MeetKai launches new room-scanning tech and metaverse builder - TechCrunch

Not everyone believes that the metaverse — social, VR-centric worlds — has staying power. But MeetKai is among the steadfast optimists. Founded successful 2018, the startup initially focused connected conversational AI, aiming to physique cutting-edge, top-of-the-line dependable designation and code synthesis tech. It soon broadened its focus, introducing products to assistance developers physique components of metaverse worlds, including “intelligent” NPCs and (less excitingly) ads.

This twelvemonth astatine the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, MeetKai is launching respective caller platforms geared toward metaverse creators and users, including a mode to digitize 3D spaces and buildings utilizing immoderate internet-connected instrumentality with a camera.

The 3D-digitizing service, called MeetKai Reality, tin bring assorted objects and spaces from the existent satellite into the metaverse, says MeetKai. After tapping a camera-equipped instrumentality to grounds a fewer seconds of video, users upload the footage to MeetKai Reality, which renders the captured abstraction successful VR.

While not caller — platforms similar Coohom, Matterport and adjacent Zillow could already render spaces from photos — MeetKai CEO and co-founder James Kaplan asserts that MeetKai Reality is the archetypal photo-to-rendering solution tailored for metaverse usage cases. “We privation to unlock the aforesaid outgo and clip savings for everyone other looking to physique successful the metaverse,” helium said successful a statement, noting the imaginable applications successful existent estate, interior design, architecture, engineering and retail.

MeetKai’s 2nd caller product, MeetKai Metaverse Editor, is simply a spot much differentiating. It allows users without coding acquisition to physique structures and spaces successful the metaverse, optionally collaborating with others successful existent clip arsenic they bash so. Metaverse-building tools exist, to beryllium definite — startups similar Tripolygon supply them. But not each are no-code and some stay vaporware, Kaplan presently points out.

“MeetKai’s metaverse tools tin beryllium utilized a la carte … We privation to unlock the aforesaid outgo and clip savings for everyone other looking to physique successful the metaverse,” Kaplan said.

To circular retired the caller merchandise suite, MeetKai is launching MeetKai Cloud AI, which allows developers to plug a cloud-driven dependable adjunct into an existing virtual environment. Kaplan claims these assistants — which instrumentality the signifier of avatars that tin converse connected immoderate fig of predefined topics — person “real clip reasoning capabilities” (although the jury’s retired connected that) and tin “leverage immoderate signifier of multimedia to instantly interact with extremity users.”

In the future, MeetKai plans to make its ain AI connection strategy on the lines of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which it expects volition vastly amended the prime of conversations with its avatars.

“I’m precise blessed to spot our institution present the world’s starring metaverse and AI exertion products, which acceptable a caller people and rise the exertion barroom successful a precise competitory industry,” MeetKai co-founder and enforcement chairwoman Weili Dai said successful a property release. “Our imaginativeness and ngo for MeetKai is to deploy these capabilities to the masses by offering groundbreaking and affordable solutions, accessible from web browsers and immoderate instrumentality — similar phones, tablets, computers, ample screens, not conscionable VR — disposable anyplace successful the satellite for greater interaction and amended lives for all.”

MeetKai is competing with hundreds of companies for dominance successful the metaverse space, but it appears to beryllium holding its own, claiming that implicit 50 cardinal radical actively usage its tech. Recently, the startup announced a woody with the Los Angeles Chargers to make caller in-stadium and at-home experiences, including an “AI-based” locker country tour.

To date, MeetKai has raised implicit $20 cardinal successful task superior (per VentureBeat) and has astir 40 employees.