# The Microverse: A Task-Oriented Edge-Scale Metaverese
## 2 Background and Related Work
### The Metaverse in the IoT: Challenges  
In the context of smart cities, the fusion of the metaverse with the IoT--an expansive network of interlinked devices and sensors--heralds a transformative era in urban interaction, blending the digital with the physical [9]. The digital-physical synergy enriches the smart city landscape with immersive, interactive, and data-intensive environments. Yet, integrating the metaverse within the complex IoT infrastructure of smart cities presents a set of formidable challenges that need to be addressed [10; 11].  
The primary challenge lies in bandwidth and _latency_ constraints [12]. Applications within the metaverse necessitate substantial data rates and minimal latency to facilitate seamless, immersive experiences. However, IoT environments usually function on limited networks, which are potentially inadequate for these high demands. Addressing the communication gap to guarantee fluid and responsive interactions in the metaverse, especially within the confines of IoT infrastructures, is a pivotal technical hurdle necessitating the development of inventive approaches in network infrastructure and data transmission strategies.  
_Scalability_ emerges as a critical issue [13] in integrating the IoT and the metaverse. The IoT landscape, characterized by a continuously growing assortment of devices, sensors, and data sources, presents a complex data and network interaction volume challenge. Adapting the metaverse to efficiently manage the immense amount of data while maintaining scalability parallel to the IoT's expansion is a sophisticated engineering endeavor. It is crucial to achieve scalability without sacrificing performance quality.  
_Interoperability_ remains a significant challenge in IoT environments [14; 15]. Devices produced by various manufacturers frequently employ distinct communication protocols and data formats, complicating their integration. Establishing a cohesive metaverse ecosystem that incorporates these heterogeneous devices while preserving interoperability is a challenging yet crucial task to ensure a seamless user experience.  
_Security_ and _privacy_ are paramount concerns within the IoT realm, and integrating the metaverse into an ecosystem significantly escalates these risks [9]. The potential for unauthorized access to sensitive IoT data via metaverse applications poses serious threats. Ensuring the security of data and devices in this converged environment is a critical challenge. Notably, the amalgamation of IoT data with the metaverse could create comprehensive user profiles, triggering ethical and privacy issues. Striking an appropriate balance between offering personalized experiences and maintaining user privacy is an intricate and necessary task.  
Integrating the metaverse into the real world presents additional challenges [9; 16]. The ambitious endeavor to adopt a metaverse aims to connect digital and physical domains seamlessly, requiring accurate location tracking, sophisticated object recognition, and advanced sensor fusion [17]. These sensor exploitation technologies could ensure precise alignment with IoT data and devices, yet they represent complex and intricate tasks that must be meticulously addressed for a digital metaverse.  
Last but not least, _energy efficiency_ is paramount in IoT environments, especially those dependent on distributed battery-operated devices. The persistent data demands from metaverse applications can rapidly exhaust device batteries, underscoring an urgent need for energy-efficient communication strategies. Three emerging technologies that could provide efficiency include digital twins, network slicing, and blockchains.