Using virtual reality glasses, the Desamparados Civil Court held the country’s first judicial hearing in the metaverse.It is a completely immersive and three-dimensional online virtual world, where the borders between reality and the real world disappear.
On this platform, users can interact both with the virtual environment and with each other, through the use of avatars.This concept has gained followers and has been a source of interest in the technology industry in recent years, with giants such as Facebook, Microsoft and Google investing in its development.It is expected that in the future, the metaverse will be the main place for work, entertainment, education and, if the day comes to pass, the main court.
Pilot project
The hearing in question took place on October 12 in META’s Horizon Workrooms metaverse.The pilot project was carried out in a non-contentious civil process with the authorization of the defending lawyer and his witnesses, who together with Judge Wálther Obando had the immersive experience in a Virtual Room equipped to hold hearings and meetings with the formality of the case and the full identification of those who participated.
A milestone
“It seems to me that this is a milestone, it seems to me that this is a historic change that we must incorporate because I believe that it could only have benefits,” said Luis Guillermo Rivas, Coordinating Magistrate of the Technology Commission.
For his part, Judge Wálther Obando indicated that “a few years ago we moved from the typewriter to the computer and at that time there was resistance to the change, and the same doubts can arise today; However, in terms of technologies and their costs, they are becoming more and more accessible.”
Applied to the public sector, the metaverse can offer notable advantages such as greater citizen participation of young generations, optimization of online services, and, of course, significant cost savings, always taking into account the relevant regulations and policies.
