AGermany, according to Forbes, is the fourth country with the most billionaires per capita, 114 in total. Therefore, no one would be surprised by the news of a new member on this expensive list; however, the case of elementary school teacher Ailin Graef baffled many, as she became wealthy selling and renting lots of her 14 square mile empire. (Read: Are they paid to sleep live? Sleepfluencers, the new TikTok trend)
Graef and her husband started building themed islands, resorts, restaurants and establishments with just $9, and now their properties cost over $1 million. However, if someone asks about the owner of these properties, they will see that they belong to Anshe Chung and not Ailin Graef. And, even more curious, that there will be no dirt or grass or a beach chair for anyone to touch.
Just like you read it. Anshe Chung, Graef’s virtual character, is the first millionaire in Second Life, a metaverse. In other words, a parallel universe, which became popular years ago as a virtual world where everyone can unleash their true personality or sexuality, fulfill their dreams, dress or have the body they want. and do things he doesn’t dare to do in reality, to do out of shame or social norms.
The German couple even have a business in reality, located in Wuhan, China, where dozens of employees work to manage the real estate and leisure businesses they have in this metaverse, where a currency called Linden.
Similar successes are linked to other virtual games such as World of Warcraft, Minecraft or Habbo. Despite the curiosity of government authorities, particularly tax and financial authorities, the proliferation of this type of economic activity is linked to a reality: virtuality is colonizing everyday life.
Connection physical and digital world
While in many countries such as Japan, the United States and Australia, robots are used as waiters capable of carrying plates and glasses, handling customer orders and even bringing a toothpick to a restaurant, if they ask, there is still a lot of unease in much of the world due to the dangers that the digitalization of life would bring.
In this scenario, many companies have regained social utility as they are dedicated to connecting reality to the virtual, contributing to business efficiency, transforming the relationship between suppliers and customers, better urban and rural management and , above all, to promote the sustainability of the planet.
One of these proposals is Phygital, an innovative platform of complete solutions to connect the physical to the digital, which is part of Minsait, an Indra company.
“Among its virtues are our transformation projects that bring tangible benefits such as greater penetration of renewable energies, improved efficiency and profitability of industrial assets, optimization of waste recycling or the improvement of public services”, says Leonardo Jiménez, global director of the digital division of Minsait, who was a few days ago at the Andesco Congress in Cartagena.
Technology and climate
The relevance of climate change, an issue that concerns and unites people who might not be in the same place for fun, has established it as a critical issue on all public agendas and corporate projections. Topics such as reducing the carbon footprint, the circular economy, the transition to renewable energies and the social impact of global warming transcend all spheres.
Phygital, on the other hand, is based on data analysis, artificial intelligence, user experience, architectures and platforms; the Internet of Things, geospatial technology and mobility, to solve possible problems in the accelerated transformation that the management of the physical world is undergoing through digitization, a dynamic exacerbated after the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put the whole world between four walls, so through screens they maintained communication with the outside world.
“Our platform has allied technological elements of all energy management with a view to decarbonization and the implementation of elements that improve the water cycle and reduce the impact of a company’s or institution’s operations on the environment. It is an added value that should be pursued by tourism and agriculture,” says Jiménez.
Smart cities
Not only does traffic stress drivers, but it also damages the ozone layer by generating greenhouse gases. Under this maxim, many emphasize the urgency of transforming cities and towns into “smart” environments, where technology improves processes, public responses to citizens are rapid and the energy transition moves with electric cars and buses, and no more bicycle pedals.
Smart Waste is one of Minsait’s “phygital” systems that promotes the horizon described in the previous paragraph. “This makes it possible to adapt the frequency of collection and the routes that each truck must take to reduce costs and emissions, in addition to distributing the containers according to the needs of each area or adapting public awareness campaigns” , underlines Leo Jiménez. .
In Switzerland, the company has installed a monitoring system to improve the performance of more than 130 wind farms located in 9 European countries.
In the area of cities and territories, Minsait has developed a platform that manages smart localities to solve challenges such as reducing polluting emissions and improving air quality, as they did in Helsinki , in Finland.
On the side of tourism and economic recovery, they have innovative initiatives to manage the cultural heritage of cities like Medellín or Cartagena in a safer and more efficient way.
Fears and anxiety
Faced with the digitization of reality, the concerns related to cyberprecariousness or unemployment that can be generated by the robotization of trades and activities that are human today are numerous. For Leo Jiménez, they are understandable; however, there are many more benefits.
“It is inevitable and normal that certain tasks or professions are digitized. Humanity has always had these cycles and epochal changes. What needs to be done is to focus on training these people in other technologies. Innovation has among its benefits the creation of new positions and needs; however, in many countries, the lack of training, knowledge of these alternatives or of governments which do not digitize their societies, are ingredients of underdevelopment”, specified the representative of Minsait.
And he added: “We need to get on the tech bandwagon the right way. As for insecurity, this should not demonize the digital environment, since we should all have the same objections as if it were the physical world. More than fears, what is needed is to have measures to appease cybercriminals”.
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