An Introduction to the Industrial Metaverse

Although the concept of the metaverse seems to be a very recent trend, the term was first used in 1992 by Neil Stevenson in his novel, Snow Crash. It described a virtual world accessed by goggles where you could move about as an avatar; in the book it was used as an escape from the horrors of a dystopian world. Neil Stevenson imagined that this metaverse is what the internet would become, and seemingly he may have been right (though hopefully without the dystopian world part). In October 2021, Facebook rebranded to Meta indicating their shift in focus to the metaverse, which sparked the most recent widespread interest in the technologies. Along with this, Meta have released their own VR headsets; further solidifying their goal of creating the Metaverse.?

The metaverse could change everything from entertainment, shopping, education, and the workplace. One area that has already started embracing the metaverse is engineering and manufacturing, this “industrial metaverse” continues to grow as more companies explore the technology. However, the industrial metaverse is mostly self-contained, which prompts the question of whether there will be a single metaverse if different companies build their own versions. Given the number of voices in this new space there's no absolute definition as to what the metaverse will be; however, there are a few common features.?

What is the Metaverse??

The concept of the metaverse as a digital world accessed through Extended Reality (XR) devices (primarily Virtual Reality — VR) remains consistent throughout ideas of the metaverse. VR allows the user to be fully immersed in the virtual world, allowing for better communication and collaboration.?

There is a disconnect between the digital and the real world, referred to as the “Cognitive Gap”, because it can be difficult to put information on a screen into the context of the real world. However, VR is helping to close this gap by allowing users to visualize data in an immersive space.?

How Could Engineering and Manufacturing Use the Metaverse?

The metaverse will expand on the benefits of Extended Reality for Engineering and Manufacturing companies by creating a more connected system. With the ability to visualise CAD models in XR, much of development could be done remotely, and the metaverse would allow a seamless transition from an immersive meeting room to a collaborative design review, without needing to leave your home.?

Some engineering and manufacturing companies are already beginning to embrace the metaverse. In January 2022, Hyundai Motor Company and Unity announced their partnership. In their official release, Hyundai described the project as a ‘Meta-Factory’ and explained their plan for the partnership: “The introduction of a Meta-Factory will allow Hyundai to test-run a factory virtually in order to calculate the optimized plant operation, and enable plant managers to solve problems without having to physically visit the plant.”?

Large projects like this one are likely to be a driving force for progressing the industrial metaverse, since they allow other companies to see the potential of the metaverse without having to take any risks themselves. Although there will be many obstacles to making the metaverse commonplace, large companies like Hyundai clearly think that the benefits are worth it.?

? “Hyundai’s vision for the future, including the digital twin of factory operations, represents a significant technological step forward in manufacturing with unlimited potential in its efficiency.” — John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Unity.?

The ability to prototype and review everything digitally is a huge benefit to the engineering and manufacturing industry. And it isn’t just efficiency that’s improved, reviewing models in XR during development improves quality control as well, since more mistakes are caught before more ‘permanent’ decisions are made.??

In March 2023, Nokia and EY partnered for the “The Metaverse at Work” study, which looked into how industry leaders feel about the industrial metaverse. Their research found that 80% of experienced respondents believe that the industrial metaverse will have a significant or transformative impact on their business. However, even more significantly, the study found that companies who had already implemented use cases reported more benefits than those in the planning phase predicted, suggesting that the benefits of implementing metaverse technologies exceed expectations.??

Final Thoughts

Despite the initial work involved in setting a business up for XR and the metaverse, the benefits can be worth it. Reviewing the data in XR before having to make a physical model streamlines the manufacturing process, and the immersive collaboration allows for remote working while still having the benefits of traditional office working.??

Although the industrial metaverse seems a long way from becoming a widespread phenomenon it may be closer than it seems. The metaverse brings all the benefits of working in XR into an interconnected digital space, expanding on what XR already brings to the table. Although it’s difficult to tell what form the metaverse will take at this stage (whether it will be singular digital world or multiple specialised ‘metaverses’), as companies continue to take an interest, it becomes more likely that the metaverse, however it ends up looking, will significantly influence everyone’s lives.

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