and exercising in VR.

The metaverse industry is growing steadily, and at the 2022 Metaverse Expo held on the 15th, around 240 domestic and foreign companies, from metaverse-related device manufacturers to blockchain, NFT, and metaverse platforms, participated, giving a glimpse into the growth of the metaverse industry. This event will feature an exhibition and conference on metaverse, blockchain, and NFT under the theme of "Metaverse, a digital new continent of infinite possibilities" until the 17th.
VR and AR devices are, of course, essential to the metaverse. Penesia, a domestic company producing ultra-light AR smart glasses, unveiled the GTM series, an AR glasses developed using proprietary technology. These glasses, designed for mixed reality, feature FHD video support and see-through optical configurations that enable a direct view of the front, as expandable head-mounted monitors for smartphones and PCs.

To realize this augmented reality, the various sensors that make up smart glasses play a crucial role. AR glasses require a DoF (degrees of freedom) IMU sensor module to recognize spatial and positional information based on head movement. For precise sensing, a 9-DoF sensor, which integrates a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, and a 3-axis magnetometer on a single chip, is required, along with a lidar.

Song Hyuk-gyu, CTO of Penesia, explained, “We plan to equip our next-generation products with LiDAR sensors, which will enable detection and scanning capabilities.” He added, “In addition to LiDAR’s mapping technology, a visual positioning system using dual cameras will be added, enabling augmented reality navigation in everyday life.” Smart glass mapping is expected to be applicable to industrial sites, contributing to improved worker safety and work efficiency.
The bustling booth showcased a diverse range of metaverse platform sectors, including gaming, education, books, and sports. True to its reputation as a metaverse exhibition, experiential activities utilizing VR and AR devices dominated the event.

Nine Communications has unveiled a prototype hologram capable of real-time hologram transmission in a fully self-contained, two-way, plug-and-play manner. The prototype hologram, the world's first successfully developed holographic communication platform, has already garnered attention, winning awards at global IT exhibitions such as CES 2022 and SXSW 2022.
We also found products that enhance convenience by assisting VR and AR devices. PNI Company's Valeg is a virtual space mobility device that allows users to sit down while wearing a VR or AR device, minimizing the need for physical movement, such as running, walking, and moving. It can be used for exploring virtual reality and navigating within games.

Business leaders see the metaverse's potential to expand their companies' influence and boost profits. In a McKinsey survey, 95% of industry insiders expected the metaverse to have a positive impact on their industry within 5 to 10 years, and 31% predicted that the metaverse would fundamentally change the way their industry operates.