SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hitch Interactive, the company connecting innovators and providing immersive experiences in AI, robotics, fintech, and the Metaverse, today announced the launch of its Hitch1999 platform for Web3, along with the first-ever programmable non-fungible tokens (NFTs)—capable of delivering code-driven content and experiences. Built to a new interactive standard called the Immutable Miniverse Format (IMF), the first limited edition collection of 1,000 NFTs is minted on the Ethereum blockchain. Each playful foodie hamster NFT in this “Yummy Hamo” collection is an original design encoded with a curated gourmet miniverse.
Uniquely, miniverses are not third-party dependent. With the new IMF standard, Hitch Interactive is working to bring substance and trust back to the sector, and to build new bridges between Web3 and the rest of the world.
Miniverses, Metaverse, and a Foodie Named Hamo
The IMF embedding procedure immutably encodes and/or encrypts tailored messages, content, and interactive experiences on the NFTs, visualized as a string of dynamically changing secret code. Each NFT includes unique art like some traditional NFTs, but also an underlying miniverse that might contain an executable program, exclusive text and animation, an interactive game, or another application—even a foodie event with an encrypted, private recipe from a famous chef. The miniverse’s substance is self-contained in the NFT.
The inaugural, limited edition Yummy Hamo collection, created by the designers at Hitch Interactive to be an interactive cookbook and cultural resource, celebrates 1,000 gourmet cuisines from around the world in 1,000 miniverses. The collection meticulously curates a compendium of dishes and experiences from nine diverse culinary cultures, plus a special category of culturally rich street food. The artwork contained in each NFT is digitally created to include a foodie hamster protagonist called Hamo and a unique representation of the signature dish placed in front of a vibrant background. Each encoded miniverse awaits the owner’s exploration.
“The Internet today has been transforming people’s daily lives by connecting its users and things in multi-facets and multi-dimensions. It is time we question whether an equally prosperous future of Web3 can continue to grow in a cocoon all by itself,” said Hitch Interactive Co-Founder Dr. Allen Yang, a Top 100 Faculty Innovator at UC Berkeley and a serial entrepreneur. “The new IMF standard can significantly broaden the use cases of NFTs by immutably codifying each NFT’s utility as part of the NFT artwork. The Yummy Hamo NFTs are an exciting example of this standard, and a celebration of food and culture at the same time.”
Yummy Hamo NFTs allow each owner to artistically proclaim their favorite piece of culinary culture on Web3 and their social platforms. Hitch Interactive plans to open up Hitch1999 for minting other collections of NFTs with user-generated content (UGC) on Web3 and the Metaverse. A more integrated minting and decoding of IMF standard NFTs will be available in the future release of the Hitch Mint service online. In the meantime, the owners of Yummy Hamo NFTs can already use the tool on the Hitch1999 platform to experience the IMF in action and decode each hidden message.
Better NFTs leverage code
To improve the structure of NFTs, Hitch Interactive is embracing code-centered tenets of the open source and blockchain communities, and the notion:
If “code is law,” a digital token whose utility is not defined by an immutable code may be deemed “lawless.”
The new IMF standard will enforce the following features:
- Each NFT includes a piece of immutable code embedded as part of the token;
- The immutable code, together with traditional NFT artwork or other digitized information, is the only explicit utility of the token defined at its creation;
- The immutable code embedding in the NFT is compatible with and will survive the distribution of the NFT on most social media operating on Web1 and Web2 levels;
- Anyone can realize the utility of the NFT by merely executing the immutable code; that is, the utility of the NFT does not depend on any identifiable third party;
- Once the NFT is minted on-chain following the IMF standards, no further effort is needed by any third party to interpret, maintain, or improve the utility of the NFT.
“The Hitch1999 platform and current release of the Yummy Hamo NFT collection join a portfolio of other products by Hitch Interactive, including Hitch Learn, Hitch Play, and Hitch Compete, with the goal to educate and connect future innovators,” said Crystal Tang, Co-Founder and CEO of Hitch Interactive. “The team has spent the last several years creating immersive and interactive gamification experiences, as well as refining and teaching AI, robotics, and VR technologies, to help students and executives alike embrace the disruptive and constructive power of growth technologies. Hitch1999 is a new innovation platform that can bring our clients’ immersive learning experiences onto Web3, an exponential-growth market we believe in very much.”
“I'm thrilled to share my excitement about the Hitch1999 project and the Yummy Hamo programmable NFT collection!” said noted academic and buyer Sorat Tungkasiri. “This unique combination of culinary exploration and digital art in the Metaverse is a fantastic idea. I'm all in and can't wait to embark on this flavorful journey, connecting with people worldwide to savor diverse cuisines and cultures. It's an appetizing adventure in the virtual world that promises to be both fun and delicious. Let's savor the future together!”
To learn more about the IMF standard, Yummy Hamo NFTs, and Web3 engagement, visit the Hitch1999 platform at http://hitch1999.com/.
To see all Hitch Interactive educative and innovative offerings, visit https://hitchinteractive.com/.
About Hitch Interactive
Hitch Interactive creates standards for learning and innovation within emerging technologies and STEAM education. Its expanding platform bridges creators and innovators across regions, professions, and societal divides, and delivers immersive experiences in AI, Robotics, AR/VR, Metaverse, and Fintech. Hitch embraces the disruptive power of exponential- growth technologies to create interactive learning and gamification experiences. The company’s portfolio includes Hitch Learn, Hitch Play, Hitch Compete, Hitch1999, and Hitch Salon. Hitch connects users to a suite of AI, deep learning and computer vision courses and experiences, a Metaverse masterclass, and executive development opportunities in AI. The company is also a proud sponsor and promoter of the Berkeley ROAR Racing as the most decorated US-based AI racing team in the Indy Autonomous Challenge series and its ROAR Academy K-12 STEAM program.
