The metaverse, but made of flesh and blood, not bits. Intelligence, but human and not artificial. The idea of Tortura, a Japanese startup present at the Mobile World Congress is simple: a platform to rent an avatar and ask him to act in our place. Except that our double will be a human being who will move in the real world, perhaps thousands of miles away. The result will be the same: avoiding long, expensive, and these days also risky trips. It will be possible to visit fairs, inspect construction sites, conclude deals and conduct interviews, and who knows what else, simply by using a tablet with an app from which the movements of the other person are controlled: four arrows for forward, backward, right, left, constant interaction via camera, microphone and loudspeaker. The platform is already available, and – explain those of Toraru – there are also advantages for those who offer themselves as an avatar: the pay for a day’s work can reach 500 dollars. A lot, when compared to other uses, little if you think about how the idea of Toraru resembles the technological nightmares of the Black Mirror TV series.
by Bruno Ruffilli
filming by Stefano Scarpa