At the forefront of this transition to the Spatial Web is the convergence of new Smart Technology stacks merging AR, VR, AI, IOT, and Distributed Ledger innovation, working together as part of a universal network of interconnected people, places & things, both real & virtual.

Think of the Spatial Web as a blending of virtual and physical worlds using cognitive and distributed technologies. Undeniably, there are specific Smart Technologies that will be crucial to the architecture of this networked Web 3.0 experience.

So, what are Smart Technologies?

Smart Technologies integrate Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Distributed Ledger Technologies into these key verticals:

Smart Spaces

Smart Cities, Smart Factories, Smart Buildings, Smart Homes

Trillions of IOT sensors are expected to come online in the next decade, providing opportunities for new technologies to create programmable spaces in defined locations, both real and virtual, blending real world and digital interaction for the complete Metaverse experience.

Smart Assets

NFTs, Property, Avatars, Art, Merchandise

A Smart Asset is any physical or digital object that is registered on a Distributed Ledger securing proof of its unique existence, ownership & location.

Programmable conditions in the form of Smart Contracts can automatically determine & execute the transfer, sale, trade and use across locations, users, games, apps and real/virtual worlds.

Smart Contracts

Programmable, automated, self-executing & immutable code recorded onto Distributed Ledger Blockchains, securing transactions & agreements by replacing static documents and the need for third party mediation.

Smart Accounts

A single user account that can be used across any Web 3.0 application that manages, stores & authenticates a User’s Decentralized Identity, Asset Inventory, Wallets, and User Transaction, Payment & Location History.

Provides private & secure transactions and interactions across Spaces and between Users.

Smart IDs

Proof of Identity is the first step of security in any transaction.

Utilizing decentralized identifiers, every user, space or asset can be uniquely identified as authentic.

Smart IDs prevent fraud as they provide for proof of origin, proof of identity, proof of ownership, and data sovereignty by enabling users to define and control access to the complete contents of their digital profile at any time.

According to Dan Mapes of VERSES, “Smart ID on the Spatial Web includes SSI — Self Sovereign Identity — which means You Own Your Own Data — and can choose to sell it yourself if you want to. This also enables Zero Knowledge Proofs — which gives the user total control over what they choose to share and with whom and for how long. You might choose to share part of your medical record with a doctor but that record disappears after 10 days or 30 days — whatever you decided.”

Smart Payments

Programmable transactions using digital wallets and crypto currencies, to authenticate, automate and execute payments for any exchange of value between Users and Assets in any real or virtual Space.

These Smart Technologies along with humans, machines, content, data, assets, locations, buildings, factories, workflows, imagination, and the context of real-time interaction across every one of them, THIS is the Web 3.0 of the future.

Special thanks to Dan Mapes, President and Co-Founder, VERSES Technologies, and Director of The Spatial Web Foundation. If you’d like to know more about The Spatial Web, I highly recommend a helpful introductory book written by Dan and his VERSES Co-Founder, Gabriel Rene, titled, “The Spatial Web,” with a dedication “to all future generations.”