According to a recent Global Times report, metaverse applications are being deployed in twenty of Shanghai’s metropolitan areas.
These metaverse applications span a wide range of areas — including commercial operations, education, branding, and entertainment.
Ruijin Hospital — a well-known general hospital in Shanghai — will, for example, build up a virtual reality (VR) inspection room for patients, allowing them to access advanced services.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Eye and ENT Hospital will feature a “metaverse diagnose system” that will allow doctors to help patients using 3D remote diagnosis technology.
The tourism sector will also experience the metaverse‘s presence; the Oriental Pearl Tower — the world’s sixth tallest tower and China’s second tallest television tower — now allows visitors to try its interactive facilities, such as the one that allows guests to virtually fly above Shanghai’s busy Lujiazui commercial area using VR devices.
Another metaverse use involves Nanjing Road — the world’s longest shopping district — which has turned into a virtual commercial center that allows consumers to purchase products using digital yuan.
This week, Sony PlayStation and IKEA collaborated to build a dedicated eSports zone in a Shanghai IKEA outlet.
These are only a few of the metaverse applications found across Shanghai, which is the first city in the nation to create a long-term blueprint for the growth of metaverse use cases.
In the future, the city intends to expand the metaverse industry even more, with a projected output of 350 billion yuan (US$50 billion) in 2025.